How Burdens Can Become Blessings

an image of a man kneeling down with a dog in his lap

Through faith and patience, we can learn how the burdens of today can become the blessings of tomorrow. Experiencing an overload? Obligations, illnesses, decisions—each of us carries a load. Sometimes our loads seemingly become too heavy to bear. But Elder L. Whitney Clayton shows us that our burdens don’t have to… Continue reading

Thru Thorny Ways Leads to a Joyful End

an image of a close up of a leaf on a branch

When thorns catch hold of us, scratch us, or cut us to the core, we can look to God continually and with absolute trust, and He will lead us to peace. Be still, my soul: The Lord is on thy side; With patience bear thy cross of grief or pain.… Continue reading

Sexual Purity: Why It Matters

Picture of two wedding rings on a rock

Sexual purity is ordained of God; learning the doctrine can help us understand why. With the world’s changing views of marriage and sex, it can be easy to lose sight of why chastity is so important—and why keeping sexual intimacy within marriage between a man and a woman is part of… Continue reading

More than Divine Words on a Page

an image of a woman sitting on a rock reading a book

I had been living far below my privileges when it came to scripture study. In a class I took on teaching seminary, I learned that there is a better way to study scriptures: by following the learning pattern. The learning pattern includes understanding the context and content, identifying and understanding… Continue reading

Discovering Christ’s Perfection, Even Without Others’ Acceptance

an image of a woman sitting on a log with her hands folded over a book

While searching for acceptance, I made a startling revelation about how Christ lived perfectly in the absence of love. It was Jesus Christ’s perfection that I clung to as I studied the scriptures throughout my high school years. I wanted to know every detail of Christ’s life, to unravel how… Continue reading

Why Does God Let Bad Things Happen?

an image of a close up of a wave in the ocean

Trials—those seemingly bad things that happen to us—give us opportunities to learn patience, humility, and faith; ultimately, they teach us how to become more like God.   God is all-powerful and all knowing, right? Yes. And God can stop any bad thing from happening, right? Yes. So that means God… Continue reading

Choosing Joy

Top view of blue umbrella

We can choose to have faith, trust in God, and find joy during the storm. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf‘s talk “Living the Gospel Joyful” was exactly what I needed to hear. I was halfway through my mission, and I felt that my obedience determined any hope of success for my mission area and… Continue reading

Choose Joy—Choose Repentance

an image of a person holding a sparkler in their hands

The choice to forsake sin and repent may be hard, but it will bring joy. Some people struggle with charity. Some people struggle with purity. But as a kid, Elder Dale G. Renlund struggled with lighting firecrackers before sacrament meetings. In his talk “Repentance: A Joyful Choice,” Elder Renlund describes how, when he… Continue reading

Divinely You

A photo of three smiling young fellows.

As you seek to discover the depth of the divine nature that lies within you, you will begin to further magnify your precious gift. You might recognize the truths about your divinity in the Primary song “I Am a Child of God.” But it’s not enough just to know these… Continue reading

Having His Spirit With Us: 4 Ways to Help Us Always Be Repentant

an image of a woman sitting on a rock looking at the sunset

How can we use repentance and the Atonement daily, even when we don’t think we’ve sinned? When we think of repentance, we often think of making mistakes, taking the sacrament, righting our wrongs, and becoming clean again. But it’s much more than that. Repentance shouldn’t just be used when we… Continue reading