Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said in October 2021 general conference:
Trust in God and each other brings heaven’s blessings.
Once, when I was very young, I briefly thought about running away from home. In a little-boy way, I felt no one loved me.
My observant mother listened and assured me. I was safely home.
Have you ever felt like you are running from home? Often, running from home means trust has been frayed or broken—trust with ourselves, with each other, with God. When trust is challenged, we wonder how to trust again.
My message today is, whether we are coming home or going home, God is coming to meet us.1 In Him we can find faith and courage, wisdom and discernment to trust again. Likewise, He asks us to keep the light on for each other, to be more forgiving and less judgmental of ourselves and each other, so His Church can be a place where we feel at home, whether we are coming for the first time or returning.
Trust is an act of faith. God keeps faith with us. Yet, human trust can be undermined or broken when:
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A friend, business associate, or someone we trust isn’t truthful, hurts us, or takes advantage of us.2
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A marriage partner is unfaithful.
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Perhaps unexpectedly, someone we love confronts death, injury, or illness.
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We face an unanticipated gospel question, perhaps something regarding Church history or Church policy, and someone says our church somehow hid or did not tell the truth.
Other situations may be less specific but of equal concern.
Perhaps we don’t see ourselves in the Church, don’t feel we fit, feel judged by others.
Or, though we have done everything expected, things have yet to work out. Despite our personal experiences with the Holy Ghost, we may not yet feel we know God lives or the gospel is true.
. . . .Trust becomes real when we do hard things with faith. Service and sacrifice increase capacity and refine hearts. Trust in God and each other brings heaven’s blessings.
After surviving cancer, a faithful brother is hit by a car. Instead of feeling sorry for himself, he prayerfully asks, “What can I learn from this experience?” In his intensive care unit, he feels prompted to notice a nurse worried for her husband and children. A patient in pain finds answers as he trusts God and reaches out to others.
As a brother with pornography concerns waits outside his stake president’s office, the stake president prays to know how to help. A clear impression comes: “Open the door and let the brother in.” With faith and trust God will help, the priesthood leader opens the door and embraces the brother. Each feels transforming love and trust for God and each other. Fortified, the brother can begin to repent and change.
While our individual circumstances are personal, gospel principles and the Holy Ghost can help us know if, how, and when to trust in others again. When trust is broken or betrayed, disappointment and disillusionment are real; so is the need for discernment to know when faith and courage are merited to trust again in human relations.
Yet, with respect to God and personal revelation, President Russell M. Nelson assures, “You do not have to wonder whom you can safely trust.”6 We can always trust God. The Lord knows us better and loves us more than we know or love ourselves. His infinite love and perfect knowledge of past, present, and future make His covenants and promises constant and sure. For Elder Gong’s complete talk, click Trust Again
