2020
Our Shared Struggle to Feel Like We Belong
March 2020


“Our Shared Struggle to Feel Like We Belong,” Liahona, March 2020

Young Adults

Our Shared Struggle to Feel Like We Belong

Image
young adults with welcoming arms

Photograph from Getty Images

Have you ever walked into a room and felt everyone’s eyes shift in your direction? Or worse—felt like no one noticed you at all? I have. Those situations can be hurtful because within all of us is a yearning to belong.

The gospel of Jesus Christ brings us together. But sometimes our differing circumstances can make it hard to feel like we belong. Among the many individuals who make up the Church, there are new converts who might be trying to find their way. On page 44, I share how my perspective on belonging and fulfilling the Lord’s expectations of us changed.

There are also many like Jodi and her husband, whose struggles with infertility or other trials can make them feel like they don’t belong. Read her story on page 46.

In digital-only articles, Rachelle shares how welcoming members made all the difference when she came back to church. Eric teaches that we’re all needed in the body of Christ, and Aspen shares how to belong and thrive at church as a more introverted person.

The Church is full of people who don’t feel like they belong. You might be one of them. But we all can do our part to make every member feel welcome. Because belonging isn’t a matter of circumstance—it’s a matter of who you truly are and who you are striving to become like. As children of God, we all belong in Christ’s Church.

Sincerely,

Brian S. King