Blazing Bonfires: How I’ve Learned to Love Obedience

hands praying over scriptures

“Don’t rock yourself into the bonfire,” my grandpa joked as he purposefully wobbled his cheap plastic chair in front of the roaring fire.  Six-year-old me giggled and thought, “Duh, fire’s dangerous. Who’d ever touch it on purpose?” A few seconds later, however, I decided to ignore my grandpa’s advice. “Chairs… Continue reading

How Christ Can Be Your Eternal Life Coach

Woman in Gray Crew Neck Shirt Running on Brown Soil during Daytime

In the game of life, you don’t always get to play the position you want. Remember that Christ—your eternal life coach—always has the best play in mind. One day during a high school track practice, one of my teammates asked me how I could believe in Christ when there are… Continue reading

The Illusion of Waiting

People Sitting on Benches in Waiting Room

Although we may have to wait for some blessings, we need not stand still. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have all had to put our lives on hold in one way or another. However, pandemic or not, at times we may feel perpetually stuck in the waiting… Continue reading

The “Be” I Will Always Remember

Photo of orange maple leaves.

President Hinckley taught us many things to be, but out of them all, the one I have learned the most from is “be grateful.”  President Gordon B. Hinckley addressed young adults in a general conference talk “A Prophet’s Counsel and Prayer For Youth.” In this talk, he introduces six “B’s” to… Continue reading

A History of Hope

Holding up a light on a starry night.

The present is made from the hopes of the past, and our hope today will empower our future against anxiety and despair. In April of 2020, I listened in despair to the Church’s general conference—not because of the quality of the talks, but because of my own trials. Anxiety has been… Continue reading

Gratitude is Key: How to Be Happy in Hard Times

Woman Using Umbrella With Lights

We may struggle to be grateful in difficult times, but gratitude has an important role in our happiness.  We may find ourselves focusing on the negative effects that COVID-19 has had on our lives, and with good reason. But we should also remember the good things that have come from… Continue reading

Not My Feet Only: Accepting the Lord’s Service

Two hands cup water as it pours in

When we struggle to accept the Lord’s help, let us follow the example of Peter at the Last Supper when Christ washes Peter’s feet. My parents were recently called to serve as a mission president couple in California. While they’ve been preparing for their mission, I’ve thought a lot about… Continue reading

More Holiness Give Me—More Savior Like Thee

“All requirements to enter the temple relate to personal holiness.”—President Russell M. Nelson After the October 2019 General Conference ended, I kept thinking of these words: happiness and holiness. While President Russell M. Nelson was giving his closing remarks, he shared the temple recommend questions that were recently edited for… Continue reading

Developing Christlike Self-Discipline

Rather than focusing on our mistakes and losing hope, we can discipline ourselves with kindness in a Christlike way. At the end of one long week, I sat quietly in a pew waiting to take the sacrament. The familiar words of the prayers went in one ear and out the… Continue reading

3 Ways to Everyday Happiness

When life doesn’t go down the planned path, don’t worry—there is an easy formula to make every step you take a happy one. School, work, family, friends—all day every day, something needs our attention. In his talk, “A Summer with Great Aunt Rose,” President Dieter F. Uchtdorf gives us a… Continue reading