Your uniqueness was recognized in a University of North Carolina study of American teens and religion. A Charlotte Observer article had the title “Mormon teens cope best: Study finds they top peers at handling adolescence.” This article concluded that “Mormons fared best at avoiding risky behaviors, doing well in school and having a positive attitude about the future.” One of the researchers in the study, who interviewed most of our youth, said, “Across almost every category we looked at, there was a clear pattern: Mormons were first.”President Oaks went on to explain the reason why members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints cope so well with mortality: We know the Plan of Salvation. We cope well with mortality because we know it's temporary and because we know what comes next. We know about the eternal blessings that come to those who "endure to the end," and we know about the great regret suffered by those who give in to temptation. We know that this Earth life is a very small blip of time in the perspective of eternity. We know that the many pains of life and the highs people seek to dull the pain are all temporary, and we know what will truly last forever.
Life is tough, and we feel that as strongly as anybody, but when life gets tough, we can take comfort in knowing that these afflictions have a purpose and that they won't ail us forever. This is a blessing I hadn't considered before, but it's a blessing I'm glad I have. I realize that I have been blessed by my knowledge of the Plan of Salvation and what is temporal or eternal. The hardships we suffer in life won't last forever, but the blessings we'll get for enduring well will.
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