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

It Starts with Empathy

A busy intersection with people walking

“You are surrounded by people. You pass them on the street, visit them in their homes, and travel among them. They are all children of God.” (Preach My Gospel: A Guide to Missionary Service, 2018). In Elder Jorge T. Becerra’s April 2021 general conference talk, “Poor Little Ones,” he shares… Continue reading

Healing from Addiction

Hand reaching to the sun through the trees

When pornography addiction makes us feel broken, we can find healing through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. When a plague of fiery serpents befell the ancient Israelites, the Lord gave Moses a solution: make a serpent of brass, fix it to a pole, then invite those who have been bitten… Continue reading

The Healing Power of Grief

In abandoning public expressions of grief, we lose opportunities to heal and grow as a community. I remember the first time I stepped up to a door that had a white slip of paper posted to it. The characters were incomprehensible to me, but my Japanese companion quickly explained that… 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

Reflecting on the Pandemic

The past few years have been hard and unpredictable—but what can we learn from them? As mask mandates begin to lift and life begins to return to something approaching normal, I can understand the desire to stop thinking about the pandemic. Life seems to have been paused for two years.… Continue reading

Becoming Whole Through Broken Hearts

Ceramic circle with cracked clay

When we offer our broken hearts to God, he can mend them and transform our brokenness into beauty. The first time I saw a piece of kintsugi pottery, I was struck by the gold cracks in the bowl. Once broken, the bowl was laboriously made whole again by a master… Continue reading

Repentance is Cool

close up on red and orange tulips in a field

We should not feel ashamed, scared, or angry about repenting. Repentance is an opportunity to heal, grow, and understand God’s love for us.  When I was serving as a missionary, my mission president would always enthusiastically say, “Repentance is cool!” I thought it sounded cheesy, but it was true. It… Continue reading

3 Ways To Get to Know Our Savior

A girl stands near a river surrounded by rocks and purple flowers.

Christ has the power to heal us through his Atonement, but we have to be willing to develop a relationship with him first.  Because I have learned about biblical stories and studied the scriptures since I was young, I have always thought that I knew a lot about Jesus. However,… Continue reading

The Healing Power of Family History

A woman laughing with her grandmother in a garden

As we link generations by doing family history work and performing temple ordinances, God promises to send us healing blessings. Shortly after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, President Russell M. Nelson addressed The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with a talk entitled “Hear Him.” Due to government… Continue reading