The President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, members of the Quorum of the Twelve and general officers of the Church used social media this week to share their thoughts on receiving personal revelation, adopting an eternal perspective, enduring trials with faith and more.

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared photos in an Instagram post Wednesday, Feb. 5, from a visit he and his wife, Sister Harriet Uchtdorf, made to a recently returned missionary and his family. The young man had experienced an accident that caused him to come home from his mission.

When such unexpected difficulties arise in life, Elder Uchtdorf wrote, “we cannot always explain or understand why these things happen. We might think, ‘Why me?’ or ‘Why now?’ One thing we can be sure of is that God will be with us during our most difficult moments.”

The returned missionary and his family touched the Uchtdorfs with their determination and trust in the Lord.

“My heart grieves for the many sorrows some of you face, for the painful loneliness and wearisome fears you may be experiencing,” he wrote. “Nevertheless, I bear witness that our living hope is in Christ Jesus! He is the true, pure, and powerful entrance to divine enlightenment. I testify that with Christ, darkness cannot succeed.”

Elder Uchtdorf also wrote a brief message on Twitter the same day, inviting his followers to open their hearts to God’s direction: “You don’t have to be perfect. The Lord does ask, however, that you be intentional.”

Sister Michelle Craig, first counselor in the Young Women general presidency, posted on Facebook on Thursday, Feb. 6, about her love for President Russell M. Nelson’s wife, Sister Wendy Nelson.

One thing she has learned from Sister Nelson’s example, Sister Craig wrote, “is the importance of seeking our own revelation and then following through on what we have been prompted to do.”

When President Nelson proposed to Sister Nelson, he spoke of his familiarity with receiving revelation. Sister Nelson told him she had already sought her own revelation about marrying him and accepted his proposal.

Seeking personal revelation like Sister Nelson did, Sister Craig wrote, can lead to courage to fulfill one’s callings in life. She also warned against comparing oneself to others.

“There is not one right way to mother, to fulfill a Church calling, to be a friend, to influence others for good,” she wrote. “Much too often we look side to side to receive validation rather than looking up! We can follow the example of our prophet’s wife and seek to receive our own revelation and direction as we walk the covenant path.”

On Sunday, Feb. 2, President Nelson posted on Instagram a screenshot from a devotional he and Elder D. Todd Christofferson recorded for the Latter-day Saints in Venezuela, “who are faced with some significant challenges.”

He emphasized the Savior’s love for each person and His awareness of individual circumstances and trials. Jesus Christ, he wrote, “knows the profoundest concerns of your souls. He knows of the physical and spiritual necessities that you face and that many of you have been separated from your dear ones. And He also knows your faith and your desire to serve Him, even in difficult situations.”

President Nelson encouraged his followers to pray amid difficulties and promised that the Lord will hear them.

Elder Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles also posted Wednesday, Feb. 5, on Instagram about the devotional for members of the Church in Venezuela.

“It was easy for me to speak to them in Spanish with my background in that language, but what was amazing was that President Nelson also addressed our brothers and sisters there in Spanish,” Elder Christofferson wrote. “I am certain that it meant a great deal to them not only to have the President of the Church speak directly to them in a spirit of love, counsel, and encouragement, but also to do so in their own language.”

President Nelson’s effort to address the Venezuelan Latter-day Saints in Spanish was evidence of his love and respect for them, Elder Christofferson added.

He asked his followers to keep the Venezuelan members of the Church in their prayers as they maintain strong faith in the face of economic and other challenges.

Sister Jean B. Bingham, Relief Society general president, posted a link on Facebook to a Church News article about a Brigham Young University devotional where she spoke Dec. 10, 2019.

“Our perspective changes everything, doesn’t it?” she wrote. “We can look at the stars and then use a telescope to see individual planets. Or we can look at our hands and then use a microscope to see tiny germs. Having different perspectives affects how you and I feel, think, and act.”

The eternal perspective of Heavenly Father, Sister Bingham wrote, provides clarity and understanding. She added that she outlined five ways to obtain an eternal perspective at the BYU devotional, and she invited her followers to share how seeking God’s viewpoint has changed their own.

On Wednesday, Feb. 5, Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles posted on Instagram about a message he delivered in a recent LDS Business College devotional.

In his devotional address, he shared an experience he had while trying to navigate to an unfamiliar location as part of a special assignment. As he neared his destination, the directions from his GPS began to seem strange, so he turned the device off.

However, he quickly became lost and restarted the GPS, which led him successfully to the location. “This little experience reminded me of God’s mercy for us, His children,” Elder Soares wrote. “He sent us here for this mortal experience with the purpose of getting us to our final destination, but He did not leave us without direction.”

God has given His children various “spiritual GPSs” to guide them back to His presence, Elder Soares added. “The greatest spiritual GPS in my life has been following the counsel of prophets, seers, and revelators. One of the glorious messages of the Restoration of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that God continues to speak to His children as He did in ancient times! We are blessed to be led by the Savior through these inspired men, called to speak for the Lord in our day.”

Young Women general president Sister Bonnie H. Cordon followed up on the Nov. 17, 2019, Face to Face event for children and youth in a Facebook post Sunday, Feb. 2.

She asked her followers if they have questions and if they have “caught the vision” after putting the Church’s new program for children and youth into action. Sister Cordon wrote, “Let me know what inspires you!” and added a link to a recording of the Face to Face event.