Editor’s note: To support personal and family gospel learning, the Church News is publishing articles on messages from April 2025 general conference. It is recommended to listen to or read the full address in addition to reviewing these resources.
About this talk
- “Compensating Blessings”
- Bishop Gérald Caussé | Presiding bishop
- Sunday morning session of April 2025 general conference.
- Theme: The Lord’s blessings remain available no matter the limitations or challenges.
Read the full message here.
Read a summary of Bishop Caussé’s message here.
Outline
- Bishop Caussé has been moved by the diverse and difficult circumstances in which Latter-day Saints throughout the world live. At times, these trials may hinder progress and genuine efforts to live the gospel fully, making it difficult to serve, worship and fulfill sacred duties.
- Those who feel limited or disadvantaged by circumstances in their lives need to know the Lord loves them personally and knows their circumstances. The door to His blessings remains wide open no matter the challenges.
- When he was 22, Bishop Caussé was excited to hear Elder Neal A. Maxwell speak at a nearby conference. Because of an air force assignment, though, he arrived late and heard only the apostolic blessing, which ended up an unforgettable spiritual experience.
- When circumstances beyond one’s control prevent the fulfillment of righteous desires, the Lord compensates in ways that allow the reception of promised blessings.
- This truth is found in three key principles: First, God loves each perfectly. Second, because God is both just and merciful, He will not hold His children accountable for things beyond their control. Third, through Jesus Christ and His Atonement, people can find the strength to endure and overcome.
- To receive compensating blessings, the Lord asks for all one can do and to offer one’s whole soul. This requires a deep desire, a sincere and faithful heart, and diligence in keeping His commandments and aligning one’s will with His.
- When the Prophet Joseph Smith worried about his brother Alvin, who died without gospel ordinances, he received the comforting revelation that those who die without a knowledge of the gospel but who would have received it shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom. What matters to the Lord is not merely being able but being willing.
- Bishop Caussé shared two accounts of compensating blessings. First, he related the account of a young missionary receiving an early release for health reasons and receiving comfort that no promised blessings would be withheld. Second, Bishop Caussé related the service given to his daughter in France after a difficult delivery. Blessing others invites healing and compensation.
- Doing vicarious work in the house of the Lord is one of the most powerful ways to contribute to God’s compensating blessings. Loving service offered in holy temples reminds Latter-day Saints that the Savior’s grace extends beyond this life.
- While many circumstances in life are beyond control, none are beyond the reach of the Lord’s infinite blessings. Through His atoning sacrifice, the Savior will compensate for every inability and injustice if one’s whole soul is offered to Him.
Reflection questions
When have you seen the Lord’s compensating blessings in your life?
How can compensating blessings manifest God’s plan for His children?
How might the Lord’s mercy and grace “sustain us through injustices, deficiencies and limitations imposed by our mortal experience”?
What are the personal conditions or requirements to receiving compensating blessings?
When has seeking to bless others invited healing and compensation into your own life?
Speaker quotes
- “My dear friends, if you ever feel limited or disadvantaged by the circumstances of your life, I want you to know this: The Lord loves you personally. He knows your circumstances, and the door to His blessings remains wide open to you no matter the challenges you face.”
- “When our earnest efforts fall short of our aspirations due to circumstances beyond our control, the Lord still accepts the desires of our hearts as a worthy offering.”
- “When facing limitations and challenges, may we recognize our own blessings — our gifts, resources and time — and use them to serve those in need. In doing so, we will not only bless others but invite healing and compensation into our own lives.”
Reference scriptures
- “He inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him.”
- “And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind. … And he … will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.”
- “For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.”
Invitations and promises
- “When circumstances beyond our control prevent us from fulfilling the righteous desires of our hearts, the Lord will compensate in ways that allow us to receive His promised blessings.”
- “Because God is both just and merciful and His plan is perfect, He will not hold us accountable for things beyond our control.”
- “One of the most powerful ways we may contribute to God’s compensating blessings is through the vicarious work we do for our ancestors in the house of the Lord. As we perform ordinances on their behalf, we actively participate in the Lord’s great work of salvation, using our gifts and abilities to provide blessings to those who did not have the opportunity to receive them during their mortal lives.”
Stories
- When he was 22, Bishop Caussé was serving in the French air force and was thrilled to learn that Elder Neal A. Maxwell, an Apostle of the Lord, would be speaking at a nearby conference. But orders to take an officer to the airport delayed him so that he arrived in time only for the apostolic blessing. The words of the blessing penetrated every fiber of his soul and was a beautiful, unforgettable experience.
- A friend comforted a young missionary grieving over his early release due to health reasons. The friend shared Doctrine and Covenants 124:49 then testified to this young man that the Lord knew he had given his best in answering the call to serve and that no promised blessings would be withheld.
- The Lord’s compensating blessings often come through the kindness of others. While living far from one of his daughters in France, Bishop Caussé and his wife, Sister Valérie Caussé, felt helpless to assist her after a difficult delivery. That same week, their Utah ward sought help for a mother who had given birth to twins. Sister Caussé volunteered to take in a meal. Soon, they learned that sisters in their daughter’s ward in France were organizing meals for her family.
Additional resources
- Related image: “Jesus Praying in Gethsemane” by Harry Anderson
- Related video: “Extraordinary Gift”
- Related hymn: No. 1029, “I Can’t Count Them All”
Recent conference talks on overcoming through Christ
- Elder Carl B. Cook: “Just Keep Going — With Faith” (April 2023)
- President Russell M. Nelson: “The Answer Is Always Jesus Christ” (April 2023)
- Elder Neal A. Maxwell: “According to the Desire of [Our] Hearts” (October 1996)
Who is Bishop Caussé?
- Bishop Gerald Caussé has served as presiding bishop since Oct. 9, 2015, after serving the previous three and a half years as first counselor in the Presiding Bishopric. Born in France, Bishop Caussé is the third presiding bishop born outside the United States and the first for whom English is a second language.
