“I’m able to trust in God, because I know Him, and I know the relationship I have with Him,” said Aiden Haroldson, a young man from Missouri who participated in a Face to Face broadcast on March 9, 2022. The event originated from the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The broadcast featured Young Women General President Bonnie H. Cordon, Young Men General President Steven J. Lund, and their counselors as they discussed the phrase “Trust in the Lord” from this year’s youth theme (Proverbs 3:5–6) with teens around the world.
“Jesus Christ is worthy of our complete trust. He is the Son of God and the Savior of the world,” said President Lund. “He knows you perfectly; loves you perfectly. His power is available to all of us no matter where we are or what our challenges may be. The more completely we trust Him, the more completely we receive His power in our lives.”
Teens featured in the broadcast said some struggles they face are related to social or economic effects of the pandemic, weakened faith or life-changing decisions and that trusting in the Lord helps them.
“We’re in a time in our lives in high school where you have to make a lot of big decisions … like college,” said Megan Jones. “I was praying one time. I [said], ‘Where should I go?’ I just got this voice in my head that [said], ‘Why are you asking where you should go, when you haven’t researched it yet?’ I just think it’s interesting when you rely on the Lord. He actually trusts you a lot more than you think, and He wants you to try and learn for yourself what you should be doing with your life. As you trust him, He trusts you.”
For others, trusting in the Lord has become second nature. They have made their relationship with the Lord central to their identity and that has prepared them to face challenging times.
“First and foremost, I’m always a daughter of God,” said Oliva Moultrie in discussion with President Cordon. At age 16 and hailed as the youngest professional soccer player (Portland Thorns FC of the National Women’s Soccer League) in American history, Olivia has a unique perspective on the meaning and application of the phrase, “Trust in the Lord.”
“[My family has] always had this list and it goes: our faith, family, and then soccer. No matter how important my goals are to me and what I do every day, those two things will always come first for me.”
For Giovanna Mousques, a teen actress whose sister, Sophia, has Down syndrome and was recently diagnosed with cancer, trusting in the Lord is a matter of practice and patience.
“There’s going to be moments where you’re [going to] feel very uncomfortable or very uncertain about things you should do,” she told Sister Michelle Craig, first counselor in the Young Women general presidency, “but if you let [the Lord] lead the way, [and] the more you do it, the more you’ll feel his love and his compassion and his will to help you.”
“Trusting the Lord with all your heart sometimes means stepping outside our comfort zone and finding strength and courage in the Savior’s comfort. It means that even though we don’t understand everything, we can know and trust the Lord loves us.” President Cordon added.
Aiden added that when questions arise and answers do not appear to be coming, he’s able to rely on past experiences with the Lord.
“I’m able to trust in God, because I know Him, and I know the relationship I have with Him. And because of that, everything else that I think I need to know, I don’t really need to know because I can trust in that relationship until it’s all figured out.”
The Face to Face can be viewed below and online at ChurchofJesusChrist.org and through the Gospel Library and Gospel Media apps.
