Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Latter-day Saint
Rising Together in Troubled Times

Rising Together in Troubled Times

Last updated on: July 31, 2024 at 3:25 pm by Abe Mills

Rising Together in Troubled Times 2024-07-31T15:25:27-04:00 Abe Mills

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Everyone has down times. And reaching out to each other—rising together—can change lives.

I love the song “If I Lose My Way.”

If I lose my way, will you come find me?
If I forget who I am, will you remind me?
It’s a long, long roadAnd I’m not going to make it on my own.

None of us will or can make it on our own. We need others joining us and rising together.

Longing to Help

Lately many people in my life have been going through tough times, including health issues, financial struggles, relationship and family problems, and even unexpected loss of loved ones. My heart breaks for each one of them as they struggle over major obstacles; some even seem to be losing their way.

When I have talked with friends and family who are deeply down, I have found many who feel they are the only ones with this challenge, that they are in depths no one else will understand. They do not recognize how many people are or have been down there and can (or even need to) be rising together with them.

Keeping Company

We are counseled, “Pure religion and undefiled before God . . . [includes] to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction” (James 1:27). My parents taught me this in childhood, as we often visited my widowed grandmother, who lived alone. Though very capable, she had down times of loneliness.

I found sitting and talking rather boring. Years later I understood how precious these continued visits were to my grandmother. For those spending time down alone, visits provide opportunities for rising together with loved ones in the joy of love and appreciation. My grandmother knew she was not alone. As King Benjamin taught his people and unnumbered others—including us—serving God’s other children is serving God (Mosiah 2:17).

Rising Together

Elder Ulisses Soares wrote of those who are sensitive to the needs and feelings of others, “feelings of genuine interest and love will permeate our every action . . . The Lord will recognize our efforts, and we will surely be blessed with opportunities to be instruments in His hands.”

I recall a down time of my own, and an individual who understood my need and extended a hand to help me rise. In college, I lived off campus, and my roommates and I did not go to the same school. As we were in a “family ward,” I didn’t seem to belong. I was missing church meetings more and more often, feeling further and further away from the strength of having a strong church family.

One of my work friends noticed that I was down and in need of a helping hand up. She simply invited me to go to church with her—non-threatening and exactly what I needed! I began going to church with her on campus, and it reignited my fire. I was no longer alone. And by the next fall I was in the mission field.

Lighting a Hill

One way to start rising together is by telling personal stories—our own and others’. The Lord told the multitude (and us as well) that we need to step out with our light like a city on a hill

Lighted cities can be a challenge. Some who post their life, opinions, or testimony online have been judged as narcissistic or braggadocious. As a social media influencer, I have been questioned about why our family members share our lives through social media. Just this week, someone asked why I was talking about God on social media when I could make money with more “popular” content.

Recognizing risks, as a family we made the decision to use every opportunity to lift and encourage others and share our testimony of a loving Savior. We also look for opportunities to share our down moments where things haven’t worked out as we hoped. We use down-time opportunities to share how we cope with those challenges, inviting others join us in rising together.

Our down times of negative comments and accusations are outnumbered considerably by comments confirming the real reasons for our light on the hill. Countless numbers message us with questions of where to turn during life’s greatest challenges and how to deal with those small, everyday downs most of us experience.

We are also able to tell them that we love them and God loves them, as we share with them the power of Jesus Christ and all that He has done for us.

Our light on the hill has led many to return to church, start going for the first time, or read their Bible more. Some have even requested missionaries and joined our church. Our hands and our hearts are extended with the light, showing thousands of people that they are not alone.

I encourage you all to share the incredible things that you are doing, hoping, and giving in this world! Especially to share your testimony of prayer, love, and the role of Jesus in your life. God’s children need you to raise them from depths of loneliness, weakness, and discouragement.

Dale and Faye Belnap closed their song, with which I began:

If we lose our way, he will come find us.
If we forget who we are, he will remind us.
It’s a long, long road,
But we don’t have to make it on our own.

(Image: Aguirre/Unsplash)

Previous Post

July 24, 2024

God's Words As You Receive Them

Next Post

August 7, 2024 Lifesaving Buoys: Safety in Dark Waters

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Comfort and Healing Death and Resurrection Family gratitude Service Spiritual Growth Strength and Courage Uncategorized

Select a Month April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz