Sacrificing Seconds to Seek Service

an image of a group of people climbing a mountain together

Sacrificing time for service will help you love those you serve. As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we are asked to perform many acts of service, especially through our callings. Sister Cristina B. Franco notes in her talk “The Joy of Unselfish Service” that in… Continue reading

Accepting Others Regardless of Beliefs

an image of a couple of little girls standing on a wooden bridge

People with different religious views often focus on their differences and push each other far apart. What would happen if we focused on how we are alike? In a speech given at BYU, Barbara Culatta gave seven tips to help us accept those who believe differently than we do. She… Continue reading

The Good You Accomplished Today

an image of a calendar with a marker and a pen on it

Although some days you look at your to-do list and feel frustrated that you didn’t get as much done as you had hoped, take heart that you made more difference than you realized. The Mormon Message “You Never Know” is a good reminder that the most important things you do… Continue reading

Judging with Compassion

an image of a man and a little girl sitting on a bench

Compassion is essential to making righteous judgments and maintaining respect in relationships. Many people interpret the Savior’s counsel “judge not” (Matthew 7:1) to be absolute and final. However, it is difficult to be truly nonjudgmental in our day-to-day lives. There are many situations in which we must make distinctions—or judgments—between… Continue reading

Finding and Becoming the One: Using the Atonement in Relationships

an image of a man and woman holding hands in front of a building

In an imperfect world with imperfect people, how can we choose a partner with whom we can have an eternal, celestial marriage? Marrying a perfect person is impossible—it’s a hard, cold truth that not a single person on this earth is perfect. In fact, we believe that the journey to… Continue reading

Home Teaching and Visiting Teaching: What Counts?

an image of a group of women sitting on a couch

It might feel like something to check off every month. But home teaching and visiting teaching are about more than just delivering a scripted message.  Home teaching and visiting teaching are supposed to be “the Church’s first source of help” for its members (see True to the Faith, “Priesthood”), but these assignments can… Continue reading

Overcoming Offense

Pug in the city

Taking offense is not only harmful to us, but it may also prevent future generations from receiving the blessings of the gospel. It does not take many words to potentially offend another, but we can decide whether or not to be offended. In his general conference talk “And Nothing Shall… Continue reading

Understanding Instead of Fixing: Mourning with Those That Mourn

an image of a woman sitting on a couch with her head in her hands

When others are sad, we want to take their sorrow away. But we need to try to understand their feelings rather than try to fix them.  When other people feel sad, our instincts tell us that we need to somehow make them happy again. Our society views sadness as a disease that… Continue reading