Pursuing Happiness

an image of a group of children are posing for a picture

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

You Are Encircled in the Arms of God’s Love!

Rays of light shine into a cave through a narrow entrance.

Isolation can be overwhelming, but it is never all-encompassing; Christ’s love is greater than our loneliness. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I listened to the sacrament hymn being sung around me. But I wasn’t crying because I felt the Spirit—I was crying because I felt nothing at all. Physically,… Continue reading

The Faith to Become Divine

Young Man Looking Out Window

Sometimes we feel that our hard-exercised faith is not yielding the blessings we desperately need. But the Lord is not abandoning us—he’s offering us an opportunity to become divine. A few weeks ago, my husband and I anxiously waited to hear whether he would receive a job offer for a… Continue reading

Laboring in the Eleventh Hour

Vineyard field at a pink sunset.

The parable of the laborers in the vineyard isn’t just a lesson about unfairness; it’s about how Christ promises to make all things fair. As I read the parable of the laborers in the vineyard found in Matthew 20: 1–16, the unfairness of the situation stood out to me. On… Continue reading

Only Jesus Could Be the Christ

White statue of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is the only one who could have atoned for our sins, and there are four important reasons why he is our Savior. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is a miraculous gift that provides us all with the ability and power to improve. Because Christ atoned for each one… Continue reading

Broken and Better for It

A broken plate, mended with gold in between the cracks.

The wounds that seem too deep to heal are what Christ uses to make us the best version of ourselves. In his general conference address “Broken Things to Mend,” Elder Jeffrey R. Holland speaks to people who feel their lives are broken beyond repair. After nearly losing a loved one… Continue reading

How We Can Rise from the Fall

apples growing on a tree with the sun shining through

The Fall of Adam and Eve opened the way for us to be lifted to eternal life. When Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden and separated from the presence of God, they entered a fallen world filled with sin and death, enabling the entire human… Continue reading

The God We See in Jesus

Jesus and Heavenly Father sitting in the clouds

How can observing the life of Jesus Christ help us understand and love God? How do you get to know someone? Likely, you do so by observing their words and actions. When it comes to getting to know God, a general conference talk by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, “The Grandeur… Continue reading

Humble Like a Child

A little girl in a pink jacket standing with her hands clasped together and her eyes closed

If we act with love, faith, and humility like children, we can better connect with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I frequently babysit my little cousins, and the five-year-old frequently loses his toys. His first instinct when this happens is always to pray because he knows God will help… Continue reading

Hear, Hearken, Obey: A Pattern to Overcome Adversity

Person sitting on a dock looking at a lake

When it feels like our life is cracking under pressure, how do we continue? Sometimes the answer is to submit to the will of God. I was 12 years old when I lost all my friends—for the second year in a row. Another move, another state. With burgeoning depression, I… Continue reading