Forgiveness: Light from Heaven

A woman looks out across a beach at a sunrise.

Choosing to forgive can bring divine light into a world full of anger, deceit, and grudges. Navigating new relationships as a young adult inevitably brings moments of deep hurt. And at any time of life, the betrayed confidence, broken friendships, or heavy weight of our own mistakes can easily bring… Continue reading

Leave Your Garbage in the Dump

an image of a pile of junk with a yellow bird on top

Sometimes repenting is the easy part; believing you’re forgiven is what’s difficult. Think about your garbage can. No, seriously. What’s in it? How does it smell? What do you use it for? If you’re anything like me, right now it might contain spoiled leftovers, empty cans and bottles, and a… Continue reading

Not Feeling the Spirit? It Might Be for One of These Two Reasons

Man in red sweatshirt walks along a road

What keeps us from always feeling the Spirit? Recently, I was reading emails and letters that I wrote while I was a full-time missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I remembered how I felt as I wrote them—and how I felt all the time when I… Continue reading

Stop Judging, Start Loving

A vibrant rainbow in pink and blue skies going over a bridge in a lagoon.

When we let the love of God fill our hearts, we find strength to forgive others—and ourselves. It’s easy to notice when others judge, gossip, or hold grudges. Yet recognizing those same tendencies in ourselves can be far more difficult. We often justify our anger as righteous or dwell on… Continue reading

The Ubiquity of God’s Grace

sunset

Hearing others’ stories of how God’s amazing grace is at work in their lives can help us see that he is also working miracles in our own lives. Too often, perhaps, we think that God’s grace can arrive only after we have somehow earned it. After all—as we read in… Continue reading

Where Is My Happily Ever After?

A woman holding an apple

It may be hard to believe that our imperfect families can be happy together forever, but if we are able to forgive, we will see blessings. Families can be hard to live with. Whether it’s trying to understand someone we don’t get along with or talking to family members who… Continue reading

Planning Like the Prodigal Son

Time management

I may not be spending my money in ways that drive me from God like the prodigal son did, but how am I spending my time? Nearly every Christian knows the story of the prodigal son, but many may not know what prodigal actually means. If you had asked me… Continue reading

Pornography Is Not Love

landscape photo of a desolate land

Chop down the tree of pornography by cutting off the roots of lust. Through Christ’s healing and forgiveness, you can overcome pornography addiction. Pornography addiction is a real issue that affects us all in some way: it can destroy self-worth, relationships, and—most importantly—true love. In his address “Place No More… Continue reading

Faith in the Future

girl looking to left

How can we overcome our fear of the future and avoid looking longingly at the past? Elder Jeffrey R. Holland implores us to “Remember Lot’s Wife,” to avoid looking back, and to instead look toward the future with faith in the Lord. In a Brigham Young University devotional, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland… Continue reading

Finding Power through Forgiveness after Abuse

an image of a woman standing on a hill with her arms outstretched

Those struggling to forgive after abuse can find healing through the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I was convinced that I would not find peace until he was in prison. I needed justice. But I was an eighteen-year-old with few resources and he was a much older man with criminal lawyers… Continue reading