Hear, Hearken, Obey: A Pattern to Overcome Adversity

Person sitting on a dock looking at a lake

When it feels like our life is cracking under pressure, how do we continue? Sometimes the answer is to submit to the will of God. I was 12 years old when I lost all my friends—for the second year in a row. Another move, another state. With burgeoning depression, I… Continue reading

Doing as Dancers Do to Make Meaningful Life Changes

Dancer

How can we become in tune with ourselves and focus our attention on what matters most?  “Abby, point your toes, tuck your pelvis, and drop your hip.” Growing up as a dancer, I would often hear these comments from my teachers as I spent countless afternoons in the dance studio.… Continue reading

But How Can I Know He’s a Prophet?

In an era oversaturated with access to information and opinions, is it possible to know for certain whether a prophet is called of God? The first time I questioned my testimony about Joseph Smith was during a bike ride with a district leader on my mission. I still vividly remember… Continue reading

Service Starts with Self-Love

Girl skipping through a field

When the daily to-dos of life overwhelm us, contributing good to the world can be as simple as practicing self-love. Attend a team meeting, schedule an appointment, complete a ten-page essay, call mom, make dinner, stop by a friend’s movie night, clean the apartment—for many of us, the list of… Continue reading

Not So Bad

When life doesn’t make it easy to sing “all is well,” try “not so bad.” Science and religion agree about the benefits of gratitude. Research and scripture alike show that grateful people are happy people. But what about when I fail a test, have a bad day at work, or… Continue reading

Finding Strength in Healing

Broken heart hanging on wire

It’s easy to assume that our broken situation is our only situation and that asking for help is a sign of weakness. What if we restructured these assumptions to see asking for help as a source of strength and healing? Seeking help can feel difficult in a world full of… Continue reading

Doers of the Word: Coming to Know God

Coming to know God is an important part of our conversion and path to eternal life, but how can we know someone we haven’t even met? The Bible famously declares that eternal life is knowing God (John 17:3). However, most of us won’t have life-altering experiences like Peter, Mary, Moses,… Continue reading

5 Daily Reminders

A woman sitting on a hill looking toward the bright sun.

We have all felt at times like we are inadequate and should just give up, but the Savior knows each of us and knows that we are worth enough to die for. We all have so many things that we have to juggle on a daily basis that we sometimes… Continue reading

Growing Toward the Light

Plants grow and thrive in sunlight. We grow and thrive in the light of Christ. I love to be surrounded by green, growing, living things; I often find comfort in the thriving plant life in the outdoors. Unfortunately, I don’t have much of a green thumb, and I haven’t had… Continue reading

Anthropological Linguistics and the Gospel

What do anthropological linguistics and Amazonian Ecuador have to do with Christ’s restored gospel? Although we may claim, in the words of the beloved hymn, to “stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers” us, it is often too easy to take the spiritual and theological riches of the restored… Continue reading