Read or watch Elder Uchtdorf’s address at: Jesus Christ Is the Strength of Youth (churchofjesuschrist.org)

My dear young friends, if the Savior were here right now, what would He say to you?

I believe He would start by expressing His deep love for you. He might say it with words, but it would also flow so strongly—just from His presence—that it would be unmistakable, reaching deep into your heart, filling your whole soul!

Do you believe Elder Uchtdorf when he says the Saviour would express His deep love for you?

If yes, why?

If not, why not?

I don’t think He would make excuses for your mistakes. He wouldn’t minimize them. No, He would ask you to repent—to leave your sins behind, to change, so He can forgive you. He would remind you that 2,000 years ago He took those sins upon Himself so that you could repent. That is part of the plan of happiness gifted to us from our loving Heavenly Father.

If the Saviour loves us despite our mistakes then why do we need to repent?

Jesus might point out that your covenants with Him—made when you were baptized and renewed each time you partake of the sacrament—give you a special connection with Him. The kind of connection the scriptures describe as being yoked together so that, with His help, you can carry any burden.

This scripture was referred to or quoted many times this General Conference. It seems the Lord inspired a number of speakers to refer to it. Why do you think this scripture is so important for us to understand right now?

At the heart of God’s plan for your happiness is your power to choose. Of course, your Heavenly Father wants you to choose eternal joy with Him, and He will help you to achieve it, but He would never force it upon you.

So He allows you to choose: Light or darkness? Good or evil? Joy or misery? Eternal life or spiritual death?

It sounds like an easy choice, doesn’t it? But somehow, here on earth, it seems more complicated than it ought to be.

What is it about life today that makes it more complicated to choose light over darkness than it ought to be?

Elder Uchtdorf then went on to talk about the revised version of For the Strength of Youth that the Church has just published:

It’s also important to know what For the Strength of Youth does not do. It doesn’t make decisions for you. It doesn’t give you a “yes” or “no” about every choice you might ever face. For the Strength of Youth focuses on the foundation for your choices. It focuses on values, principles, and doctrine instead of every specific behavior.

Why do you think that, in this important resource, the Brethren have focused on values, principles and doctrine rather than giving a yes or no about every choice?

President Russell M. Nelson taught: “When your greatest desire is to let God prevail [in your life], … many decisions become easier. … Many issues become nonissues! You know how best to groom yourself. You know what to watch and read, where to spend your time, and with whom to associate. You know what you want to accomplish. You know the kind of person you … want to become.”

Have you personally experienced how decisions become easier when you have let God prevail in your life?

My dear friends, let me repeat, if the Savior were standing here today, He would express His endless love for you, His complete confidence in you. He would tell you that you can do this. You can build a joyful, happy life because Jesus Christ is your strength. You can find confidence, peace, safety, happiness, and belonging now and eternally, because you will find all of it in Jesus Christ, in His gospel, and in His Church.

How can you share this joyful message with others?

NB: Passages in italics are quotations from Elder Uchtdorf’s talk.