Unfortunately, some Latter-day
Saints do not feel that home or church are safe places for them. Some have
shared with me this painful scripture that prophesies of the Savior but also
resonates with them: “And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in
thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house
of my friends” (Zechariah 13:6).
This scripture is profoundly
heartbreaking, both for the Savior and for anyone who has been wounded. The
safest place of all should be at our parents’ house—both our earthly and
Heavenly Parents’ houses. Our congregations should also be a deeply safe place
for everyone, where the cares of life are left behind as we seek the Savior’s
healing. No matter who we are, where we are, or what road we are walking, when
we come to church, I hope we do not feel judgment, only love. (Richard H.
Ostler, Listen Learn and Love: Improving Latter-day Saint Culture [Springville,
Utah: CFI, 2022], 16-17)