22 February 2026
Only the Lord fully knows our individual limitations and capacity, and because of that, He is the only one fully qualified to judge our performance.
Sacrament Meeting Program
Presiding: Bishop Todd Christensen
Conducting: Brother Grady Stoner
Opening Hymn: #1047 - He Cared for Me
Invocation: By Invitation
Ward Business
Sacrament Hymn: #188 - Thy Will, O Lord, Be Done
Administration of the Sacrament
Speaker: Sophia St. Felix
Speaker: Juan Heise
Choir: Abide with Me, Tis Eventide
Speaker: Justin Cole
Closing Hymn: #1005 - His Eye is on the Sparrow
Benediction: By Invitation
Messages From General Conference
Cheering Each Other On
By Sister J. Anette Dennis
First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency
Recently I read of an experience that touched me deeply. It took place at the USA Masters Track and Field National Championship—a competition for seniors.
One of the participants in the 1,500-meter event was 100-year-old Orville Rogers. The author writes:
“When the starter pistol fired, the runners took off, with Orville settling immediately into last place, where he remained alone for the entire race, shuffling along very slowly. [When] the last runner besides Orville finished, Orville still had two and a half laps to go. Nearly 3,000 spectators sat quietly watching him slowly make his way around the track—completely, silently, and uncomfortably alone.
“[But] when he began his final lap, the crowd rose to their feet, cheering and applauding. By the time he hit the homestretch, the crowd was roaring. With the cheering encouragement of thousands of spectators, Orville called on his last reserves of energy. The crowd erupted with delight as he crossed the finish line and was embraced by his competitors. Orville humbly and gratefully waved to the crowd and walked off the track with his new friends.”
This was Orville’s fifth race of the competition, and in each of the other events, he had also taken last place. Some might have been tempted to judge Orville, thinking that he shouldn’t have even competed at his age—that he didn’t belong on the track because he greatly prolonged his events for everyone else.
But even though he always finished last, Orville broke five world records that day. No one watching him race would have believed that possible, but neither the spectators nor his competitors were the judges. Orville didn’t break any rules, and the officials didn’t lower any standards. He ran the same race and fulfilled the same requirements as all the other competitors. But his degree of difficulty—in this case, his age and limited physical capacity—was factored in by placing him in the 100-plus age division. And in that division, he broke five world records.
Just as it took Orville great courage to step out on that track each time, it also takes great courage for some of our sisters and brothers to step into the arena of life every day, knowing they may be judged unfairly even though they’re doing the best they can against daunting odds to follow the Savior and honor their covenants with Him.
No matter where we live in the world, no matter our age, it is a basic human need for all of us to feel a sense of belonging, to feel that we are wanted and needed and that our lives have purpose and meaning, no matter our circumstances or limitations.
On the last lap of the race, the crowd overwhelmingly cheered Orville on, giving him the strength to keep going. It didn’t matter that he finished last. For the participants and the crowd, this was about far more than a competition. In many ways, this was a beautiful example of the Savior’s love in action. When Orville finished, they all rejoiced together.
Just like the Masters Championship, our congregations and families can be gathering places where we cheer each other on—covenant communities fueled by the love of Christ for one another—helping each other overcome whatever challenges we face, giving each other strength and encouragement without judging one another. We need each other. Divine strength comes from unity, and that is why Satan is intent on dividing us.
Unfortunately, for some of us, attending church can be hard at times for many different reasons. It could be someone struggling with questions of faith or someone with social anxiety or depression. It could be someone from a different country or race or someone with different life experiences or ways of seeing things who may feel they don’t fit the mold. It could even be sleep-deprived and emotionally stretched parents of babies and young children or someone who is single in a congregation full of couples and families. It could also be someone mustering the courage to return after years of being away or someone with a nagging feeling that they just don’t measure up and will never belong.
President Russell M. Nelson said: “If a couple in your ward gets divorced, or a young missionary returns home early, or a teenager doubts his testimony, they do not need your judgment. They need to experience the pure love of Jesus Christ reflected in your words and actions.”
Our experience at church is meant to provide vital connections with the Lord and with each other that are so needed for our spiritual and emotional well-being. Inherent in the covenants we make with God, beginning with baptism, is our responsibility to love and care for each other as members of the family of God, members of the body of Christ, and not just to check off a box on a list of things we’re expected to do.
Christlike love and care are higher and holier. The pure love of Christ is charity. As President Nelson taught, “Charity propels us ‘to bear one another’s burdens’ [Mosiah 18:8] rather than heap burdens upon each other.”
Sister J. Anette Dennis
