Stake Presidency Message 

On a recent long flight, I reread a novel about a father and his young son traveling through a post-apocalyptic world. It is an incredibly heavy story — a dead world where they scrape by with almost no food, are in constant danger from marauders, and see little reason to hope. But what really stayed with me wasn’t the bleakness. It was the father’s fierce instinct to keep his son alive — not just physically, but spiritually, protecting his soul from despair.

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I couldn’t help but picture myself in that nightmare, wondering what I would do to protect a child when everything is lost. As I turned the pages, I recognized a parallel to the Savior, especially in the son. In this terribly dark world, the boy is the one who still seems most concerned with compassion. He keeps asking if they are the “good guys,” and he worries about the strangers they pass. His innocence and concern for others feel like a reflection of the pure love of Jesus Christ.

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As I read, I reflected on the Atonement of Jesus Christ. In The Book of Mormon, Alma taught that Christ would take upon Himself our pains, afflictions, temptations, sicknesses, and infirmities so He would know “how to succor his people according to their infirmities” (Alma 7:11–12). Christ willingly walked into the deepest darkness of human suffering, sin, and death so He could understand us perfectly, carry us when we cannot carry ourselves, and lead us home. His sacrifice is the ultimate reminder that even in a fallen world, hope is not lost.

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Understanding that kind of love should change us. It makes me realize I need to be more patient, less quick to judge, and far more willing to help carry other people’s burdens. Ultimately, the story reminded me that light matters most when things are at their darkest. When we follow Christ, we choose to hold on to goodness and reflect His love to a world that desperately needs it.