I think a lot of teenagers experience the gospel the way I did growing up. My family were all members, I was baptized when I was eight, and I firmly believed in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Then I went through a period from the ages of 15–17 when the Church didn’t mean a whole lot to me. I’d go to church every Sunday, but I was doing it more out of habit.
When I was a senior in high school, I had some good friends and a wonderful seminary teacher who helped me get back on track spiritually. But during those years, I struggled with a lot of anxiety that affected my connection to the Spirit. For whatever reason, I think mental health issues can block us from recognizing when the Spirit and the Savior are with us.
If a teen in your life is struggling, whether spiritually or mentally, here are three things I’ve personally found helpful.
1. Use Stories from Church History
If you look at the Joseph Smith era of Church history, many converts were young people doing awesome things. Joseph is, of course, the premier example of this.
Another was Joseph’s teenage cousin George A. Smith, who went on Zion’s Camp. He struggled with a lot of the same things that teenagers struggle with today: self-image and not feeling like he had a role somewhere. But years later, he became an Apostle.
I think it’s a very important thing for teens to understand that there are a lot of figures in Church history who aren’t so different from them today. They had similar challenges, and the Lord was still able to use them to do a great work.
2. Be Spiritually Authentic
In the Church, I think we often don’t want to seem like we’re ever struggling. We’ll put on a brave face and never let people see that we’re struggling with our testimonies, questions about the Church, or Church history.
So, I think being authentic means being willing to be vulnerable and discuss the challenges we can have in the Church. Being open about your experiences helps youth see that you’re genuine, and they’ll listen to you more. It also helps them get the message that they can make it through their own spiritual struggles, too.
One example of authenticity in the scriptures is in Mark 9. There’s a man whose son is sick. You can tell that his family has been through it and that his son has been struggling for a long time. The man goes to the Savior and asks Him to heal his son. The Savior asks back if he has faith for Him to do that, and the man responds, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief” (Mark 9:24).
What I think he’s really saying is, “I don’t know how strong my faith is right now. And I don’t know if it’s strong enough for you to heal my son, so help me have more faith so that healing can come.”
And I love that the Savior doesn’t turn him away, but He heals the son. He was able to meet the man where he was in his faith.
The man being able to admit that his faith wasn’t very strong is an example of authenticity that really speaks to me.
3. Show Them That You Love Them and Care About Them
If youth can tell that you love them and that you care about them, you’re going to have a much bigger impact on them than if you prepare the most outstanding lesson.
I had a great bishop when I was a teenager. I don’t really remember much counsel that he gave me, but I remember that he loved me. I was really struggling one day, and suddenly, he was at my doorstep and told me that he felt like he needed to come by and talk to me. That had a much bigger impact on me than anything that he could have ever taught me.
It may take you a while to really feel like you’re making much of a difference, but if you keep loving the youth, show interest in their lives, and remain patient, you will make a difference.
Editor’s note: A longer version of this article first ran in the September/October 2025 issue of LDS Living.
More articles about teens:
▶ How temple worship brought miracles to a teen struggling with friendships
▶ 5 ways to talk naturally about the gospel with your teen
▶ Pres. Holland on one of the ‘most important’ things youth can be doing
