This week on social media, Church leaders shared how following the Savior can bless the lives of individuals as well as shape history.
President Russell M. Nelson shared relatable and poignant feelings with Instagram followers in a post on July 28. After affirming that life can be overwhelming sometimes, he shared that he has experienced the heartbreak of being separated from loved ones — his wife Dantzel as well as two of his daughters. He testified that Jesus Christ is the light in dark times and anchor in times of need.
“We do not have to go through this life alone,” he said. “Jesus Christ atoned to help us find the covenant path that leads back home. He can give us the strength and courage to walk confidently on that path.”
In a Facebook post on July 30, Sister Becky Craven, second counselor in the Young Women general presidency, shared a video and talked about something she learned from a young artist named Carly Campbell. Campbell demonstrated continuous line drawing and said that, like life, people often can’t see the end from the beginning. As people turn their life over to the Savior, they will see He can create a masterpiece out of what they thought were scribbles.
“I know that as we turn our lives over to the Savior, He will make more of us than we can of ourselves,” Sister Craven said. “I pray that we will all have the courage to do so.”
President M. Russell Ballard, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, directed attention to the importance of the sacrament in his Instagram post on July 28. The importance of the sacrament isn’t in just attending the meeting, but in the way that one binds him or herself to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ by worshiping through song, prayer, partaking of the sacrament and other means.
“This is just one hour in the week to reflect upon your lives,” President Ballard said. “We partake of the sacrament repeatedly, as often as 48 times each year. Added up, a lifetime of partaking of the emblems of the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ can bring us precious blessings.”
Elder Jeffrey R.Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles addressed his Instagram post on Aug. 1 toward young people of the Church. In the post, he said the leaders of the Church spend a significant amount of time dedicated to talking about the world they live in and the types of situations, both evil and not, they encounter at younger and younger ages.
“You need all the help you can get, and, fortunately, you can get it,” he said. “God is at the helm of this ship, and it will come safely into port. He has made every necessary preparation for you to safely succeed. Please know that we pray daily for your success.”
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Harriet Uchtdorf, recently visited the Museum of the Bible in Washington D.C. In an Instagram post on July 31, he posed the question, “Have you ever considered the great impact the Bible has had on the world?”
After sharing some of the history of the Bible, he said that the translation and the printing of the Bible to be read by the average person led to the eventual Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
“What is amazing to me is that we are still witnessing the Restoration of the Savior’s gospel and Church,” Elder Uchtdorf said. “With the development of the internet, mobile phones and tablets, the gospel has spread all over the world. The Restoration is still happening, and we are each a part of it.”
In an Aug. 1 Instagram post, Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared photos and thoughts from social events held in conjunction with the National Governors Association this week. He said he and his wife, Sister Melanie Rasband, enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with old friends as well as make some new friends.
“Being a friend is one great way for us to follow our Savior’s mandate to ‘love one another,’” Elder Rasband said. “As each of us look for opportunities to get to know those who may think or believe differently from us, we are blessed to learn that there also are often many common beliefs that bond us together.”
