God’s Love and Light are Constant, Unchanging, and Immovable

My dear sisters, wherever you live in the world, please know that we love you and your Father in Heaven and your Savior love you. I know sometimes it may be hard to feel Their love. I’ve had those times myself. But I testify to you that Their love for you never changes. It is always there even during those dark times in your life when it may be hard to feel it.

Most of us love beautiful sunny days, don’t we! All the colors of nature are more brilliant when the sun is shining. On cold days, we love to feel the sun on our faces. It fills us with warmth and light. But then, inevitably, there come cloudy, rainy, and dark days when we can’t see the sun or feel its warmth and all the colors are muted and dull. On those cloudy or stormy days or during the darkness of the night, do we doubt that the sun exists? Are we fearful that the sun will never shine again? Of course not! We know that once the storm or the night ends, once the clouds part, we will once again see the sun’s brilliant rays and feel it’s warmth. The sun is always there, unchanging and immovable. It is a constant.

This is a valuable analogy for our Savior’s light and His love for us. His light gives color and meaning to everything in our lives. His love warms our souls and gives us hope for the future. But just as there are cloudy, stormy, and dark days when we are unable to see the sun, throughout our mortal journey, there will also be cloudy, stormy, and dark days when it may be hard to feel our Savior’s love or see His light. There may be times when our Father in Heaven and our Savior feel absent from our lives, and we feel great fear that They have abandoned us, that They don’t love us, and that we are all alone. Even Joseph Smith and the Savior Himself had the experience of feeling abandoned by God.

But, my sisters, I bear my witness to you that nothing can separate us from the love of our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ! Their light and Their love for us are constant, unchanging, and immovable, just like the light and warmth of the sun. We do not need to fear They have abandoned us, because They never will. It is not in Their character to do so.

I can remember feeling so alone when we moved to Mexico after my husband and I were married. For the first time in my life, I lived far from my home and family of origin. I didn’t yet speak or understand the language well, I was expecting our first baby, and my husband was gone most of the time to work and school. I remember feeling terribly alone, lost, and afraid. I had trouble feeling my Father in Heaven was aware of me. I couldn’t feel the warmth and light of my Savior’s love. I started to feel darkness, discouragement, and despair.

But some of my Relief Society sisters came to the rescue. They put their arms around me and helped me feel I wasn’t alone. They gave me encouragement and support through their smiles, kind looks, and gentle love, even though I couldn’t understand their words and they couldn’t understand mine. But because I could feel their love and acceptance for me, it parted the clouds of darkness that I’d been feeling, and I began to again feel my Father in Heaven’s love and support for me.

Sisters, we can do that for each other. We are all daughters of heavenly parents, and we need each other. No matter where we live, no matter our individual circumstances, we should never have to feel that we are alone or isolated. We are surrounded by our spiritual sisters and brothers. We’ve all come to earth at this time together, and we desperately need each other. The temptation to compare and judge one another comes from the adversary. He wants to divide us because He knows the great strength that will come as we feel unity, love, and support for one another. We can help each other feel our Savior’s love as we strive to be united as daughters of God. Let’s link arms, lift each other, and walk home together.

I believe our Father in Heaven and our Savior often send us messages of love and support, but many times we don’t recognize those messages because we may not be looking for them. Seeing a hummingbird hover outside my window, witnessing a magnificent sunset, or just noticing all the beauties and wonders of nature often help me feel Their love. When things are hard and I’m feeling discouraged, I sometimes recognize Their messages of love and support because of a particular verse of scripture that touches my heart as I’m reading, or because of an inspiring conversation with someone, or something I feel while listening to the words of a beautiful hymn or uplifting song.

I love the words of one of our new hymns: “His Eye Is on the Sparrow.” The first verse says:

I bear my witness to you that His eye is not just on the sparrow but is on each and every one of you. You are a beloved daughter of God, and I testify that you will never be forgotten. You are known, you are loved, and your voice does matter, especially to your Father in Heaven and to His Only Begotten Son. They intimately understand your heartaches, your tears, your sorrows, and your pain. Your prayers are always heard by your loving Heavenly Father.

This mortal journey is filled with challenges and difficulties, including loss of many different kinds—loss of friends or loved ones, loss of physical or mental health, financial loss, and even loss of capacity and confidence. I love what Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin said about loss: “The Lord compensates the faithful for every loss. That which is taken away from those who love the Lord will be added unto them in His own way. While it may not come at the time we desire, the faithful will know that every tear today will eventually be returned a hundredfold with tears of rejoicing and gratitude.”

And the Prophet Joseph Smith said, “All your losses will be made up to you in the resurrection, provided you continue faithful. By the vision of the Almighty, I have seen it.”

I testify that because of our dear Savior and His atoning sacrifice, those promises are true. If you remain faithful to God, all your losses will eventually be made up to you, and you will shed tears of rejoicing and gratitude to your Heavenly Father for His compensating blessings.

This verse in the book of Revelation has often brought me comfort and helped me feel God’s love, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Remember also this promise: “All things work together for good to them that love God.” What beautiful and comforting words! Jesus Christ is the light and the life of the world, and He has promised that as we follow Him, we will not walk in darkness.

I testify to you that your Father in Heaven and your Savior will never forget you, no matter who you are, no matter where you live, no matter your present circumstances, and no matter your past. Their light and Their love for you are constant, unchanging, and immovable. And when the clouds and storms in your life part, you will know They were always there with you, even during your darkest days. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.