When someone we love takes their own life, how do we respond? I always tried to be sensitive to the complex emotions and pain of people who were affected by suicide, but I never truly felt those emotions myself until recently, when a close friend decided to end his life.… Continue reading
Seeing others’ divine nature means seeing them as God does. This perspective helps us develop Christlike attributes and makes our service meaningful. In Elder Dale G. Renlund’s first general conference talk as an Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he spoke of the importance of remembering that a… Continue reading
Can our efforts ever be good enough when we are imperfect at best? Do our desires and our less-than-perfect efforts count for anything? I desire to do good and to improve myself, yet I frequently fall short of my expectations. I feel edified and motivated one day, yet find myself struggling the… Continue reading
Every one of us experiences trials. But when we trust in Christ, we can find hope that things will get better. Trials are a part of the mortal journey. Our trials may be different, but we all face them. Some struggle with illness or death of loved ones; others deal… Continue reading
God can seem like an impersonal, unknowable being in the sky. But we can find peace during our hardest times as we seek to understand him as our Father, who loves us individually. My pre-teenage concept of God was perhaps a little irreverent, but it nonetheless sculpted my dutiful, strained relationship with… Continue reading
Christ instructs us to be “perfect,” but when we study his words and actions, it’s clear that he looks at our effort more than our outcomes. The modern world preaches that outcomes are the key indicators for success. What counts is whether or not we hit a metric, achieve a… Continue reading
“Our hearts will always be restless until they rest in God.” When we look around at our modern world, we may feel like things are falling apart. War is raging, institutions are crumbling, and societies are dividing. And yet, despite all this chaos in the world, we are taught that… Continue reading
The truest desires of our hearts often can’t be bought and placed under the Christmas tree, but they can become a reality because of Jesus Christ. I have a very distinct memory of asking my dad what he wanted for Christmas one year. He simply said, “I just want you… Continue reading
Sometimes God feels distant and unknowable, but he doesn’t have to be! Restored scripture and prayer can show us what he’s like. Humanity has wondered about the nature of God for thousands of years. The stories in the scriptures sometimes endear him to us, but other times seem to paint… Continue reading
The adversary tries to make good appear evil and evil appear good, but if we listen to our prophets, we won’t be fooled. In his conference address “Deceive Me Not,” Elder Gary E. Stevenson tells the story of his sons who wanted to go outside to play at their great-uncle’s… Continue reading
