The fine line

Our standards. The Lord's commandments. Our parents rules. These are the lines and guidelines that keep us doing what we SHOULD be doing. Often times we feel that those boundaries limit us, which indeed boundaries do, hence the word "boundary"-- a line depicting where you shouldn't go. We may believe that this limits our abilities when in reality it becomes a boundary that lead us to ultimate freedom. These are the boundaries that save us from heartache, distress, or worry. These limits keep us within the percentage of goodness that remains in the world rather than the vast distance of evil that can overcome us. This test of our faith and our ability to follow the Lords' commandments isn't to see how close we can get to that edge before falling off the cliff. Its about seeing how far away you can stay away from it. Often times, especially for teenagers, we see how close we can get without actually breaking the rules, however, that can become a hazard because even the best kids have the tendency to slip and then they are off that mountain.  Stay away from that edge. Know your standards, keep the faith and endure to the end. Not only do trials test your faith and strength in the gospel but they also test your endurance. The toughest part of this gospel is being able to endure. Endurance, even at its most challenging times, leads to our everlasting goal. The covenants we make constantly battle with the convenience of events that attempt to take the place of whats important. There are several personal examples that each individual has where they must choose between following their covenants rather than what seems a lot more convenient. Imagine this simple analogy, a black line = bad, and a white line = good. Everything relating to your agency either goes beyond this black line or white line, it's either bad or good. There exists no gray area. So whatever you choose must either be really bad or really good, so you know that you won't have any problems getting closer and closer black if you moved into that gray. I know that if we choose to stay in the lines we will have greater happiness, true happiness, down the road.