Two years ago my brother took his son Ethan to a dude ranch in southern Utah. It was one of the most amazing experiences for the both of them and far different than their life in the Bay Area as a big city attorney and one of the greatest skate boarding nephews on the planet. They rode horses, roped and branded cows, and slept under the stars at night.

On their way back to California, they stopped by to say "hello" and spend a night at "home" in Clovis Calif. I will never forget the look on their faces as they swung open the door, proudly doning their new badge of honor: their cowboy hats, boots, blood stains on their clothes, and enough dirt to convince me that they were each a mans man! I don't know that I have seen two more excited -- and worn out -- men in my life. They just experienced the week of a lifetime, and it showed all over their faces and clothes. We spent the next several hours listening to Ethan as he described in humorous detail all the events of the week. I was so proud of both of them.

A year ago I had an experience with similar pride. I signed up for my first Sprint Triathlon! It was the Ice Breaker Triathlon in American Fork, Utah. When I arrived I soon realized that all the other beginners had stayed home due to the 30-degree temperatures and zillion mile-per-hour winds. Everyone else there was dressed like a professional. Their bikes weighed ounces (mine was the only one with a kickstand) and they rode up hill at the same speed that I was riding down hill. By the time I got to the swimming, which they moved to the last event due to the extreme cold weather, most were home having breakfast.

I will never forget as my friend Stacy and I drove home exhausted and coughing as our frozen lungs were struggling to work for us. I don't remember if we talked very much, but I know we both were bursting with pride that we actually finished the race without dying. As I told others before the race, and after, I wanted to do this triathlon for a guilt-free Big Mac and a T-shirt. They, along with my cough for a week, became my badge of honor. A year later, Stacy and I are still talking about that race. It was one of the most challenging and exhilarating experiences in our lives, and we look forward to our next one this coming October.



There is just nothing like doning a badge of honor after having accomplished something.

Greasy hands can be a badge of honor for one who has fixed a broken machine.
Sweat after a good work-out is always a badge of honor.

Each time we would go out to work at the church's welfare farm as a child, dust and smashed grapes all over our body was our badge of honor.

A tingling rear and weak legs were a badge of honor for my dad and my brother as they rode their motorcycles 3,000 miles across country and back.

Isn't it interesting how a certain sense of satisfaction, accomplishment and confidence comes over us when we are faced with something challenging, hard, or seemingly impossible? Each of these challenges comes with its own badge of honor. A 'can do' attitude or an extra dose of strength seems to take over at such times. I know that my brother was not going to let those calves beat him, as he wrestled them down and held them as they were branded, just as I was not going to let my frozen lungs keep me from finishing the race.

We don't seem to have a problem embracing the suffering that comes with challenging feats. We are grateful we had the experience. We don our new badge of honor and love the insight and wisdom that came with it, not to mention the fact that we have some really great stories for the years ahead.

In each of our lives, we are faced with very real challenges. The challenges we face may not be as exhilarating as the wrestling of a cow or the running of a race, therefore we may not be as quick to embrace the suffering that is associated with them. Yet they are nobler in nature, and their badge of honor is far more significant than blood-stained clothes or a commemorative T-shirt.

So I ask, what is the badge of honor for the sister in your ward, who unbeknownst to you unselfishly placed a child for adoption during her younger years? What is the badge of honor for the man or woman who came to their second marriage with volumes of lessons learned and a renewed commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ?

What is the badge of honor for the young missionary who is serving without the support of his parents? What is the badge of honor for those who are living with chronic pain, or a broken heart, and yet are more concerned about others? What is the badge of honor for those young people who have chosen to stay morally clean?

What is the badge of honor to those who run from pornography? What is the badge of honor to those who leave their job in order to preserve their integrity? What is the badge of honor for those who face the challenges associated with divorce, loneliness, a lost job, disabilities or the loss of a child?

Regardless of the challenges we face, nestled at the root is the opportunity to be courageous.

Courage is the badge of honor for those who embrace their challenges with righteousness. President Monson said, "...we will face fear, experience ridicule, and meet opposition. Let us have the courage to defy the consensus, the courage to stand for principle. Courage, not compromise, brings the smile of God's approval. Courage becomes a living and an attractive virtue when it is regarded not only as a willingness to die manfully, but also as a determination to live decently. A moral coward is one who is afraid to do what he thinks is right because others will disapprove or laugh.

Remember that all men have their fears, but those who face their fears with dignity have courage as well."

While speaking of Christian courage, Elder Hales says, "Some people mistakenly think responses such as silence, meekness, forgiveness, and bearing humble testimony are passive or weak. But, to 'love our enemies, bless them that curse us, do good to them that hate us, and pray for them which despitefully use us, and persecute us takes faith, strength, and, most of all, Christian courage."

Doing the right thing when the voices from all directions are screaming for us to do otherwise is courage. Withholding judgment, giving someone the benefit of the doubt, takes courage. Talking kindly towards and about someone who has persecuted you takes courage. Working things out together with someone versus just talking to them or giving them answers takes courage. Not getting offended and fighting back when someone is contentious or thoughtless takes courage. Staying morally clean and dressing modestly takes courage. Standing for the truth, at the risk of your job, popularity and possible opportunities, takes courage.

Courage is the badge of honor that these people wear; and embracing this type of accomplishment far outweighs that of any physical feats. Though I am grateful for my T-shirt and guilt-free Big Mac, I would trade those in a heartbeat for courage, the real badge of honor.