Best Days and Worst Days

Trust God through mortality’s best days and worst days

President Freeman teaches that mortality is meant to stretch and refine us through both joyful and painful experiences. God allows these experiences to do their work in us as part of His plan for growth.

Isn’t it amazing how you can go from best day to worst day in a matter of minutes?

This is mortality. A proving ground. A place designed for growth.

I have learned that God allows mortality to do its work in us—and that includes both best days and worst days.

How do we get through those days? The story of Peter teaches us that strength comes as we walk with Christ and hold fast to His eternal truths.

• Life can change suddenly from joy to sorrow.
• Mortality is a proving ground designed for growth.
• Both best days and worst days can help shape discipleship.
• Strength comes through walking with Christ.
• Holding to eternal truths helps us endure changing circumstances.

• When have you experienced a sudden shift from happiness to heartbreak or uncertainty?
• What trial has helped you grow spiritually in ways you did not expect?
• When have you felt the Lord strengthening you during a difficult season?
• How have both joyful and painful experiences helped you come closer to Jesus Christ?

Build testimony by holding fast to eternal truths

Peter’s witness that Jesus is the Christ shows the power of revelation. His later misunderstanding also shows that testimony is not completed in one moment but is built gradually over time through continued discipleship.

When Peter answered, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God," Jesus responded, "Blessed art thou, Simon … : … flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven."

That day must have felt like a best day.

Peter had good intentions—he didn’t want the Savior to die—but he misunderstood God’s plan for His Son.

From Peter’s story we learn that our understanding of eternal truth is not forged in a single moment—testimony is built over time, day after day, both best days and worst.

• Peter received revelation and testified that Jesus is the Christ.
• Spiritual witnesses come from the Father, not merely from human reasoning.
• Even sincere disciples can misunderstand God’s plan.
• A testimony is not formed all at once.
• Testimony grows over time through many experiences.

• When have you received a spiritual witness of Jesus Christ or another gospel truth?
• How has your testimony grown gradually rather than all at once?
• When have you realized that your understanding of God’s plan was incomplete?
• What experiences have helped you hold on to truth during confusing times?

Accept the Savior’s invitations and trust His nearness

Peter’s experience walking on the water shows that the Lord invites us to do hard things. Even when we feel afraid or begin to sink, Jesus is near and able to help.

Peter cried out, "Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water." And Jesus answered with an invitation: "Come."

So Peter stepped out of the boat. "He walked on the water, to go to Jesus."

Have you ever accepted an invitation from the Lord and then felt unequal to the task?

We all know what it is to doubt, to experience sinking moments.

He wasn’t shouting instructions from the shore or offering advice from the safety of the boat. He was in the water—with Peter. Within reaching distance.

As you accept the Lord’s invitations, on both your best days and your worst, the same will be true for you.

• The Lord invites disciples to come to Him in faith.
• Peter acted on the Savior’s invitation and did something miraculous.
• Fear and doubt can arise even after faithful action.
• Sinking moments are part of discipleship.
• Jesus is near when He asks us to do difficult things.
• The Savior does not send us alone; He remains within reach.

• What invitation from the Lord have you accepted that felt beyond your ability?
• When have you felt yourself "sinking" after trying to act in faith?
• How have you felt the Savior near you in a challenging calling, trial, or decision?
• What experience taught you that the Lord does not ask you to act alone?
• When have you seen faith lead to strength even in the middle of fear?

Rely on the Lord’s promised blessings after failure

Peter’s denial of Christ was a devastating moment, but it was not the end of his story. The Savior had prayed for him and later called him again to serve, showing that divine promises remain in force even after weakness and sorrow.

On the night Christ was arrested, Peter denied knowing Him three times, and then the rooster crowed.

I often think about that look.

Perhaps that look was not a look of failure but instead a look of enabling strength meant to carry Peter through the worst moments ahead.

I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

After those hard days had passed, and after a long night of fishing, Peter and Jesus stood on the shore of Galilee.

On that day the Savior extended another invitation: "Feed my sheep."

Peter’s faith hadn’t failed, and because of his deep love for Jesus Christ, there was still a great work in store for him.

Sometimes we may wonder if the Lord’s promises will truly be fulfilled in us—especially when all seems lost.

Peter’s story reminds us that they will.

• Peter experienced deep failure and sorrow.
• The Savior knew Peter’s weakness and still prayed for him.
• Christ’s look may have conveyed strength rather than condemnation.
• The Lord’s promises can sustain us through our worst moments.
• Peter was still called to serve after his failure.
• The Lord sees future usefulness and discipleship beyond present weakness.

• When have you felt that the Lord gave you strength after a mistake or spiritual setback?
• How have you felt the Savior’s mercy instead of condemnation when you fell short?
• When has the Lord given you another opportunity to serve after disappointment?
• What experience has taught you that your story is not over after a hard season?

See how both best days and worst days shape discipleship

President Freeman shows that Peter’s life cannot be reduced to his failures or his triumphs alone. The Lord used both kinds of experiences to help Peter become who he needed to become.

History could suggest that Peter was a man who tried to stand in the way of the Father’s plan, who nearly drowned because of lack of faith, and who denied knowing the Savior three times—and that would be true.

But it is also true that Peter walked on water, he was the first Apostle to bear witness that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and he was given priesthood keys to preside over the Lord’s Church.

And maybe it took both the worst days and the best days for Peter to become who the Lord needed him to become.

• Peter’s story includes both weakness and greatness.
• Disciples should not define themselves only by failures.
• The Lord sees the whole story of a person’s becoming.
• Best days and worst days both contribute to spiritual development.
• God can prepare His servants through a wide range of experiences.

• How has the Lord used both success and struggle to shape your life?
• What failure in your past has later become part of your growth?
• When have you seen that the Lord viewed your potential differently than you viewed yourself?
• How would you describe the ways your life story includes both weakness and grace?

Draw strength from the truths in For the Strength of Youth

President Freeman turns to For the Strength of Youth as a source of real spiritual power in a time of personal trial. She teaches that its teachings are not merely standards but a guide for strength rooted in Jesus Christ.

I opened my For the Strength of Youth guide, wondering if the eternal truths, invitations, and promised blessings from the guide could really help Greg and me find strength in Christ.

God’s plan is for you." … "He has all power and knows all things. You can trust Him, even when life is hard.

God wants to communicate with you.

Jesus Christ will help you." … "When you are worried, afraid, or [struggle] in any way, He will comfort you.

Walk in God’s light." … "You make better choices when you can see things clearly.

"Temple ordinances and covenants give you greater access to God’s blessings," help you navigate your life with divine guidance, increase your companionship with the Spirit and with angels, and enable you to live up to your privileges and draw upon the power of God.

Jesus Christ brings joy." … "You might have a bad day, a bad week, or a bad year. [Just remember,] joy is not the absence of sorrow in your life; [it is] the presence of [Jesus] Christ in your life.

This is not just a guide for standards; this is a guide for strength.

• For the Strength of Youth contains eternal truths, invitations, and promised blessings.
• God’s plan is personal and trustworthy.
• God communicates with His children.
• Jesus Christ offers comfort in fear and struggle.
• Walking in God’s light helps us make wise choices.
• Temple ordinances and covenants increase access to divine power and guidance.
• Joy comes through the presence of Jesus Christ, not the absence of sorrow.
• The guide is a resource for spiritual strength for all disciples.

• When has a gospel guide, scripture, or prophetic message given you strength in a hard time?
• How have you felt that God’s plan was still working in your life when life was hard?
• When have prayer and personal revelation helped you move forward?
• How have temple covenants or worship strengthened you in uncertainty?
• What experience has taught you that joy can exist even in sorrow because of Jesus Christ?

Look to Jesus Christ as the source of strength and future hope

The talk culminates in a testimony of Jesus Christ, who understands both suffering and triumph perfectly. Because of Him, sorrow is not final, and our best days are ahead.

Because Jesus Christ knows all about best days and worst days: suffering so great that an angel was sent to strengthen Him, the betrayal of a good friend, the cross on Calvary.

But His story also has a garden, a stone rolled away, and an empty tomb.

Because of Him, no matter how bad things are right now, your best days are ahead.

Jesus Christ is our strength. This I know.

• Jesus Christ fully understands suffering and sorrow.
• He also overcame death and darkness through His Resurrection.
• The Savior’s own story gives hope to all disciples.
• Through Christ, present pain is not the end.
• He is the source of strength for every season of life.
• Because of Him, the future is filled with hope.

• When has the Savior given you hope that better days were ahead?
• How has the Atonement or Resurrection of Jesus Christ strengthened you personally?
• What experience has helped you feel that Christ understands your pain?
• When have you found peace by focusing on the Savior instead of your circumstances?