Encircled by Support

A quick guide to find strength through service and the help of others

BY: Alexis Carver

Heavenly Father has made it clear that we need support from those around us. To Adam, God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone;”¹ The ancient prophet Moses received this counsel: “This thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.”²

As we seek to follow Heavenly Father’s counsel, we can find the support we need by reaching out to those around us.

Where to turn

No matter our situation, we can turn to loving family members, friends, people within BYU-Pathway Worldwide, church leaders, ministering brothers or sisters, and so forth. It can be helpful to check in with someone we trust frequently by sharing our progress and goals as we move forward. If we need an extra lift, we can try asking them for help to accomplish those goals.

Making connections can help us increase our support circle.

If we ever find ourselves lacking support, we can make new connections. Making connections allows us to know who we can turn to as challenges come our way. Whether it’s meeting people at a gathering, in the community, or at church, developing relationships will help us grow our support circle.

BYU-Pathway also provides many different forms of support. We can turn to members in our gatherings, missionaries, or instructors. For all students, missionaries and instructors are there to help us reach our educational and spiritual goals. Just as we can turn to our friends, we can turn to the BYU-Pathway community as well.

Many of us want to help others when they’re going through a hard time, and other people want the same for us. It may be difficult to recognize this at times, but when we ask, we can receive the help we need. 

With service comes joy

Reaching out in love provides us with many blessings.

Another great way to find support through hard times is by serving others. It may seem contrary to serve when we ourselves are in need of service, but reaching out in love provides many blessings. One blessing is the friends we make along the way.

Another blessing is found in 1 Nephi 11. When Nephi sees the vision of the tree of life and is asked what it means, he proclaims: “It is the love of God … [and] it is the most desirable above all things.” Following his statement, the Spirit teaches him further. “Yea, and the most joyous to the soul.”³

Under the gospel topic of service found on churchofjesuschrist.org, we learn a similar truth. “One true key to happiness is to labor for the happiness of others.”⁴ What a special promise that is! Joy comes when we have the love of God and reach out to offer help to those around us.

Together we stand

Relationships are so important in our lives! It’s our connection with and support for each other that helps us get through hard things like completing assignments, balancing commitments, or supporting a family. There are many difficult circumstances we might experience, but they become easier when we turn to our friends.

How has a friend helped you get through difficult times? Share your experience in the comments below!

1^ Genesis 2:18

2^ Exodus 18:18

3^ 1 Nephi 11:22-23

4^ Gospel Topic: Service