Stumbling Toward Heavenly Father

Struggling with mental illness does not mean you have a broken spirit. But how do we avoid feeling that way? We are all aware that life is not easy. Everyone experiences hard times and difficult trials. But for some of us, mental illness can make those dark times all the… Continue reading

When Feeling Happy Just Isn’t Possible: Reasons to Hold On

Depression affects everyone at one point or another. When those times hit, we need a reason to hold on, a reason to keep going, a reason to stay. Sometimes life isn’t all we hoped it would be. We face disappointment, fear, and devastation. Sometimes we can’t explain why we’re feeling… Continue reading

Are You Listening to the Spiritual Secrets of the Universe?

All the planets and stars, nebulas, and galaxies witness that there is a Supreme Creator, and they teach us of his nature. In 2009, apostle Neal A. Maxwell turned his attention to the skies. In his talk “Our Creator’s Cosmos,” he spoke about how the nature of the universe can… Continue reading

General Conference Roundup: April 2019

“May [Heavenly Father] bless us to strive with patience and persistence toward the ideals we have heard proclaimed this conference weekend.” —Elder Jeffrey R. Holland The 189th Annual General Conference has come to an end. But that doesn’t mean the learning and loving that happens during this sacred weekend has… Continue reading

Forgiveness: The 490th Time’s the Charm

Forgiveness brings peace to an aching soul. Bitterness can gnaw at our hearts for many reasons: insult, offense, sin, guilt. Perhaps we have failed to let go of a grudge. Perhaps we are coming up on the 490th round of forgiveness. Perhaps it is our own mistakes that we need… Continue reading

Pursuing Happiness

Happiness comes when you live the way that happy people live. Everyone wants to be happy, but in today’s world it seems that happiness is becoming an impossible pursuit. Still, there’s something that resonates with truth and hopefulness in Joseph Smith’s words: “Happiness is the object and design of our existence;… Continue reading

Don’t Get Trapped in Your Comfort Zone

The temptation to get comfortable is one of the most dangerous threats to members of the Church. Christ taught the Pharisees that the greatest commandment is “thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matthew 22:37). We… Continue reading

It Is Well with My Soul: Reclaiming the Sanctity of Sex

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

Hope: A Journey to Faith

Sometimes it can take seconds to gain faith in certain aspects of the gospel, but what if it takes twenty years? For twenty years, I didn’t have a testimony of Joseph Smith as a prophet. During these years, I served in numerous callings and even went on a mission. Despite… Continue reading

Perfection—Still in Progress

We are commanded to be perfect like Christ, but we aren’t expected to attain perfection immediately. It’s easy to see the distance between where we are and where we want to be—and even should be. It’s also easy to be discouraged when we realize how often we fail to “be… Continue reading