These Good Things: He Knows My Name — JSH 1:1-26

Come, Follow Me: Doctrine and Covenants 2025
(January 13–January 18)

3 Thoughts from Terri

• My father named me after an old girlfriend. I’m not sure how he got away with it, but he did. In grade school, I hated my name because there were more male Terri’s than females and I didn’t want to be mistaken for a boy. I even dreamed of changing it. But now, I’ve grown into my name, and I feel a tender heart tap when someone says it out loud when speaking to me.

• They didn’t have to use his name. After all, there wasn’t anyone else in the sacred grove. Joseph knew they were talking to him. But I’m so touched that Heavenly Father began this world-changing moment by calling his name, “Joseph” (JS-History 17).

This same familiarity and love came to Emma Smith in Doctrine and Covenants, section 25, when she was given a blessing for her comfort and guidance in life. The Lord begins this blessing by saying, “Hearken unto the voice of the Lord your God, while I speak unto you, Emma Smith, my daughter.” 

• Names are important. They make us distinct and special. We use them everywhere to identify who we are and to separate us from the crowd. And when a person knows our name and calls us by name, there is a spontaneous rush of caring and engagement.  

2 Quotes from Others

• “A person's name is to him or her the sweetest and most important sound in any language.”  
  -Dale Carnegie

• “I testify to you that God has known you individually … for a long, long time (see D&C 93:23). He has loved you for a long, long time. He not only knows the names of all the stars (see Ps. 147:4; Isa. 40:26); He knows your names and all your heartaches and your joys!”
  -Elder Neal A. Maxwell

1 Good Thing to Try

• Call people by their names. Add their name when you say hello or thank you. Let them know you truly see them and appreciate them.  It’s quick. It’s easy. It’s powerful.