Return Unto Me
Lately, I’ve found myself reflecting on what it really means to “return” to the Lord. Life has a way of showing us how easily we can drift from the things that matter most—sometimes without even realizing it. And yet, every time I open the scriptures, I’m reminded that His invitation is always the same: Come back. It’s not too late.
These verses from 3 Nephi 24:7–10 say it beautifully:
“Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of Hosts. But ye say: Wherein shall we return?
Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say: Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.”
That phrase—“Will a man rob God?”—has always caught my attention. The more I think about it, the more I realize how true it is in ways we don’t always recognize.
When we step away from the covenants we’ve made with the Lord, especially those made in His holy temples, it really isa kind of robbery. But not just of God—it’s a robbery of ourselves.
We lose the blessings that come from covenant keeping: the protection from the adversary, the peace that comes from serving the Lord, the quiet joy of doing temple work for our kindred dead (that one’s huge!), and the incredible power that flows through priesthood covenants. It’s hard to even describe all that’s lost when those things are missing.
One thing I’ve noticed personally is how much strength and inspiration I receive when I’m in the temple. I walk out with power to do hard things. Ideas come that I never would’ve thought of on my own. Without that, I’d feel robbed—plain and simple.
When I first started turning my life back toward the covenant path, I asked my dad for a priesthood blessing. That wasn’t something we did much in my home growing up. I’d seen him give blessings for the sick, but not for personal guidance.
During that blessing, my dad quoted 3 Nephi 24:10:
“If I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”
He told me that if I kept moving forward on the path I’d started, that promise would be mine. And it has been. Honestly, I’m amazed almost every day at the blessings that have come because I chose to return.
I found a note in my scriptures from January 3, 2022, at 8:27 a.m. (yes, I time-stamped it!):
“Even those who have gone against their ordinances and not kept them are not beyond the reach of the Savior. He beckons all to return.”
I love that reminder.
A few verses later, in 3 Nephi 24:11, the Lord says:
“And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground…”
I once wrote a little note beside that verse: “What are the fruits of my ground?” My answer? My children and grandchildren.
Right now, it feels like Satan’s having a bit of a field day with my family. It’s hard to watch. But I have absolute faith that the Lord will bring them back. I know the effort required—it’s not easy—but I also know the sooner we turn toward Him, the easier it is.
They’ve wandered for a long time, but they are covenant children.
So, I keep my eyes on the Savior. I trust His timing. I trust His promises.
And I believe with all my heart—they will be saved.
We all have our own version of “returning.” For some, it’s rebuilding faith after a long detour. For others, it’s learning to trust again after disappointment. But the Lord’s promise is constant: if we will return to Him, He will return to us. And when He does, the windows of heaven really do open—often in ways we never could have imagined.
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