“My surname, Matswagothata, is from Botswana. In my home language, it means “getting out of a difficult situation” or “someone who can do hard things.” And while I haven’t always felt like I can do hard things, my surname is a reminder to me that the Savior can and will guide us through every season of life—especially through difficult times.
We all need reminders like that throughout our mortal journey. Perhaps this is why our loving Father in Heaven gives us the opportunity every week to make a covenant with Him as part of the ordinance of the sacrament. He invites us to take upon ourselves the name of His Son, always remember Him, and keep His commandments. He gives us power to rise above mortality’s challenges.
Remember Who You Are
As much as my surname has brought hope and resilience to my family, I rejoice even more in the name of Jesus Christ, for in and through His name all who come unto Him can be saved. Even as Jesus Christ invites us to always remember Him and take upon ourselves His name, He also remembers us and knows each of us by name.
In the Old Testament, the Lord taught Moses this assuring truth: “I know thee by name.” In Eden’s garden, He called Adam. At the empty tomb, He called Mary. On the road to Damascus, He called Saul. And in the Sacred Grove, He called Joseph. All by name. And He knows you and calls you by name too—from crowded cities to quiet villages, in whatever language you speak. He hears, sees, and knows you.
He knows your joys, and He rejoices with you. He knows your sorrows, and He can succor and lift you. Because of His Atonement, He knows your burdens, pain, and silent tears.
…Brothers and sisters, many carry quiet burdens—grief, illness, loneliness, anxiety, or prayers that seem unanswered. Others face conflict or isolation that few of us fully understand.
When life feels unfair and confusing, in those dark moments when you are tempted to ask, “O God, where art thou?” please remember this powerful truth: He knows you. He who “descended below all things” knows how to heal your broken heart and make you whole again. Trust His promise that the sun will rise again for you and tomorrow will be better than today.
I learned this more deeply during a difficult season of my life. Early in my service as a young stake president, as my wife, Busi, and I were raising our family, it felt as though one challenge followed another. We had just buried my mother. Two weeks later, we stood again at a graveside—this time with my counselor, mourning his teenage son. Work pressures felt overwhelming, and I began to wonder if I was measuring up—at home, at work, and before the Lord.
My prayers were best expressed in the Primary song: “Heavenly Father, are you really there? And do you hear and answer ev’ry child’s prayer?”
My answer came in an unexpected way.
One Sunday, while driving to a ward conference, I poured my heart out to the Lord. When I arrived at the meetinghouse, a bright-eyed Primary boy stopped me and said, “We need to talk.” With a very serious look on his face, he asked—almost in a scolding voice—“When are you going to stop being a naughty boy?” I knew I was in some kind of trouble. Before I could respond, he added, “Every morning and every night, my parents ask us to pray for you.”
I will never be able to fully describe what I felt as I stood there. I felt seen. I felt loved. I felt known. I felt that I was not alone. And as I looked into that child’s eyes, I felt the warmth of the Savior’s love.
To the Savior, we are never lost in the crowd. He knows how to reach us—through a hymn, a smile, a kind word, and sometimes through people we least expect. Just as that family prayed for me, there is someone praying for you.
Please remember: Your pain is not a sign that God does not love you. He truly does. So, as President D. Todd Christofferson taught, “In the midst of [the] refiner’s fire, rather than get angry with God, get close to God.
…He is the Good Shepherd, who leads us to green pastures and still waters. He is the Light of the World, who lights our path so that we need not walk in darkness.
The question should never be “Will the Savior walk with me?” He will. The real question is “Will I walk with Him?”
…I testify that Jesus is the Christ, the Prince of Peace. He will renew our strength and bring us joy, for He comes “with healing in his wings.” He reaches for us again and again because He desires to lead us home—one by one, by name. In the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.”
