When Bad Things Happen

Teddy bear wrapped in bandages

When bad things happen to good people, it’s hard to understand why. Brock thought everything was going great in his life—until a car accident left him physically disabled and no longer financially secure. In the video “Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?” Brock describes how hard he’d worked… Continue reading

He Nourishes Us according to Our Needs

Green trees

When you seem to be the only one around with trials and setbacks, how can you still trust in God’s plan? When my husband and I got married, we received several succulent plants as gifts. Although we’d never had our own plants before, we’d heard succulents were the easiest plants… Continue reading

A Trial of Faith: The Beginning of Plural Marriage in Nauvoo

Nauvoo temple

Joseph Smith’s Nauvoo journals include brief references to the revelation about plural marriage that tried his faith and the faith of the Saints. How can we make sense of plural marriage or explain it to others? One place to begin is the introduction to Joseph Smith’s Nauvoo journals found on… Continue reading

How Burdens Help

an image of a group of hot air balloons flying in the sky

We do not struggle with burdens alone or in vain. Everybody struggles with their own individual burdens. In Elder L. Whitney Clayton’s talk “That Your Burdens May Be Light,” Elder Clayton discusses how the burdens that affect us can be organized into three categories: burdens that are a natural product… Continue reading

Failing on the Path to Perfection

mountain road railing

Why keep trying if we just keep failing? BYU’s new president, Kevin J Worthen, explains the surprising role failure can play in our quest for perfection. In a January 2015 devotional, Brigham Young University president Kevin J Worthen addresses the tricky relationship between perfection and failure. Jesus Christ taught us to… Continue reading

The Journey is the Destination

an image of a person standing on a mountain top with their arms outstretched

We may not always be happy with our circumstances, but when we try to make the best of the situation, we will be blessed. We may think we know how our life is going to turn out. We may imagine having a big house, a well-paying job, or the perfect… Continue reading

When Hard Work Doesn’t Seem to Be Worth It

Field at sunset

If you keep working and waiting without getting anything back, don’t give up. You may be making a long-term investment. “What’s the use? What am I getting out of this? Am I really willing to keep working even though I’m getting nothing in return?” President Henry B. Eyring, while serving… Continue reading

Enduring Trials of Our Faith

an image of a woman with a cell phone to her ear

Trials sometimes cause us to cry, “Why me?” But instead of asking the Lord to remove our trials, we can learn to recognize them as opportunities to become more Christlike. “Whatever the form the test takes, we must be willing to pass it,” said Elder Neal A. Maxwell in a 1974… Continue reading

A Formula for Healing

sun shining through a grassy field

Healing is possible for all people and all problems through courage, action, and the Savior’s grace. In a world of ever-increasing suffering, many of us find ourselves searching for relief. Some feel marginalized as we struggle to overcome challenges that may be considered uncommon, extreme, or even taboo. For example,… Continue reading

Four Ways to Turn Weaknesses into Strengths

man in a pew praying

Building on our strengths, recognizing our limitations, relying on the Savior, and receiving his grace can help us find strength in God. God consistently chooses the young, small, weak, and humble to do his work. In a Brigham Young University devotional, Bishop Gérald Caussé, First Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric,… Continue reading