“Forgetting Those Things Which Are Behind”

by Ashlyn Pells

Come, Follow Me

Have you ever felt stuck in the past? If so, you’re not alone. Some people struggle to let go of guilt from decades-old sins that have already been repented of. Others can’t seem to stop reliving difficult memories. I have plenty of my own moments when I keep mulling over my imperfections and mistakes as a wife and mother.

Christ Is Our Peace

by Madi Puzey

Come, Follow Me

“If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you” (John 15:18).

If you have ever felt singled out because of your membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you are not alone. As a Latter-day Saint, you are part of a “peculiar people” (1 Peter 2:9)—and it shows. The people of the world have always had it out for anyone who sticks out, and particularly for what they don’t understand. Such has been the case since even before God restored the gospel to the earth through Joseph Smith.

Asking Big Questions: How Can I Make the Repentance Process Less Intimidating?

by Craig Lindquist

Big Questions

A friend recently asked about my thoughts on making repentance less intimidating. My immediate answer was, “Well, perhaps we should get President Nelson to stop using the words ‘daily’ and ‘repentance’ in the same sentence!”1 We both had a chuckle, but while pondering his question, I recalled my first experience with repentance. It was both challenging and liberating.

Let’s Decide Now to “Walk in the Spirit”

by Megan Hutchings

Come, Follow Me

At twenty-three years of age, Wilford Woodruff decided that he wanted to make some changes in his life. Reflecting on this time later, he wrote:

“Up to this period, I ha[d] spent my life a little like a ship tossed upon the waves of the sea—up and down, unstable and unsettled in my mind, at times trying to worship the Lord and living the life of a Christian, and then at other times giving it up and trying to take pleasure in the things of the world. . . . I felt that I had spent a good deal of my time in a manner that was not profitable to me. Not that I had been guilty of committing any heinous or outbreaking sins . . . yet I had spent a good deal of my youth in vanity and folly, giving way at times to many idle words and vain and foolish recreations which did not store the mind with knowledge or produce any profitable fruit1 (emphasis added).

Preparing the Way to Zion

by Christian Decker

Come, Follow Me

It goes without saying that we live in a fallen world, with bad situations and baser instincts leaving many of us physically and spiritually poor. The Lord has taught us to pursue self-reliance, learning to provide for ourselves and our families in every aspect of our lives. Take a moment and think of Christ’s teachings in the New Testament. Many were taught using everyday events and situations that His audience could understand. Roman coinage, wedding traditions, the rule of kings, and other aspects of ancient life can seem foreign to latter-day readers, yet mustard seeds and finding pearls of great price resonate with us centuries later because we recognize the eternal principles of growth and seeking to change. In order to effect change, one must put in work. This principle of sacrifice extends to everything we hope to build, yet this represents only half of the Lord’s instruction.

"This Is My Testimony, Spoken by Myself into a Talking Machine": Wilford Woodruff's 1897 Statement in Stereo

by Richard Neitzel Holzapfel and Steven C. Harper

In March 1844, just weeks before his martyrdom, Joseph Smith “called the Twelve Apostles together and he delivered unto them the ordinances of the Church and kingdom of God.” Wilford Woodruff noted the events of the day in a terse journal entry. March “26th A rainey day. I met in council with the brethren.” Perhaps the sacredness and magnitude of the meeting called for the brief, cryptic note. Or perhaps it would take hindsight for Wilford to recognize the momentousness of the day’s events. In either case, fifty-three years later at age ninety, President Woodruff recorded his spoken testimony of the historic meeting.

“Be Ye Reconciled to God”

by Craig Lindquist

Come, Follow Me

Yesterday, I sat helplessly by as my precious grandson wailed his little heart out. He had a terrible rash, and his sweet mother was doing all she could for him. It wasn’t enough. Even though the years of life have taught me that pain is inevitable, my heart still ached. Knowing that he had only recently left the bosom of his Heavenly Father, I wondered how much of this mortal life he understood before he left those celestial realms. I think we all can feel for my grandson, as most of us likewise still struggle to understand much of life.

Asking Big Questions: How Can I Recognize the Spirit?

by Maddie Christensen

Big Questions

In today’s tumultuous world it can be difficult to make decisions and know what is right. As Latter-day Saints, we have the gift of the Holy Ghost to help us. Through the Holy Ghost, we can know the truth of all things (Moroni 10:5).

Asking Big Questions: How Can I Develop a Stronger Personal Relationship with Jesus Christ?

by Lyndie Jackson

Big Questions

While it is relatively easy to stay in contact and communicate with people across the globe, creating and maintaining deep personal relationships takes time and effort. Similarly, the Savior is always close to us, waiting for us with open arms, but it takes more than checking in now and then to develop a deep personal relationship with Him.