Genesis 18–23 bring us into some of the most personal and emotionally demanding moments of Abraham’s life. These chapters move between promise and loss, hospitality and judgment, laughter and grief. Abraham receives heavenly visitors, pleads with the Lord for the city of Sodom, and hears a promise that seems impossible: that Sarah, long past childbearing years, will bear a son. When Sarah laughs, the Lord responds with a question that echoes through scripture and into our own lives: “Is there anything too hard for the Lord?”

We read of Noah and the flood in the book of Genesis, but instead of discussing a global, watery catastrophe, let's look at an emotional parallel: the inundation, the feelings of being overwhelmed, underwater, and without something solid beneath our feet. Everyone can relate to that; moreover, many suffer with their mental health at debilitating levels. Looking at Michelle Nixon's image of a flooded area near her home is a metaphor for those sinking feelings.

In her April 2018 General Conference sermon, Sister Reyna I. Aburto spoke of Zion-like purpose: "Girls and boys, young women and young men, sisters and brothers, we are on this journey together. In order to reach our sublime destiny, we need each other, and we need to be unified. The Lord has commanded us, 'Be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine.'" She continued, "Every one of our paths is different, yet we walk them together. Our path is not about what we have done or where we have been; it is about where we are going and what we are becoming, in unity."