“Lesson 185—Building Emotional Strength in the Lord: Increasing Our Confidence in the Lord’s Help with Our Emotional Challenges,” Doctrine and Covenants Seminary Teacher Manual (2025)
“Building Emotional Strength in the Lord,” Doctrine and Covenants Seminary Teacher Manual
Lesson 185: Physical and Emotional Health
Building Emotional Strength in the Lord
Increasing Our Confidence in the Lord’s Help with Our Emotional Challenges
Because Heavenly Father loves us, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to strengthen and comfort us during the hardships of life. This lesson can help students feel confident that the Savior will support them in building emotional resilience.
Possible Learning Activities
Emotionally challenging situations
Note: This material is meant to be a helpful study about building emotional strength in the Lord, not to diagnose or treat mental and emotional illness. Nor is the class experience meant to be any kind of group therapy.
To help students prepare for this lesson, consider inviting students to brainstorm and write on the board several emotionally challenging situations they, or teenagers like them, might soon face. Some examples might include feeling ridiculed by their peers, being in a situation where they must interact with people they don’t know, or when something enjoyable comes to an end. Ask students to make their situations realistic and relevant.
Then invite students to do the following in their study journals:
Think of an emotionally challenging situation you face or will likely soon face. In your study journal, answer the following questions:
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How well do you feel you respond to emotionally challenging situations? Why?
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On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 = not confident at all; 10 = extremely confident), how confident are you that the Savior can and will help you in these situations? Why?
Throughout the lesson, encourage students to prayerfully seek to feel confident in the Savior’s ability to help them in emotionally challenging situations and become more emotionally resilient.
Emotional resilience
Consider writing the term Emotional Resilience on the board. Ask students what they understand about it. You could also display the following information:
As part of Heavenly Father’s plan, we all face challenges and hardships during this life. However, as we turn to Jesus Christ and rely on His mercy and grace, He can help us build emotional resilience. Emotional resilience is:
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The ability to adapt to emotional challenges with courage and faith centered in Jesus Christ.
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Helping yourself and others the best you can.
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Reaching out for additional help when needed.
The Savior’s example
Explain that during His mortal life, Jesus experienced emotions such as heartache and sorrow. You might ask students if they can think of any examples. For the following activity, consider arranging students into pairs and inviting them to draw the accompanying chart in their journals. Encourage each partner to study one of the scripture passages listed in the chart. When they are finished, invite them to share with each other what they learned.
Read the following scripture passages, looking for how the Savior responded in each situation. Record any emotions the Savior displayed and actions He took.
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Emotionally difficult situation |
How the Savior responded |
|---|---|
Emotionally difficult situation John the Baptist was murdered by Herod Antipas. | How the Savior responded |
Emotionally difficult situation Jesus traveled to be with Mary and Martha after their brother Lazarus died. | How the Savior responded |
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What did you learn or feel about Jesus Christ from these scripture accounts?
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How could you follow the Savior’s example during an emotionally difficult situation?
“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows”
Explain that not only is Jesus Christ the ultimate example of emotional resilience, but He also perfectly understands every mortal emotion and struggle. If possible, display an image on the board of the Savior suffering in Gethsemane. As students do the following activity, invite them to write meaningful words or phrases from Isaiah 53:3–5 around the image. You could point out that Isaiah 53:3–5 is a doctrinal mastery passage and invite students to mark it in their scriptures.
Read Isaiah 53:3–5, looking for evidence that the Savior perfectly understands our emotional difficulties.
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Which words or phrases were most meaningful to you? Why?
To help students better recognize Jesus’s ability to perfectly empathize with and comfort them, consider sharing the following statement:
Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles declared:
In addition to providing the majestic gift of salvation, the Savior offers us relief and comfort as we face our afflictions, temptations, and weaknesses of mortal life. … I can assure you that Christ is ever aware of the adversities we experience in mortality. He understands all of the bitterness, agony, and physical pain as well as the emotional and spiritual challenges we face. The Savior’s bowels are filled with mercy, and He is always ready to succor us. This is possible because He personally experienced and took upon Himself in the flesh the pain of our weakness and infirmities.
With meekness and humility of heart, He descended below all things and accepted being despised, rejected, and humiliated by men, having been wounded for our transgressions and iniquities. He suffered these things for all, taking upon Himself the sins of the world, thus becoming our ultimate spiritual caregiver.
As we draw nearer to Him, surrendering ourselves spiritually to His care, we will be able to take upon ourselves His yoke, which is easy, and His burden, which is light, thus finding that promised comfort and rest. Furthermore, we will receive the strength we all need to overcome the hardships, weaknesses, and sorrows of life, which are exceedingly difficult to endure without His help and healing power. (Ulisses Soares, “Jesus Christ: The Caregiver of Our Soul,” Liahona, May 2021, 83–84)
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From our study, what truths can we learn about Jesus Christ and His ability to help us?
Write students’ answers on the board. One of the truths students might identify is the following: Jesus Christ can comfort and strengthen us in our emotional challenges because He has experienced them too.
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How can turning to the Savior and following His example in faith help a person build more emotional resilience?
Envisioning the Savior’s help
To help students understand how this principle can help them, the following skill can be useful. Do the following to define, model, and practice the skill:
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Define the skill: Explain to students that visualizing the Savior being with us and helping us during our emotionally challenging situations can invite His help and direction.
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Model the skill: Think of an emotionally challenging situation you have faced or may face in the future that you would be willing to share with students. Using the steps below, share how you visualize the Savior with you, strengthening you, and how you might answer some of the questions below. You may want to think carefully about this as part of your lesson preparation.
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Practice: To help students practice this skill, consider organizing them into small groups and inviting each group to think of an emotionally challenging situation for a teenager. Once they’ve thought of a relatable scenario, invite them to do the following on their own and then share their answers with their group. You may want to caution students about sharing anything too personal from their own lives.
Close your eyes and visualize the resurrected Savior with you during your hardship. Respond to the following questions:
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Where would the Savior be in relation to you during your hardship? What might He be doing if He were with you?
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What might you be thinking or feeling while being near Jesus Christ?
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How might His presence, love, and support help you manage and overcome your emotional stress?
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From what you know about the Savior, what might He say to you? (You may use phrases from the scriptures that He has said to others.) What might He ask you to do? Who might He ask you to reach out to for additional help?
Invite multiple groups to share what they discussed and how it may help. You might point out that for serious or prolonged emotional challenges, students should seek help and guidance from parents, Church leaders, and licensed professionals.
Consider asking the following questions and sharing your own feelings about the strength and comfort available from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ:
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When have you or someone you know felt the Savior’s help during an emotionally difficult situation?
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Why do you think turning to the Lord makes us more emotionally resilient?
To conclude, invite students to write down any feelings or impressions they have received about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and Their ability to help them and their loved ones build emotional resilience.
Encourage students to rely on Jesus Christ for help and strength during emotional hardships and setbacks. Future lessons will focus on specific ways they can seek the Lord’s help with their thoughts, stress, anxiety, depression, and more.