When Sadness Strikes

By Priscilla Da Silva and David Dickson

Church Magazines

When life gets you down, Jesus Christ can lift you with hope.

boy looking sad, with dark clouds over him

You can get pretty far in life through hard work and determination. You can go to bed early, wake up early (see Doctrine and Covenants 88:124), and fill each day with righteous habits and self-discipline.

But still, some days are going to be harder than others.

And then certain other days … well, they feel so hard you might start thinking the good days are gone forever.

What do you do on those days? What do you do when your best efforts, including your best efforts to live a righteous life (prayer, fasting, scripture study, church and temple attendance, etc.), don’t seem to be enough? When you push and push against despair, but it seems to push back that much harder?

You turn to Jesus Christ, of course. Hope is a spiritual gift (see Moroni 8:26). And all spiritual gifts come from Jesus Christ (see Moroni 10:17).

When life’s difficulties bear down on you like a mountain falling from the sky, the spiritual gift of hope can be yours as you focus more on Jesus Christ.

“The Lord Lightens My Burdens”

Life was already challenging for many Venezuelans before the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, but then even just basic survival became tough. For 11-year-old Sebastian and his family, strength from Jesus Christ was needed to stay upbeat and happy during sad times. “I feel bad when we can’t buy essential products like food, clothing, and medicine,” Sebastian says. “But I have faith the Lord will continue to bless us. I feel blessed that I was able to receive my patriarchal blessing. It tells me of things I was promised before I came to earth.”

Focusing on Jesus Christ as part of last year’s youth theme (“I can do all things through Christ” [Philippians 4:13]) proved to be a big help. “Because of the difficulties facing my country, the youth theme from last year reminded me that Christ will help me overcome and do all things through Him,” Sebastian says.

It’s been a long journey, but Sebastian and his family have seen blessings and hope along the way. “The Lord lightens my burdens,” he says. “When I get sad, I pray, study the scriptures, and read my patriarchal blessing. Thanks to Him, our family stationery business that we started three years ago has had more success this year. I would like to tell other young people that they should always be ready to rely upon Jesus Christ. When I do that, I am able to overcome my challenges.”

Strength through Better Focus

The prophet Nephi, who endured intense hardships throughout his life, taught this beautiful truth:

“Press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life” (2 Nephi 31:20).

Hope, a powerful source of strength against sadness, comes as we focus on Jesus Christ. Is it time to shift your focus to Him a bit more?