No One Was Left Out

By Elder Gary B. Sabin

Of the Seventy

“Be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another” (1 Peter 3:8).

Our son Justin grew up with a difficult disease. Sometimes he was very weak. He couldn’t always do things like everyone else, even though he tried. He knew what it felt like to be different.

One day Justin and his friends got together to play a game. They had to hit a ball with their arms to keep it in the air. One of the girls who came to play had a broken arm.

It would have been easy to say, “OK, we’re all playing, and she’s just going to watch.”

But instead, Justin said, “I have a great idea. We’re all going to play with one arm.” Everybody played the game using just one arm, including the girl who was wearing a cast. No one was left out.

Justin is my hero. He always looked at other people and thought, How do they feel? Justin was sick for most of his life, but he was happy because he helped other people and followed Jesus Christ.

We all have challenges, but we have so much to be happy about. Do what you can. Trust God. The greatest happiness comes not from focusing on yourself but from focusing on others.

Illustration by Barbara Bongini