How Can I Choose Love Over Bitterness?

plant being held

Even when the world gives us every reason to be bitter, we can make the choice to cultivate love in our hearts. Under the government system of racial segregation called apartheid, South African communities were fraught with racial tension. But when the car accident that killed Julia Mavimbela’s husband was blamed… Continue reading

Fear of Failure, Fear of Success

an image of a man kneeling on his knees in the leaves

There’s no need to fear repentance. We all need to repent. But sometimes we don’t repent, even when we know we should. Why is that? In “7 Things We Fear about Repentance: And Why We Shouldn’t,” an article published in the Liahona and New Era, David A. Edwards suggests that… Continue reading

Lost and Found

Sheep on a mountain covered with fog

When all hope seems lost, where can we turn? When we feel we are too damaged to return to the fold, how can our Father in Heaven lovingly repair our broken spirits? Most of us are familiar with the parable of the lost sheep. It is typically used as an… Continue reading

Who Are You?

an image of a man walking across a desert with the sun shining

The only way to peace in this life is to turn to God and understand who we are as his children. Sometimes the weight of the world is overwhelming. There are many voices telling us who we are and who we should be. In the midst of our most painful… Continue reading

A Personal Witness

an image of a book is sitting on top of a piano

The Holy Ghost can testify of the truth of the restored gospel through music. In only two weeks I would leave on my mission to serve in the Dominican Republic. I was excited and nervous about my new journey, but mostly I wondered if my testimony was strong enough to… Continue reading

Instant versus Slow Poison: Rationalizing Entertainment

an image of a mushroom with a very large open mouth

If a show or movie isn’t “as bad” as another, does that really make it okay to watch? There are a lot of movies and TV shows out there, and the majority of them seem to be straying far from gospel standards. With all of this entertainment surrounding us, it… Continue reading

Can I Ever Be Good Enough?

an image of a person writing on a notebook with a pen

With the commandment “be ye therefore perfect” ringing in our ears, we can still be cheerful and hopeful as we seek for eternal life. With all our weaknesses, how can we know if we are acceptable to God? And with so many commandments to follow, where should we even start?… Continue reading

Can I Ever Be Good Enough?

Girl in beanie staring into the distance

Even with the commandment “be ye therefore perfect” ringing in our ears, we can still be cheerful and hopeful as we seek eternal life. With all our weaknesses, how will we know if we’re acceptable to God? And with so many commandments to keep track of, where should we even… Continue reading

Learning to Love Ourselves

an image of a couple of young boys are hugging each other

We can overcome fear and learn to love ourselves by following President James E. Faust’s six keys to strengthening self-esteem. Loving ourselves can be even more difficult than loving others. Although we are sons and daughters of a Heavenly King, we are imperfect. Rather than allowing our weaknesses to discourage us, we can choose… Continue reading