When you fail to reach the standard of success, examine your definition of success. How do you feel when your friends are dating more than you? Or when someone gets accepted into graduate school while you were under the average GRE acceptance score by five points? Or when graduation looms… Continue reading
We are constantly tempted to do things the easy way, but as disciples of Christ, we must choose the right even when it is difficult. In his 1982 BYU address “The Inconvenient Messiah,” Jeffrey R. Holland, then president of the university, warned against the dangers of subscribing to “convenient Christianity.”… Continue reading
Joseph Smith knew when to be serious and when to have fun. We too must find the balance. “Therefore, cease from all your light speeches, from all laughter, from all your lustful desires, from all your pride and light-mindedness, and from all your wicked doings” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:121). This… Continue reading
The plan of salvation shapes the way we respond to sexual assault. As society grapples with sexual harassment and sexual assault, Latter-day Saints join with others in condemning such offensive behavior. In a devotional address given at BYU, Benjamin M. Ogles, dean of the College of Family, Home, and Social… Continue reading
When we go through trials do we talk to God as much as we talk to our family and friends? Something really difficult just happened, and you’re feeling confused, conflicted, frustrated, and stressed—really stressed. You don’t know what to do to move forward, and you need guidance. The first person… Continue reading
Know Christ by knowing how to study the scriptures. I started reading the scriptures on my own when I was twelve. I opened a copy of the Book of Mormon, and in about a year I’d read it from cover to cover. When I finished, I took a two-week break… Continue reading
Happiness is found by turning outward rather than focusing on ourselves. Everyone searches for happiness, but many people aren’t sure how to achieve it. In the talk “Choose Happiness,” Elder Larry R. Lawrence assures us that the Lord wants us to be happy: “Latter-day prophets have taught us that happiness… Continue reading
Perhaps the best way to learn patience with others is to first be patient with yourself. How many perfect days have you had? Days that were truly perfect: love and harmony abounded, the sun shone brightly, and you were the paragon of patience. Or do you more often find yourself… Continue reading
What are we losing when we wish today away? If you could be at any point in your life, what would you pick? Would you jump to the past, before you made an unwise decision or before current trials set in? Or would you skip ahead to when present challenges… Continue reading
In a sex-saturated world, it’s important to remember the true doctrine of human intimacy. There are so many mixed messages and misconceptions about sex—what it is, when it’s okay, and what it should be like. We see sex portrayed in movies, books, and TV shows, and with all these messages… Continue reading
