Ministering: A Life Hack for Making Friends

Two friends shaking hands.

Do you ever wish you were better at building lasting friendships? One morning, I woke up to a big, long text from my ministering sister. You know the type: “Hey! I’m…[insert introduction, exclamation points!!!, and a bunch of personal questions]. What are you up to these days?” At this point,… Continue reading

How You Belong in the Family Proclamation

A woman and two boys play with a dog

Even if you feel like your family is broken or simply does not reflect the structure of other families in the Church, you still have a place within the family proclamation. If you feel like your family is broken or incomplete, it can be difficult to understand how the principles… Continue reading

Let Your Future Be Bright

Yellow sunflower field

Sometimes the most difficult thing about change is letting go of our past mistakes and allowing ourselves to be better. People change. Although this statement is true, we don’t always act like it is. Sometimes we dwell on our mistakes. Sometimes we hold on to our regrets. Sometimes other people… Continue reading

How to Come Up for Air Among the Waves of Mental Illness

Waves Crashing on Rock Near Mountains during Daytime

Even though we may be drowning in the waves of mental illness, our reliance on Christ will help us make it to shore. Around when I started high school, I began to experience anxiety on a level that wasn’t just nervousness or anxiousness. My struggles with anxiety have always made… Continue reading

Your Wonderful, Imperfect Offering

Women holding a leaf in shape of a heart.

“You don’t have to be perfect or the greatest person who ever graced the earth or the best of anything to be with Him.” —Elder D. Todd Christofferson I often make the mistake of equating productivity with self-worth. There are obvious problems with this kind of thinking—one being that humans… Continue reading

The Secret Behind Cultivating Inclusivity at Church: Charity

A colorful picture frame with the words “You Belong.” The frame is surrounded by big green leaves.

Charity is cultivating inclusivity at church—it’s recognizing the signs of exclusion and learning to be inclusive toward excluded members. Moving to a new location usually means moving to a new ward. For shy people like me, the thought of starting over fills us with dread. Will I make friends? Will… Continue reading

Six Simple Habits that Promote Mental Strength

Image of journal on a wood surface.

Practicing these six daily spiritual habits can help us maintain good mental health. Mental health challenges are a part of life. Just as everyone occasionally gets sick with a cold or the flu, at some point everyone will also experience some type of mental health issue. These issues could include… Continue reading

Faith as a First Response

Image of house interior with windows

Life is hard. Faith makes it easier. In Elder Rex D. Pinegar’s October 1982 general conference address, “Faith—The Force of Life,” he shares an experience when his daughter was departing for college and was just now understanding the extent of the responsibilities lying ahead of her. After considering them all,… Continue reading

How My Weaknesses Have Brought Me Closer to Christ

Woman Crying

When facing trials, we may feel like our weaknesses make us failures. But these very weaknesses can be what lead us closer to Christ. At this point in my life, I seem to face a new challenge every day. Sometimes I feel like I have reached the limits of what… Continue reading

Spirit-Strengthening Street Art

cup of colored pencils

Whether it takes us a few months or several years to prepare ourselves for what life brings, the Lord will help us share the Spirit with those we meet. Like many Latter-day Saint youth, E. Tracy Williams wanted to serve a mission. However, she spent seven years preparing for it.… Continue reading