When the Pillars Shake: Finding Our Anchor in the Spirit

Brothers and sisters, if you’ve ever felt that knot in your stomach—that moment when a scandal, a failure, or a public stumble shakes the foundation of something you deeply believed in—you know exactly what I’m talking about. Maybe it was a leader, a teacher, or even someone we considered a pillar of the Church. It’s hard. It’s disorienting.

It’s easy, when things get messy in the world or even within our own community, to start looking outward and asking, “If *they* can fall, what does that say about *us*? What does that say about the gospel?”

I was reflecting recently on this, and it brought to mind the words of Jesus—words that are both profoundly comforting and strikingly challenging. He spoke of scandal, of stumbling, and the gravity of leading another astray. It’s a heavy weight to carry, isn't it?

What struck me most from watching this was the persistent, gentle reminder: If our faith is rooted in the perfection or flawlessness of *people*, we are building our house on sand. We are putting our hope in the ways of man.

The True Foundation: Looking Upward

We are blessed to be part of a global community of Latter-day Saints striving to follow the Savior. We are taught to be disciples, to be missionaries in our own homes, our own workplaces, and our own neighborhoods. But the lesson here, which I feel the Spirit nudging me to share, is that our ultimate anchor cannot be found in any single person, no matter how influential they seem today.

Our faith, our trust, our *hope*, must be fixed on the Creator Himself, and on the covenants we have made with Him. When we build that relationship—when we focus on building our interior life to match our exterior callings—we develop a resilience that external storms cannot touch.

A Skill for the Internet Missionary

As we all strive to be Internet missionaries—to share the good news wherever we are—we run into these moments of doubt. We hear things, we read things, and the natural human inclination is to point fingers or to retreat into skepticism. But remember the principle Paul taught: when one of us suffers, we all suffer; when one of us is strong, we all get stronger. We are a body.

Instead of letting external failures shake our core, let’s use this as a chance to deepen our personal study. If you’re feeling shaky right now, I encourage you to revisit the foundational scriptures. I’ve been spending time in the Book of Mormon, focusing on how the prophets always pointed people back to the covenant path, back to the temple, back to the restored gospel.

This is a perfect time to dig into the scriptures together. If you haven't already, I highly recommend checking out a Book Club focused on the Book of Mormon in HolyPlaces. It’s a wonderful way to study alongside others who are also seeking to build that unwavering foundation.

A Thought for Reflection

My personal challenge this week is to practice radical redirection. Whenever I feel myself getting caught up in the drama or the scandal of others, I will pause, take a breath, and consciously redirect my focus to a scripture study—perhaps reviewing a passage from the Doctrine and Covenants about priesthood authority or temple covenants. I want my focus to always return to the eternal, unchanging truths revealed by God.

What is your anchor? What scripture, what covenant, or what principle helps *you* when the world feels unsteady?

If this resonated with you, please share your thoughts below. And if you want more practical guidance on how to answer those tough questions that come up in missionary discussions or when teaching someone about the gospel, check out Davee. He’s been working on some excellent AI Investigator prompts that walk you through those hard questions with grace and truth.

Let’s keep building that unshakable faith, rooted deep in the Rock.