Righteous Friends

  This topic has been on my mind often and I felt the urge to get out of bed at 6am on my day off to write about it. I have been thinking about friendships. I believe that it is so important to have friends of other faiths because if we did not then who would we teach the gospel too? However what happens when those friendships start to bring you down?

  There are some friendships that I no longer have because I chose the gospel over them. However that does not mean I do not miss those individuals. I realized that when you feel as if you have to live two different lives then you are not being true to the gospel. This is how I felt. I felt that I had to be fun and crazy. I felt like I had to take bad about others and make fun of people because that's what made us laugh. What I quickly realized was the was against what the gospel was teaching me. This was against what I truly believed. I was striving so hard to have a home centered around the gospel, but no matter how hard I tried I did not feel it. It saddened me and I could not pinpoint the reason why. When others pointed out that I might not have the best influences around me I started to look deeper in to my friendships.

  Elder Jeffrey R. Holland stated,"...that living the gospel and being true to gospel principles is the key to true, lasting, triumphant friendship." What I learned about my friendships was they were not making me a better person. They were pulling me away from the gospel and so I made the decision to walk away from them. I was worried that I would have no one. These friends knew everything I had been thru and loved me anyway. Would new friends that shared my same beliefs love me if they knew all that I had been thru?

   Months have past since I made this decision and I can honestly say my life is on the right track and in the right place. I have friends who know the truth about my life and they love me still. I have friends that help build me up and not break me down. But what I really learned was that there is one true friend who will never leave me alone no matter what I do and that is Jesus Christ. He has felt the pain I have felt and has loved me still.

   Friendships are so important and I challenge everyone to make a new friend. Don't be shy about getting to know new people. Find people that will raise you up and that can help you become a better you. I have a testimony that have righteous friends will help bring you closer to the gospel and help you get thru trials. A true and righteous friend will love you no matter what. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.