In January 2023, seventeen-year-old Zoe Gabriel, a Singapore-based Filipina, was gifted by her father with a handbag from a popular brand. She happily posted pictures of it on her social media account, describing the bag as her “first luxury item”.
Then, something totally unexpected happened.
The young woman was bashed repeatedly online, with people mocking her for the way she described her gift. Some comments were very mean and hurtful, while other comments criticized her hardworking parents. “I was trying to be grateful for something that I received, and people blew it out of proportion,” she recalls. “It was hard on me, and hard on my family.”
In the midst of all the negative things hurled at her, Zoe turned to her family who, along with her, belonged to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They comforted her, and lovingly reminded her of the healing power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
.png)
“I reached out for my Book of Mormon, and tucked inside it was my patriarchal blessing,” Zoe recounts. “When I would feel really down, I would read my scriptures and my patriarchal blessing.”
As Zoe would read her patriarchal blessing, the Spirit of the Lord spoke powerfully to her as she read a particular line: You will always be stronger than who you think you are, because Heavenly Father loves you.
“I would read that line every day, and it would always hit me as hard as it did the day before,” she beams. “There were so many things pulling me down that I felt like I couldn't handle it, but that's where I found comfort and peace.”
One particular trying day, “I broke down in the shower, and as tears fell down my face, I realized how much my Father in Heaven loved me, and that my family loved me too.”
As Zoe continued to face her trials, she felt the Spirit reassuring her: “I felt that the Lord, by allowing all this to happen to me, was trying to tell me: You're doing okay, you're doing good.”
Today, Zoe has become a beacon of strength and support for people who have similar challenges like her, and she and her family have been blessed with various opportunities to reach out to many and to let them know that they are special and, yes, loved.
“Remember,” Zoe shares this reminder, “you are a child of God, and ultimately, the only person whose opinion matters is our Heavenly Father’s opinion.”