Be Loyal to the Royal within You

One Of my favorite talks of all time:

"Over the years I have been exposed to many beautiful languages--each of them is fascinating and remarkale; each has its particular charm. But as different as these languages can be, they often have things in common. For example, in most languages there exists a phrase as MAGICAL and FULL OF PROMISE as perhaps any in the world. That phrase is "Once Upon a time."
Arent those wonderful words to begin a story? "once upon a time" promises something: a story of adventure and romance, a story of princesses and princes. It may include tales of courage, hope, and everlasting love. In many of these stories, nice overcomes mean and good overcomes evil. But perhaps most of all, I love it when we turn to the last page and our eyes reach the final lines and we see the enchanting words "And they lived happily ever after.""

Princesses "have to experience sadness and trial before they can reach their "happily ever after." Think about it. Has there ever been a person who did not have to go through his or her own dark valley of temptation, trial, and sorrow?

My Dear young sisters, you need to know that you will experience your own adversity. None is exempt. You will suffer, be tempted, and make mistakes. You will learn for yourself what every heroine has learned: through overcoming challenges come growth and strength.

IT IS YOUR REACTION TO ADVERSITY, NOT THE ADVERSITY ITSELF, THAT DETERMINES HOW YOUR LIFE'S STORY WILL DEVELOP.

There are those among you who, although young, have already suffered a full measure of grief and sorrow. My heart is filled with compassion and love for you. How dear you are to the Church. How beloved you are of your Heavenly Father. Though it may seem that you are alone, angels attend you. Though you may feel that no one can understand the depth of your despair, our savior, Jesus Christ, understands. He suffered more than we can possibly imagine, and he did it for us; He did it for you. You are not alone.

If you ever feel your burden is too great to bear, lift your heart to your Heavenly Father, and He will uphold and bless you. He says to you, as He said to Joseph Smith, "[Your] adversity and [Your] afflictions shall be but a small moment; and then, if [you] endure it well, God shall exalt [you] on high."

Enduring adversity is not the only thing you must do to experience a happy life. Stay true to what you know is right. "Stand... in holy places, and be not moved," regardless of temptations or difficulties. I promise you that future generations will be grateful for you and praise your name for your courage and faithfulness during this crucial time of your life.

My dear young sisters--you who stand for truth and righteousness, you who seek goodness, you who have entered the waters of baptism and walk in the ways of the lord--our father in heafven has promised that you will "mount up with wings as eagles; [you] shall run, and not be weary; and [you] shall walk, and not faint." You "shall not be deceived." God will bless and prosper you. "The gates of hell shall not prevail against you; and the lord god will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, his name's glory."

Be Strong and of good courage. You are truly royal spirit daughters of Almighty God. You are princesses, destined to become queens. Your own wondrous story has already begun. Your "once upon a time" is NOW." - Dieter F. Uchtdorf April 2010 General Conference "Your Happily Ever After"