When What We Want and What We Need Aren’t the Same

We all face choices. What can we do when what seemed like a good plan starts to fall apart? When I got home from my mission, I had it all planned out.  I wanted to leave for college early to see my friends, find a place to live, and settle… Continue reading

He Nourishes Us according to Our Needs

Green trees

When you seem to be the only one around with trials and setbacks, how can you still trust in God’s plan? When my husband and I got married, we received several succulent plants as gifts. Although we’d never had our own plants before, we’d heard succulents were the easiest plants… Continue reading

While Waiting for Heaven’s Response

If you trust Heavenly Father and move forward in faith, you will be able to look back and recognize the Lord’s guiding hand in your life. These days, everything around us is instantaneous: instant messaging, instant music, instant Google results, and even instant oatmeal. But heaven doesn’t always work that… Continue reading

A Framework to Forget Fear

Believe in the promises of Jesus Christ and forget the fear in your life.  Fear can limit us in many ways, but it is most crippling when it limits our perspective as children of God. When we forget our divine potential as sons and daughters of a loving Heavenly Father,… Continue reading

Thru Thorny Ways Leads to a Joyful End

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

Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust

What’s the little bit of magic we need to recognize and understand so we can continue exercising faith and trusting in God’s plan for us? Patience. It’s a word and a concept I’ve come to both love and hate. We’ve all heard the saying “good things come to those who… Continue reading

I’ll Stay Where You Want Me to Stay

Serving a mission is becoming more common for sisters, but what if it’s not what you’re supposed do? Deciding not to serve a mission was the hardest choice I’ve ever had to make. In high school, I began thinking about serving a mission, but it wasn’t until I turned 19… Continue reading

Moving Forward after Divorce

Divorce wasn’t something I thought I would ever have to deal with, but I knew that everything would be all right if I believed in God and did my best. I hauled myself onto my bed, staring numbly at the new sheets my parents had bought for me. The bright… Continue reading

When It Doesn’t Get Easier

When the unrelenting trials in my life were threatening to tear me down, I was reminded by a general conference talk that “hard is good.” By the time the weekend of the October 2017 general conference arrived, I was completely overwhelmed. I felt like I had thirty-five hours of work… Continue reading

Church History and Doubt: Trusting in the Lord

glasses on top of scriptures

When aspects of Church history raise doubts, study and faith can help us navigate historical facts and lead us to answers. Sometimes learning about Church history can build testimonies, but other times, it can shake them. In his Ensign and Liahona article “Understanding Church History by Study and Faith,” Keith… Continue reading