Integrity can be lonely.
Ether was a descendant of kings. If his grandfather, Moron, had not been dethroned, Ether would have been king. (See Ether 11:14-23.) As it happened, he was a prophet, and an unpopular one at that. He felt strongly about the things he taught. “He could not be restrained because of the Spirit of the Lord which was in him. For he did cry from the morning, even until the going down of the sun” (Ether 12:2-3.) But his teaching placed him in danger. Even though his prophecies were “great and marvelous,” his people “esteemed him as naught, and cast him out; and he hid himself in the cavity of a rock by day, and by night he went forth viewing the things which should come upon the people” (Ether 13:13).
When the Lord commanded Ether to warn the king, Coriantumr, to repent, Ether delivered the message. As a result, the people tried to kill him, “but he fled from before them and hid again in the cavity of the rock” (Ether 13:22).
President Russell M. Nelson observed:
Without the power of faith, would Abinadi have suffered death by fire for refusing to deny what he knew to be true? (see Mosiah 17:7–20). Without that power, would Ether have hidden in the cavity of a rock (see Ether 13:13–14) and Moroni endured years of loneliness (see Moroni 1:1–3) when their lives could have been much more comfortable if they had only denounced what they believed?
“Christ Is Risen Risen; Faith in Him Will Move Mountains,” General Conference, April 2021
Today, I will be true to my convictions. I will share truths that can help other people instead of saying what I know they want to hear. I will stand up for what’s right even when it isn’t popular.
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