“It’s Worth It to Me”

Max bopped his head in rhythm with the song playing on the car radio. He couldn’t wait! Today Mom was taking him to play with his cousin, Preston. But just as his favorite part of the song came on, Mom turned down the music. He was about to ask her to turn it back up when he saw her face in the rearview mirror. She looked a little sad.

“What’s wrong?” Max asked.

“I have something to talk to you about before we get to Preston’s house,” Mom said. “Preston’s family has decided to stop going to church.”

Max and Preston were baptized on the same day. He thought about all the times they had gone to church together. It made him sad to think that might not happen anymore.

“Why?” Max asked.

Mom sighed. “Well, his parents don’t believe the Church is true anymore. Aunt Abby got a little upset with me the other day when we talked about church.”

Max felt a knot in his stomach. “What if Preston gets upset with me about it too?” Max whispered.

Mom looked back at Max in the mirror. “If you’re not sure what to say, just listen. The Holy Ghost will help you know what to do. No matter what, they are our family, and we will always love them.”

Max was a little nervous when he got to Preston’s house, but they quickly started talking and playing like normal. After their front-flip contest on the trampoline, they went inside for a drink. Max realized that it was almost time for Mom to pick him up.

“I’ve got to go soon,” Max said. “I wish I could stay longer.”

“You should spend the night!” Preston handed Max a glass of water.

Max took a drink. “I can’t. I have to get up early tomorrow.”

“For church?” Preston laughed. It wasn’t a friendly laugh. Max didn’t like the way it sounded.

“You should skip church,” Preston said. “Stay here. We’ll sleep in and then play all day. If you go to church, you’ll have to comb your hair and sit still while people talk about boring stuff.” He closed his eyes and pretended to fall asleep. Then he opened his eyes and laughed again. “Is it really worth it?”

Max was nervous. What should he say? He sipped his water, took a deep breath in, and silently prayed to know what to do. Then Max smiled and said simply, “Well … it’s worth it to me.”

Preston nodded slowly. “OK,” he said. “That’s cool. I just hope we can play again
soon.”

“Me too,” Max smiled.

On the way home, Max told Mom what happened.

Mom listened quietly and smiled. “See? You listened to the Holy Ghost, and you knew just what to say.”

Max felt happy. He was glad that the Holy Ghost had helped him to be brave and stand up for what he knew was right.

Illustration by Kavel Rafferty