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The Saviour’s Message for Me
I have struggled with anxiety for seven years now and I have felt my Saviour with me every step of the way. He cheered me on in my recovery, and still supports me on my bad days. He does not leave me comfortless, and there are several experiences I could share on how I have come closer to Him.
A significant experience occurred during my first year of seminary. We were studying the Book of Mormon and the year had been particularly difficult for me in my mental health journey. But I still endeavoured to take up the goal my teacher prescribed and read the Book of Mormon cover to cover (for the first time). Reading it was like light amidst the tumultuous darkness, and one night I came to 3 Nephi 13:31–34. Jesus was speaking to the Nephites, saying:
“Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
“For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.
“Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.”
The Spirit came to me when I read those verses, illuminating the text on my phone—bolding it, underlining it, telling me, this is for you to hear—and I felt warm, like I had been given a blanket, hearing the words as if the Saviour Himself was speaking directly to me. I still get goosebumps every time I read those verses because they are so powerful to hear.
Because of those scriptures, I know that Heavenly Father knows all my anxieties. He knew at the time I was struggling every day, and He knew exactly what I needed to hear to feel comfort. It was like the final side piece of a puzzle being connected, and from that moment, I chose to seek the kingdom of Heaven more fervently, as Jesus Christ described, to fill in the rest of the picture. I did what I could to always remember Him, and my testimony has grown bit by bit since then.
To be clear, my anxiety did not disappear. I was not immediately miraculously healed—my recovery is easier now, but still ongoing. But by yoking myself to the Saviour, He alleviated the burden I was carrying. I survived. I owe everything to Jesus Christ, and I continue to aim and strive for the kingdom of God. Reading those verses was a turning point in my life—I turned myself to Him and sought after Him, knowing that everything I worried about would one day work itself out.