Trials Can Be For Your Good

an image of a person standing on a cliff overlooking a valley

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

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

How to Find the Sun During Your Spiritual Eclipse

an image of a partial eclipse of the sun with a bird flying in the sky

Even when you can’t see the light of Christ, it’s still there. Reorganizing your priorities can help you end your spiritual eclipse. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon blocks out the light and warmth of the sun. Even though the moon is about 400 times smaller than the sun,… Continue reading

How Burdens Can Become Blessings

an image of a man kneeling down with a dog in his lap

Through faith and patience, we can learn how the burdens of today can become the blessings of tomorrow. Experiencing an overload? Obligations, illnesses, decisions—each of us carries a load. Sometimes our loads seemingly become too heavy to bear. But Elder L. Whitney Clayton shows us that our burdens don’t have to… 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

Joseph Smith’s Example of Accepting the Lord’s Will

Pen laying on a piece of paper with old script writing

In a letter to his wife, Emma, the Prophet Joseph Smith shows his willingness to humbly submit to the will of the Lord. In 1832, Joseph Smith and other Church leaders traveled from Ohio to Missouri and back. They were delayed in Indiana for one month on their journey home because Newel… Continue reading

Thru Thorny Ways Leads to a Joyful End

an image of a close up of a leaf on a branch

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

Facing Discouragement with Faith: Susa Young Gates

Susa Young Gates

Despite divorce, mental health issues, and the burdens of family life, Gates used her talents to defend women’s achievements as well as her beliefs. Susa Young Gates’ motto “keep busy in the face of discouragement” proved to be a recurring theme throughout her life. Though she faced both physical and… Continue reading

Are You There, God?

an image of a person holding a loaf of bread in their hands

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

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