The Daily - 2021

We are all looking forward to 2021, a new year that will bring a new normal. But as we look forward to 2021 with hope and gratitude, we can also be thankful for the lessons we have learned and the blessings we've received from the Lord in 2020.

Because a living prophet teaches us today, we can rejoice in truth. As we put our trust in Jesus Christ, rather than in men, and obey His commandments, we will see that signs follow faith.

Setting goals is an important way to measure growth and change. Personal-development specialists suggest that it’s important to set goals that are specific, difficult but attainable, and time-constrained. These goals may be related to spiritual growth, physical health, family, careers, education, and even our hobbies. This week, let's take some time to withdraw like the Savior did—without distractions—to pray, ponder, and set some worthy goals of improvement.

The Lord will also strengthen us, not only through this pandemic but through all the challenges we face in mortality. And through His grace, our afflictions may be consecrated for our gain.

A yoke is a type of harness to distribute a load. When we are yoked with the Savior, we add our efforts to His work, and He offers us His strength as we face challenges and trials. We must give before we can receive, but He gives us so much more in return. As we lift burdens around us while doing His work, we will feel our own burdens grow lighter.

As we follow the example of and counsel from prophets of God, we will receive both answers and comfort. We don’t have to wonder; we can find truth when we ask of God.

Temples may have been largely closed for all but living ordinances over most of the last year, but we have still been able to do family history work. As temples begin to open for proxy work in areas that have contained the SARS-Cov-2 virus, we will be able to once again proxy for the family names we have found during their closures.

If we are to truly become like the Savior, we must be willing to change—to give up our rough edges—because we love Him. We are good enough and we are loved, but we are still incomplete. As we follow the Savior’s path, we will progress, step by step, toward becoming like Him.

We may not always understand why we aren’t given what we want when we want it, but the Lord has a plan for us, and He has perfect love and compassion for us. As we accept His will, we will find His plan of greater happiness, more understanding, and a greater determination to accept His will.

When we do encounter questions, we should take them to the right sources. As we approach the Lord in search of truth, He will not lead us astray. And we must remember to doubt our doubts before we doubt our faith, as Elder Uchtdorf taught. There may be things we do not or cannot understand, but that doesn’t mean we should deny the truth we have.

Elijah was the last Old Testament prophet before Jesus Christ to the sealing power of the Melchizedek priesthood, and he restored this power on April 3, 1836. The sealing power is one reason that Elijah’s return was so important: it allows us to be united eternally in families and enables us to receive ordinances on behalf of our ancestors in the temple. It is instrumental to the gathering of Israel.

Even when we lose our comforts and our happiness, we can find peace. When we cling to the rock of our salvation and our refuge, Jesus Christ, we can find joy even in trouble. Because of Christ, how can we keep from singing and praising the Lord?

A straight line is the shortest distance between two points, and the Lord’s paths are straight. When we follow His path, we will reach our goals more directly than by following our own counsel. Sometimes, this timing doesn’t match our plans, but it is always the best timing.

Suffering does not mean we stand apart from the chosen of God. Elder Matthew S. Holland reminded us that when John the Revelator asked the Lord about those standing in white robes and praising God, the Lord replied, “These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Jesus Christ is the source of all joy, and He can heal all wounds and right every wrong. No matter the cause of our pain, relief comes from this one source.

Many things we know as a society are based on the words of others. Our knowledge of physics, chemistry, medicine, and many other fields depend on our trusting experts who then communicate their knowledge. Similarly, we can trust the word of

It can be tempting to fear men more than God and go “on in the persuasions of men." But even when things seem dire, the Lord will support us “against all the fiery darts of the adversary,” and he will be with us “in every time of trouble” when we are faithful and heed His counsel.

Every action we take plants a possibility for the future. When we do good, we are sowing possibilities for goodness in the future, whether in our own lives or the lives of others. We may not always see the fruits of our labors, but the Lord does, and He will bless us for our efforts.

Most of us have experienced both ends of a misunderstanding. We have inadvertently and unintentionally hurt feelings, or we have been hurt by the insensitive actions of others. But the Lord has taught us what to do in both of these situations. As we come to understand the gospel of Jesus Christ, we will seek reconciliation with all men.

As we read the words of individuals who lived through the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ, we can better understand both that restoration and the challenges faced by the early Latter-day Saints. We can recognize their worries, questions, and fears, and how they faced them. As we read their testimonies and learn how they overcame their own trials and uncertainty, our own faith can be strengthened.

President Russell M. Nelson's graditude challenge in November helped to fill social media with messages that are authentic, edifying, and praiseworthy. It encouraged us to share light and truth. As we strive to fill social media with these things throughout the year, not only during the holidays, we can help lift others.

When Oliver was transcribing the Book of Mormon as Joseph Smith translated, he had a desire to translate, as well. The Lord called this a righteous desire, and He gave Oliver the gift of translation. But when Oliver didn’t use this gift, it was rescinded. The Lord explained, “It was expedient when you commenced; but you feared, and the time is past, and it is not expedient now." Sometimes in our own lives, we fear and miss opportunities. But through the atonement of Jesus Christ, we can continue to improve and progress.

We learn from Nephi’s vision that the Tree of Life is a representation of the love of God, and we learn from the ancient prophet Alma that we must nourish the word of God, looking forward with an eye of faith, if we want to pluck its fruit. After we have been diligent, patient, and faithful, we will taste this fruit, which is "sweet above all that is sweet."

We generally do what we most want to do, and we often achieve what we most desire to achieve. The question is what we really want, and whether we really want eternal rewards more than earthly ones.

The Lord asks us not only to change our behavior, but to change our very natures. As we cultivate our love for the Lord through obedience, we will also cultivate a change in our natures: we become more like the Lord because we love Him.