Come Unto Me
Reunion, Hope, and the Christ Who Has Been Waiting
Guiding Text
Teaching Section
Narrative Identity and the Story You Choose
Lesson Plan
The final teaching session. What is the story of your life? Not the story the institution told. Not the story shame wrote. The story you choose.
McAdams (2001): the internalized, evolving story of self providing life with unity and meaning. McAdams and McLean (2013): redemption narratives are among the strongest predictors of long-term well-being.
Act I: The Story I Was Given ('You are broken. God will fix you in the resurrection'). Act II: The Story I Lived ('I endured fear, shame, concealment, and institutional harm. My faith endured'). Act III: The Story I Choose ('I am a gay believer. My love is holy. My Christ has been waiting for me').
Christ at Bountiful: 'Bring them hither. I will heal them.' No worthiness interview. 'Bring them hither.' All of them.
Imagine Christ: 'Come unto me. You are mine. You have always been mine. And I am so glad you are home.'
Detailed Lesson Content
You have spent twelve weeks doing work most Latter-day Saints will never be asked to do. You named harm the institution prefers unnamed. You rebuilt, from the inside out, a faith more honest and Christlike than the version you inherited. McAdams has spent his career studying narrative identity: the story you construct for meaning. Redemption narratives—stories where suffering leads to positive outcome—are among the strongest predictors of well-being.
Act I: The Story I Was Given. 'You are a child of God, and God's plan is heterosexual marriage. Same-sex attraction is a condition of mortality. Resist, endure, wait for resurrection.' Presented as eternal truth. Act II: The Story I Lived. The worthiness interviews where you lied. The mission served while hiding. The marriage entered because a trusted man said it would work. The children you love. The moment you realized the story was not true—the beginning of honest faith. Act III: The Story I Choose. 'I am a gay believer. My love is not broken. The institution was wrong. My suffering has given me gifts. My calling is real. And I am going home to Him.'
3 Nephi 17. Christ at Bountiful: 'Have ye any that are sick? Bring them hither. Have ye any that are afflicted in any manner? Bring them hither and I will heal them, for my bowels are filled with mercy.' He did not say bring the worthy ones. He said bring them hither. All of them. Every one. Because mercy overpowereth justice. This is the reunion. Not a tribunal. A homecoming. 'Come unto me. You are mine. You have always been mine. And I am so glad you are home.'
Recommended Videos
Dan McAdams, ‘The Redemptive Self’ (lecture, 1 hr 12 min)
Northwestern psychologist Dan McAdams explores how the stories we tell about ourselves shape our identity—and how narratives of redemption transform suffering into purpose.
Watch on YouTube →The Bible Project, ‘Gospel of Matthew: Sermon on the Mount’ (10 min)
Beautiful animated exploration of Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount, revealing what it looks like to participate in God’s Kingdom.
Watch Video →Viktor Frankl, ‘Youth in Search of Meaning’ (TED Archive, 5 min)
Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist Viktor Frankl shares his profound insights on finding meaning in suffering—a fitting reflection for the program’s culminating session.
Watch on YouTube →Additional Reading
- McAdams, D. P. (2001). The psychology of life stories. Review of General Psychology, 5(2), 100–122.
- McAdams, D. P., & McLean, K. C. (2013). Narrative identity. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 22(3), 233–238.
- Pearson, C. L. (2007). No More Goodbyes. Pivot Point Books.
- 3 Nephi 17:5–7; Alma 34:14–16; John 14:18; D&C 121:7–8.
Academic Framework
The final session draws on the concept of narrative identity (McAdams, 2001)—the internalized, evolving story that a person constructs about their past, present, and future to provide their life with meaning and purpose. Research shows that narrative coherence—the ability to tell a story of one's life that integrates difficult experiences into a meaningful whole—is a strong predictor of psychological well-being and resilience (Adler et al., 2016).
This session provides the space for participants to construct (or reconstruct) their narrative identity: not the story the institution told about them, not the story of defect and shame, but the story they choose to tell—a story in which their sexuality, their faith, their suffering, and their joy are all integrated into a coherent, dignified, and hopeful whole.
Theological Reflection
3 Nephi 17:5–7: 'And it came to pass that when Jesus had thus spoken, he cast his eyes round about again on the multitude, and beheld they were in tears, and did look steadfastly upon him as if they would ask him to tarry a little longer with them. And he said unto them: Behold, my bowels are filled with compassion towards you. Have ye any that are sick among you? Bring them hither. Have ye any that are lame, or blind, or halt, or maimed, or leprous, or that are withered, or that are deaf, or that are afflicted in any manner? Bring them hither and I will heal them, for I have compassion upon you; my bowels are filled with mercy.'
He did not ask them to fix themselves first. He did not hand them a worthiness interview. He did not check whether their afflictions were self-inflicted or externally imposed. He said bring them hither. That is the Christ of the Book of Mormon. That is your Christ. He has been waiting for you. And He is so glad you are home.
Discussion Prompts
- If you could describe your relationship with Christ in a single sentence—right now, at this moment—what would it be? How has it changed over the course of this program?
- What story have you been told about yourself? What story do you choose to tell?
- Imagine standing before the Savior. Not with dread. Not with anxiety. With anticipation. What do you see in His face?
Integration Exercise
Final letter: Participants write a letter to themselves—to be opened in six months. The letter should describe who they are, what they believe, what they have learned over the past 12 weeks, and what they hope for their future. It should be sealed and held by the facilitator (or kept by the participant) until the reunion gathering.
Therapeutic Methodology
Primary Modality: Narrative Identity Reconstruction (McAdams, 2001; Adler et al., 2016). The final session is, in clinical terms, an exercise in narrative coherence—the integration of fragmented or competing life stories into a unified, meaning-bearing whole. Clinicians should guide participants through a structured life narrative exercise that includes three acts: (1) The story I was given ('You are broken, your love is fallen, your only hope is to perform heterosexuality or live in celibacy'); (2) The story I lived ('I survived fear, shame, concealment, and institutional harm, and my faith endured'); and (3) The story I choose ('I am a gay believer, my love is holy, my suffering has purpose, and my Christ has been waiting for me'). Research shows that the ability to construct a 'redemption narrative'—a story in which suffering leads to positive outcome—is one of the strongest predictors of long-term psychological well-being (McAdams & McLean, 2013).
Secondary Modality: Group Termination and Ritual Therapy. The ending of a therapeutic group is itself a therapeutic event. Clinicians should structure the closing to honor both what has been accomplished and what remains. A closing ritual—such as each participant offering a single sentence of blessing or affirmation to the person on their left—provides symbolic closure while reinforcing the relational bonds that will sustain participants after the formal program ends. In the Latter-day Saint tradition, the laying on of hands for blessing is a deeply resonant ritual form; a secular adaptation might involve each participant placing a hand on the shoulder of the person beside them as they speak their affirmation.
Post-Program Assessment: Clinicians should administer final assessments at this session: Self-Compassion Scale (Neff, 2003), Internalized Homophobia Scale (Meyer & Dean, 1998), PHQ-9 for depression, GAD-7 for anxiety, and the Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1996). Comparison with baseline measures from Session 1 provides empirical data on program efficacy and identifies participants who may benefit from continued individual therapy.
Referral Planning: Clinicians should have individual conversations with each participant during or after this session to discuss ongoing care. Referrals to LGBTQ+ affirming therapists, Encircle therapy services, support groups, and peer mentorship within the program should be made based on each participant's assessed needs and preferences.