How do I help someone feel loved, valued, and needed?

President Jean B. Bingham shared: “One of the most significant ways we can develop and demonstrate love for our neighbor is through being generous in our thoughts and words. … Words have surprising power, both to build up and to tear down. We can all probably remember negative words that brought us low and other words spoken with love that made our spirits soar. Choosing to say only that which is positive about—and to—others lifts and strengthens those around us and helps others follow in the Savior’s way” (“I Will Bring the Light of the Gospel into My Home,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2016, 6, 7).

Sister Sharon Eubank explained that some people don’t feel accepted or acceptable: “The New Testament shows the great efforts Jesus made to reach out to all kinds of people: lepers, tax collectors, children, Galileans, harlots, women, Pharisees, sinners, Samaritans, widows, Roman soldiers, adulterers, the ritually unclean. In almost every story, He is reaching someone who wasn’t traditionally accepted in society. … It is an unwavering requirement of Christian disciples and Latter-day Saints to show true love to one another” (“Christ: The Light That Shines in Darkness,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2019, 74).