Sadness Is Not Suffered Alone

As members of the Church, we can lean on our Heavenly Father, the Savior, and other members to lift the burdens of sadness and mental despair. 

Since I was a young girl, I remember always feeling nervous. This nervousness persisted and became a part of my permanent thought process. Eventually, I felt buried by the harsh world around me. I felt hopeless, weak, and empty; I was unable to feel my Savior’s love for me. It wasn’t until I turned to my loving parents and church leaders that I began to feel hope. Once I opened up to my loved ones, I was able to see the light at the end of the tunnel and feel the Savior’s love pour back into my life.

In Sister Reyna I. Aburto’s talk “Thru Cloud and Sunshine, Lord Abide with Me!,” she explains how persistent sadness is a difficult emotion to overcome. Although it is normal to feel sad or nervous every once in a while, a constant feeling of sadness or anxiety can hinder our everyday lives and “block our ability to feel the love of our Heavenly Father and His Son.” But Sister Aburto reminds us that when we open up to each other, “together we realize there is hope and we do not have to suffer alone.” 

Alongside turning to each other for support, we must remember to turn to our Heavenly Father. No matter how sad we feel, it does not change the fact that we are children of our Heavenly Father and his love for us is endless. Through the happy times and the dark times, our Heavenly Father is by our sides. If we come unto him, we can share our burdens with him and have our saddest, darkest thoughts lifted from our shoulders. 

Read more about leaning on others and our Father in Heaven in Sister Reyna I. Aburto’s talk “Thru Cloud and Sunshine, Lord Abide with Me!”

Source: General Conference

—Madeline Hill, Latter-day Saints Insights

FEATURE IMAGE BY JOY STAMP

Find more insights

Read more about suffering with mental illness in Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s talk “Like a Broken Vessel.”

Explore the Church’s mental health website to find more sources of support for yourself and for loved ones suffering.

Read more on Latter-day Insights about how to spiritually heal in “You Don’t Have to Feel Guilty–Depression is Hard Enough.”