For nearly fifty years, Elder M. Russell Ballard has served as a general authority in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  In August of 2013, he visited our stake conference.  During one of his talks, he stood at the pulpit, opened his scriptures, paused, and then shared that just like everyone else in the congregation, he had days when the demands of his life were overwhelming and he wondered if he could do it.  Then he pulled a small picture of the Savior from the pages of his scriptures, observed it for a moment and related that when he felt overwhelmed, he stopped, looked at the Savior and found the strength to continue. 

While I have forgotten the topic of the remainder of his talk, I have remembered his tender and personal witness that strength is gained when we “Look at the Savior.”  His life was a witness of the power of Jesus Christ in the lives of the children of God.  “Wherever you are in this world, may God bless you…I leave you my witness and testimony that I know that Jesus is the Christ.  He is our Savior, our Redeemer.  He is our best friend.” (President M. Russell Ballard, October 2023)