Being Honest

By Rudinei Antonio Fernandes Filho

I have always learned in Primary and at home that we should be honest. We should not
keep what does not belong to us, we should return change when we receive too much at
the store, and we should always tell the truth even though we may be punished.
ne day when I was nine, I was waiting on the school patio !or my mother and I saw a
wallet on a bench. "here was money in it.
I thought about what I should do. #y mother works very hard to take care o! my two
sisters and me, but things weren$t going very well at home. I thought about what I could
buy.
"hen I started to worry about the person who had lost the money and how much she
would miss it. I sat down and waited because I knew she would come to look !or it.
A!ter some time, a very upset woman appeared and asked, %&ave you !ound a wallet'(
I answered, %Is this it'(
&er )oy was so great she hugged me. *he thanked me again and again.
At that time, I did not even think about why I made the decision to be honest. But when I
told my mother about it later, she said the &oly +host had whispered to me and I had
listened to the still, small voice.
I am grate!ul !or having learned to be honest.
Illustration by *cott *now
Rudinei Antonio Fernandes Filho, age ,,, is a member o! the #angalot Ward, *-o Paulo
Bra.il Pirituba *take.
We believe in being honest /Articles o! Faith ,0,12.
#elinda le!t her house holding the key #rs. Roberts had given her. %I$m o!! to work,(
she said. *he liked the way that sounded. %3ot every ,,4year4old has a )ob,( she thought.
*he walked to the Robertses$ house and opened their mailbo5. "he Roberts !amily would
be gone until "hursday, and they had hired #elinda to get their mail and do other chores
at their house every day.
#elinda went into their house, put the mail on the kitchen table, and !illed the cat$s !ood
dish. "hen she went into the !amily room to water the plants. It !elt strange to be in her
neighbors$ house alone.
In a corner o! the room she saw a shel! !illed with glass !igurines. 6ach one was a little
girl in a !ancy dress. *he picked one up and looked at it care!ully. n the bottom it said,
%#ichelle.( #elinda wondered i! each o! the !igurines had a name. *he picked up another
and turned it over. It was named Rebecca.
#elinda picked up another glass girl, one in a pretty yellow dress. As she turned it over,
it slipped !rom her hand and !ell to the !loor. #elinda gasped and knelt down 7uickly to
pick it up. Its head and one o! the legs had broken o!!.
%h no,( she thought. %What am I going to do' #rs. Roberts is going to be so mad at
me8(
*he put the head back on the !igurine and was surprised to see that she could hardly tell it
was broken. When she put the leg back, she !ound that the little girl could still stand up.
%I! I put it back )ust right, #rs. Roberts won$t even know it$s broken,( she thought. %I!
she picks it up or bumps the shel!, it will !all apart, but she$ll think she broke it hersel!.
3o one will know it was me.(
#elinda had a sick !eeling as she walked home. *he wondered i! she should tell #rs.
Roberts about breaking the !igurine. %But she trusted me,( #elinda thought. %*he$ll
never trust me again i! she knows I broke something in her house.(
#elinda went to the Robertses$ each morning !or the ne5t two days. *he was care!ul not
to go near the shel! where the !igurines were. *he didn$t even want to look at them.
n "hursday a!ternoon, the Robertses$ car was back in their driveway. #elinda walked
over to return their key. #rs. Roberts thanked her !or doing such a good )ob and gave her
an envelope with money inside. #elinda could hardly speak. *he !elt aw!ul. %It$s )ust a
little glass girl,( she thought. %It$s not a big deal. And they$ll never know I did it.(
"hat night a!ter dinner, #elinda$s !ather opened the Book o! #ormon !or !amily
scripture study. "hey were reading about &elaman$s stripling soldiers.
#elinda and her brothers listened as 9ad read Alma :10;<0 %And they were all young
men, and they were e5ceedingly valiant !or courage, and also !or strength and activity=
but behold, this was not all>they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever
thing they were entrusted.(
%"hey were super brave,( 3athan said.
%And strong,( "yler added.
%"hey were strong and brave enough to !ight,( #om agreed. %"hat$s what the !irst part o!
the scripture says. But in the ne5t part, it says something more about them>that they
used their courage to be true. "hey stood up !or what was right.(
#elinda looked at her Book o! #ormon and read the words again. *he had been
entrusted with something, and she had not been true.
A little while later, #elinda stood at the Robertses$ door. #rs. Roberts looked surprised
to see her. %&ello,( she said. %9id you !orget something'(
%?es. I mean, no. I need to tell you something.( *he took a deep breath. %I broke one o!
your little glass girls. I put it back so you couldn$t tell it was broken. I$m sorry I broke it,
and I$m sorry I didn$t tell you about it be!ore. I was )ust scared, I guess.(
%Why don$t you come in and show me what you broke'( #rs. Roberts said.
#elinda !ollowed her neighbor into the !amily room and pointed out the girl in the
yellow dress. When #rs. Roberts picked it up, its head and leg !ell o!!. %I would never
have known it was broken i! I hadn$t picked it up,( she said. %Well, it can be glued. I
broke another one once, and I glued it.( *he picked up another !igurine and showed
#elinda. %?ou can hardly tell, can you'(
#elinda shook her head. *he hadn$t noticed the crack in the other one. %I really am
sorry,( she said.
%It$s @. I$m glad you came back to tell me the truth. "hat took a lot o! courage. ?ou
know, we$ll be going out o! town again ne5t month. Would you like to help out at our
house then too'(
#elinda looked up. %9o you trust me' 6ven a!ter I broke something'(
%?ou$ve shown that you are very trustworthy. ?ou told the truth when you didn$t have
to. I$ll be glad to have you work !or us again.(
%I won$t touch the !igurines. I promise.(
%"hat$s !ine. "hank you, #elinda, !or coming over tonight.(
"he heavy !eeling #elinda had !elt !or days was gone. *he !elt as light as a !eather as she
skipped home.