Instead of being judgmental about others, we should be concerned about ourselves. We must not give up hope. We must not stop striving. We are children of God, and it is possible for us to become what our Heavenly Father would have us become.
How can we measure our progress? The scriptures suggest various ways. I will mention only two.
After King Benjamin’s great sermon, many of his hearers cried out that the Spirit of the Lord “has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually” (Mosiah 5:2). If we are losing our desire to do evil, we are progressing toward our heavenly goal.
The Apostle Paul said that persons who have received the Spirit of God “have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16). I understand this to mean that persons who are proceeding toward the needed conversion are beginning to see things as our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, see them. They are hearing His voice instead of the voice of the world, and they are doing things in His way instead of by the ways of the world.
President Dallin H. Oaks, "The Challenge to Become", General Conference, October 2000
In an especially chaotic and scary world in which we find ourselves this past week, it is absolutely imperative that we focus on becoming like Christ. All we can do is improve and protect ourselves and loved ones. We do not have control over what somebody else does.
That is not an easy task, though, to worry only about ourselves, especially when someone is insulting you to your face, or, worse yet, when someone is physically harming you or trying to.
Society is getting more lawless and terrifying. We knew it was going to happen. All we can do is trust the Lord. Even if we get caught in the middle, trust the Lord. When Alma and Amulek were witnessing women and children being burned alive, the Lord constrained them. Did the women and children get caught in the middle of another's choice to hurt them? Yes. Did the Lord make it so their pain and suffering were minimal or non-existent? Probably.
The Lord will not interfere with the agency of a person. He will, though, protect the innocent from those consequences as He sees fit.
Point is, people will make choices that we don't agree with or do things that end up hurting us, spiritually or even physically. Watch the news. See what is happening. We may be caught in the middle. We may experience sorrow and even death. Will the Lord make it so we don't suffer (as much)? Probably.
What we need to understand is that no matter how terrifying, no matter how evil, if we are yolked with the Lord, nobody or not a thing, can deter us from eternal rewards. Even the very jaws of hell cannot thwart those rewards. Remember, a moment of pain, sorrow, and suffering is worth an eternity of peace, joy, and happiness.
