My Gospel Thoughts

Hey there, friends. I want to share something today that I hope brings a bit of light and encouragement, especially if you’ve ever felt alone in standing up for what you believe in. We’re diving into the story of Mormon—a man who, despite being surrounded by a world that had all but turned away from God, held tight to his beliefs, his purpose, and his courage. When I read about his journey, I feel this deep pull in my heart. There’s something about standing alone that stirs something powerful inside us, doesn’t it?

And I wonder, have you ever been in a position where you felt like your voice might not matter? Maybe in a family situation, or with friends, or even just within yourself—this quiet worry that speaking up won’t change a thing. Mormon knew that feeling but kept going anyway. He kept calling out for people to return to the truth, to remember who they really were.

We’re going to dive into a moment that not only shows Christ’s deep love for children but also teaches us how we can embrace the qualities that make them so dear to Him.

Our scriptural focus today is 3 Nephi 17:21-24, where Jesus blesses the children and they are encircled by angels. If you’ve ever wondered why the Savior placed so much importance on children, this story gives us powerful insight into that.

We’re diving into something that is truly at the heart of the Savior’s teachings—compassion. Now, we hear the word “compassion” a lot, but have you ever stopped to think about what it really means? How it moves us, how it changes us?

We’re focusing on a powerful moment from 3 Nephi 17, where Christ’s compassion for the Nephites literally moved Him to tears. That’s the kind of compassion that transforms lives. And I think there’s a lesson here for all of us—not just about what compassion is, but how we can live it in our daily lives.

𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘄𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿—𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝘀. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆, 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗱𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀, 𝘄𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲?

𝗔𝗹𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁, 𝗹𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝟯 𝗡𝗲𝗽𝗵𝗶 𝟭𝟮:𝟯-𝟭𝟮, 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝗽𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝘀. 𝗕𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝗸, 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵…” 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼 𝗼𝗻.

𝗡𝗼𝘄, 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗺𝗲, 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱 “𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱,” 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀, 𝗮 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆, 𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗲 𝗮 𝘃𝗮𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗛𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗶𝗶. 𝗛𝗲’𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗲𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵.

Our theme this week is “I Am the Law, and the Light,” and today we’re going to talk about leveling up in our spiritual lives. You know, just when we think we’ve got it figured out, the Lord shows us there’s more to do. There’s always another level, right?

So, let me ask you—have you ever felt like you were doing pretty well spiritually, but then you get hit with the realization that, actually, you could be doing a whole lot more? That’s what today’s episode is about—taking things to the next level, just like Jesus taught in 3 Nephi 12:17-20.

We all have those moments where we feel like we’re stumbling around in the dark. The question we often ask is, “Where is God in all of this? Does He see me?”—And the answer is yes.

“What kept me from going over the edge was a combination of things: therapy, medication, the love of my family, and yes, my faith. But faith isn’t a cure-all. It’s not a magic wand that makes everything better. It’s a foundation—a rock to hold on to when the storms of life rage. But I recognize that for some, even that rock feels out of reach.

We need to break the stigma around mental health, especially in communities where faith plays a central role. Depression isn’t a sign of weak faith, and seeking help isn’t a lack of belief. God expects us to use the tools available to us—whether that’s therapy, medication, or simply talking to someone who understands.”

These chapters paint a picture of what happens when leadership goes wrong. We see political intrigue, assassinations, and a society in chaos—all because of corrupt leaders.

Here’s my challenge for you this week: Take some time to really assess your foundation. Are there areas where you feel a little shaky? That’s okay—we all have them. But think about one thing you can do this week to strengthen that foundation. Maybe it’s spending more time in the scriptures, maybe it’s focusing on a particular commandment, or maybe it’s reaching out to someone you’ve been meaning to connect with. Whatever it is, I’d love to hear how it goes for you.

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf said:

“Leadership is not so much about technique and methods as it is about opening the heart. Leadership is about inspiration—of oneself and of others. Great leadership involves seeking the power of God.”