“Remember This: Kindness Begins with Me”

In April Conference 2011, Sister Mary N. Cook, then First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency said:

“… A few weeks ago I learned an important lesson from a Laurel who was the youth speaker in my ward. I was touched as she confidently taught and testified of Jesus Christ. She concluded her remarks with this statement: “When I make Jesus Christ the center of my life, my day goes better, I’m kinder to my loved ones, and I am filled with joy.”

I have observed this young woman from a distance over the past few months. She greets everyone with sparkling eyes and a quick smile. I’ve watched her rejoice in the success of other youth. Two Mia Maids recently reported to me of this young woman’s decision to forfeit her ticket to a movie when she realized that it was not going to be an experience that was “virtuous and lovely.”¹ She’s loving, kind, and obedient. She comes from a single-parent home, and her life has not been without challenges, so I’ve wondered how she maintains her happy, kind spirit. When this young woman testified, “I center my life on Jesus Christ,” I had the answer.

“We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men.” This beautiful list of Christlike attributes, found in the thirteenth article of faith, will prepare us for temple blessings and eternal life.

I would like to focus on just one of these words—benevolent. 2 Benevolent is a lovely word that we don’t hear very often. Its roots are Latin, and it means “to wish someone well.”

 To be benevolent is to be kind, well meaning, and charitable. Many of you learned about the idea of benevolence when you were in Primary and committed this song to memory:

Our Savior taught us about and lived a benevolent life. Jesus loved all and He served all. Centering our lives on Jesus Christ will help us acquire this attribute of benevolence. For us to develop these same Christlike attributes, we must learn about the Savior and “follow in His ways.”^{4 below}

…. I promise that if you will extend yourself beyond what is easy to do, you will feel so good inside that kindness will start to become a part of your everyday life. You’ll see that benevolence can bring joy and unity to your home, your class, your ward, and your school. “Remember this: kindness begins with me.” ~ for Sister Cook’s complete talk, click… “Remember This: Kindness Begins with Me”

….continued

4.“Guardians of Virtue,” Strength of Youth Media 2011: We Believe (DVD, 2010); also available at lds.org/youth/video/youth-theme-2011-we-believe.