Accepting Your Emotions as Human

Man in grey pullover jacket staring into a window.

Accepting that we have negative feelings doesn’t mean we have a bad attitude or lack faith.  As human beings, we often feel sad, frustrated, angry, or disappointed. We also hear oft-repeated advice to grin and bear it, count our blessings, or have more faith in response to our negative emotions.… Continue reading

Talking about Suicide

an image of a red flower is covered in snow

The most important thing we must remember when discussing suicide is that Heavenly Father is a merciful and just God who knows the intents of our hearts.  Suicide is understandably a difficult topic to address emotionally, verbally, and socially. In his article “Suicide: Some Things We Know, and Some We Do… Continue reading

Women and Men Building the Kingdom of God—Together

an image of a group of people sitting in a room

Women and men both have key roles in building the kingdom of God. Equality is a basic doctrine of Christ that is essential to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. God created women and men equally—to live alongside each other and to help each other. All of Heavenly… Continue reading

Elder Ronald A. Rasband: A Life of Service

Ronald A. Rasband

Elder Ronald A. Rasband said of his call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: “It was the Lord’s decision and . . . I needed to understand that and have it confirmed to me.” Elder Ronald A. Rasband was sustained on October 3, 2015, as a member of the… Continue reading

Words Matter: The Hurting and Healing Power of What We Say

Black and white tiles with random words on them are scattered around

We have all heard the phrase “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Elder Rasband reminds us that words have great power, to harm or to help. “Ridiculous” “Disgraceful” “Shame” “Repugnant” These are some of the words that were directed at a classmate of… Continue reading

Turn to Him for Answers

Sunlight streams through tall pine trees in a misty forest, creating golden rays of light between the trunks.

In a world overflowing with opinions and uncertainty, we are reminded that the clearest answers are found in Jesus Christ.  Everywhere we turn, people seem to be telling us how to fix our lives, whether they’re giving advice on how to stop a bad habit, be successful at work, improve… Continue reading

Stop, Drop, and Try to Understand

an image of a person ' s hand is shown in the air

When you stop saying unkind words, drop your assumptions, and try to understand, you can save others and yourself from unnecessary hurt and regret. The advice to “seek first to understand, then to be understood” is one of the key habits in Stephen Covey’s famous book The 7 Habits of… Continue reading

Can Gratitude Bring Happiness?

Small daisies blooming

Genuine happiness feels so hard to find sometimes—but maybe if we slow down a bit and consider our lives with gratitude, we can be “made glorious.” Everyone wants to experience happiness—but sometimes we get so caught up in searching for it that we forget to appreciate what we already have.… Continue reading

Humility Deepens Covenant Connections

Boy bowing in prayer

Christ is the ultimate example of handing his will to God in humility, and we can follow his example in our covenants to draw closer to God. As a newly endowed member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I found—and sometimes still find—the temple covenants to be… Continue reading

What Fatherhood Can Teach Us About Trust

A mother watches as her husband and son play with a soccer ball.

Applying the characteristics of a good father in our lives can help us develop trust in our relationship with Heavenly Father. Trust can be difficult to develop, and broken trust can seem impossible to mend, but there are tried-and-true principles that can help us achieve the stronger relationships that may… Continue reading