We Can All Belong through Jesus Christ
Service to others can be a remedy for feeling like an outsider.
Keeping Watch, by Yongsung Kim, image courtesy of Havenlight
As a community of Saints, we love and welcome one another. This helps create a place of belonging in the Church for everyone.
It’s normal to sometimes feel like you don’t belong. When this happens, the gospel of Jesus Christ provides a solution: service.
“Belonging comes not as we wait for it but as we reach out to help one another,” said Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. It’s part of what we’re willing to do as we enter the baptismal covenant, to comfort and love one another and bear each other’s burdens (see Mosiah 18:8–9).
Jesus Christ is the best example of this. He bore the pains, sins, and sorrows of all mankind (see Alma 7:11–13). By covenanting to follow Him and to keep His commandments, we can live with Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father again in eternal families.
“Thus, the doctrine of belonging comes down to this—each one of us can affirm: Jesus Christ died for me; He thought me worthy of His blood. He loves me and can make all the difference in my life. As I repent, His grace will transform me. I am one with Him in the gospel covenant; I belong in His Church and kingdom; and I belong in His cause to bring redemption to all of God’s children.”
As Saints, we can help each other feel like we belong through love, service, and following Jesus Christ.