Hope You Know, I’m Having a Hard Time

Remembering that the atonement covers all trials can help us feel God’s love during hard times. In his October 2008 General Conference talk, “Hope Ya Know, We Had a Hard Time,” Elder Quentin L. Cook shares the following story: After he and some of his children experienced a harrowing car… Continue reading

Are You There, God?

Sometimes when it seems like God is silent, we need only to be patient, and we will see his hand in our lives. “Are you there, God? It’s me, Mackenzie.” “Heavenly Father, are you really there? And are you hearing and answering my prayers?” I know I’m not the only… Continue reading

Trials: Mercies in Disguise

What if we stopped seeing our trials as burdens and started seeing them as blessings? How often do we go through trials and ask, “Why me?” While this is natural, it is not the way Heavenly Father wants us to react. In a devotional given at BYU-Idaho, Brother Larry Richman… Continue reading

Three Lessons to Learn from Infertility

Why do some couples struggle with infertility? Here’s what I’ve learned. One of the first commandments that God gave to Adam and Eve was to “multiply and replenish the earth” (Moses 2:28). Having a family is a central teaching of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—but what about… Continue reading

Why Does God Let Bad Things Happen?

Trials—those seemingly bad things that happen to us—give us opportunities to learn patience, humility, and faith; ultimately, they teach us how to become more like God.   God is all-powerful and all knowing, right? Yes. And God can stop any bad thing from happening, right? Yes. So that means God… Continue reading

Understanding the Gift of Pain

Recognizing the purposes for pain can help us see it for what it really is—a gift from our loving Heavenly Father. Have you ever thought about what it would be like to never feel pain? As appealing as this sounds, Brother Derrel Higgins, a professor at BYU-Idaho, explains why pain… Continue reading

Trials Can Be For Your Good

Our success and happiness are determined by how we choose to react to trials. By Heavenly Father’s eternal design, mortality wasn’t meant to be easy. Though trials may weigh us down, we can face them with confidence as we look to Christ. The challenge? To have an eternal perspective in… Continue reading

Thru Thorny Ways Leads to a Joyful End

When thorns catch hold of us, scratch us, or cut us to the core, we can look to God continually and with absolute trust, and He will lead us to peace. Be still, my soul: The Lord is on thy side; With patience bear thy cross of grief or pain.… Continue reading

Shipwrecked in Antigua: How a Trial Became a Blessing

Water, Mountains, and Boats

When my family and I embarked on a journey to visit the Caribbean islands, we thought it would be smooth sailing. Little did we know what awaited us. My family has adventurous tendencies that kept my childhood interesting. My parents had always wanted to live on a boat, and the… Continue reading

In My Afflictions: Missionary Trainer for Two

After spending weeks as a missionary punching bag, I stopped fighting and got down on my knees to call for backup. I bit back my words as the three of us walked to our apartment. The tension between us was palpable and strangled any patience I still maintained. I was… Continue reading