Avoiding Conflict or Creating Peace?

Multiracial group of people eating pizza, chatting, and having fun together.

Is avoiding conflict enough, or does true peacemaking require action? When I first heard President Russell M. Nelson’s general conference address “Peacemakers Needed,” I felt called to be a peacemaker in my relationships. I’ve learned as a middle child to see both sides when there are disagreements in my family.… Continue reading

Three Gifts That Guide Our Journey Back to God

Three lit candles on dark and rainy windowsill.

Our journey to return to our heavenly home is not aimless. God has provided us with several gifts, including scriptures, prophets, and personal revelation, to help us return to him. Every New Year’s, my family watches The Lord of the Rings. I’ve always loved the sweeping story, not just for… Continue reading

10 Blessings of Gratitude

woman in an orange suit jacket holds open a book with orange flowers sitting inside

Even the smallest expressions of gratitude can have the biggest impact on our lives. Life can often seem chaotic and stressful, where avoiding the downward spiral towards fear and anxiety can be really difficult. Whenever I feel overwhelmed by everything happening around me, I always find peace and comfort by… Continue reading

How We Can Rise from the Fall

apples growing on a tree with the sun shining through

The Fall of Adam and Eve opened the way for us to be lifted to eternal life. When Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden and separated from the presence of God, they entered a fallen world filled with sin and death, enabling the entire human… Continue reading

Learn to Love Like God

Hand reaching up into trees, sunlight peeking through the fingers.

In a world where loving ourselves and others feels like a fading dream, we can learn how to love through Heavenly Father’s example. Without a doubt, one of the most pervasive problems in today’s world is a lack of love. Individuals experience this lack of love as they struggle to… Continue reading

Defining Charity

Father holding laughing little girl.

Charity is defined not only by the action itself, but by the love that inspires the action. Ever since I was a little girl, I have struggled to understand what the word charity means. Of course, it does not help that the term has multiple definitions. For example, the word… Continue reading

Cultivating Christ’s Love

Aerial view of gardening tools placed on a bench.

As we strive to emulate Christ’s love in our actions toward ourselves and others, we can help love grow throughout the world. Love is a concept that we hear about constantly in movies, books, and the media. Even in the scriptures love is frequently mentioned. Christ has told us that… Continue reading

Jesus Christ: The Coauthor of Our Story

A woman sitting and writing in a notebook.

Having a hard time forgiving yourself for past mistakes? Let the Savior help rewrite your pain into your purpose. I saw the arrow turn green and I accelerated while glancing down at my phone’s GPS. I expected to be able to look up in time to turn. Instead, my car… Continue reading

Compassion: A Meaningful Way to Love and Serve

A woman in a striped shirt with short blond hair in a ponytail cradles the head of another woman with dark hair in comfort. They are both sitting on a bed.

When those we love are suffering, we may not be able to remove their struggles, but we can still offer something truly valuable. When a close family member was grieving a sudden, unexpected job loss, I felt useless as I watched them struggle. Without financial resources, professional connections, or extensive… Continue reading

Hope Is a Call to Action

Graffiti on an electrical box that says "Be the Change" with a heart.

God doesn’t expect us to sit and hope for heaven—he expects us to hope as we work to make heaven here on Earth. Take one look at the state of the world, and it makes sense why so many in our generation deal with anxiety, depression, and despair: think chaotic… Continue reading