The Good in Grief

Small purple flowers poke through newly fallen snow and dead leaves.

When we understand our part in God’s plan, the pain we feel at the death of a loved one can be more meaningful and help us grow emotionally. We all have our share of everyday setbacks that make us exclaim “good grief.” These troubles can range from just annoying to… Continue reading

Grieve with Faith

an image of a woman in a red dress standing in a field

Faith can help us find comfort during the hardship and trouble that grief brings to our lives. Grieving is a process that almost most people on this earth will have to work through at some point in their lives. Faith can help in this process. However, being able to have… Continue reading

Understanding Instead of Fixing: Mourning with Those That Mourn

an image of a woman sitting on a couch with her head in her hands

When others are sad, we want to take their sorrow away. But we need to try to understand their feelings rather than try to fix them.  When other people feel sad, our instincts tell us that we need to somehow make them happy again. Our society views sadness as a disease that… Continue reading

Don’t Sweat the Details: He Has a Plan

an image of a woman walking down a dirt road with an umbrella

It’s easy to get caught up in the details of the plan of salvation, but don’t let them overshadow the simple and pure truths.   There are so many details about the doctrines and practices of the gospel, and sometimes they lead to more questions than answers. In his conference… Continue reading

Why Does God Let Bad Things Happen?

an image of a close up of a wave in the ocean

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

The King Follett Sermon: One Speech, Four Contemporary Accounts

galaxy

Learn about this landmark address by Joseph Smith on the nature of God. The nature of God and man has been one of the most hotly contested religious doctrines throughout the ages. The question “Who am I?” is as universal to the human condition as is “What should I have… Continue reading

Families: All Shapes and Sizes

A man holds a child's hand while they stand in the ocean during sunset

Families are essential to the plan of salvation, but what do we do if our family doesn’t fit the traditional mold? Every birthday as a little girl, I would wish to become a fairy-mermaid when blowing out my birthday candles. When I was older, I asked my mom what she… Continue reading

Navigating Grief and Death: Finding Hope Through Jesus Christ

A graveyard on a hill

It’s never easy to lose a loved one, but with a sure understanding of Christ’s Atonement, we can find peace and hope while in the midst of grief and death.  Imagine being one of Jesus’s disciples standing on the hill of Calvary witnessing his Crucifixion. Their friend, teacher, exemplar, and… Continue reading

How Death Strengthens My Testimony

Creepy graveyard

With faith in Jesus Christ and in his resurrecting power, we know that death is not the end. I’m familiar with death. My parents were older than many parents when I was born, so my grandparents were older than many of my friends’ grandparents. Now that I am twenty-three, many… Continue reading

Combating Suicide

Man sitting alone on bench in darkness

The LDS Church has recently launched a new webpage, “Preventing Suicide,” to combat suicide and its traumatic effects.  Suicide is difficult for many of us to talk about—perhaps because we don’t want to be vulnerable, make others uncomfortable, or say the wrong thing to someone who we know is struggling.… Continue reading