Searching the Pages for Peace

"...it is not requisite than a man should run faster than he has strength." -Mosiah 4:27 I could list forever the things we are told we need to do in order to be good people: give to the poor, keep the commandments, don't judge others, be kind, be patient, be submissive to the will of the Father, fulfill your church responsibilities, and on and on and on. It can seem so overwhelming! How can any one person do all of those things? And this is when the doubt creeps in, and the fear, and the self-loathing and bitterness and pain and worry. Stop it right now. Yes, we are counseled to do all these things, but we are also counseled that our best is enough. Grace is a beautiful, beautiful thing. Sincerity is much more important that perfection-- because, guess what, perfection is never going to be possible for us in this life. We need to try really, really hard, yes...but we can't be constantly beating ourselves up about the places and times we fall short of the ulti...

In Omni, we are told of another group which travelled from Jerusalem to the Americas. They, unlike the Nephites, however, did not have scriptures to remind them what was important, and they lost their language, their spirituality, and were corrupted. It is so important to be regularly studying the scriptures! They remind us who we are, what our purpose is, and keep us focused and on the right track.  Want to avoid fear and doubt? Stay focused on what's right and true, on the plan of our Father. "Look forward unto the Messiah, and believe in him to come..." (Jarom 1:11). Don't allow yourself to lose sight of the truth, for then is when it is so easy to spiral down into an abyss of despair. Elder D. Todd Christofferson said, " Those who either don’t have or ignore the recorded word of God eventually cease to believe in Him and forget the purpose of their existence."  Remain always diligent in holding fast and close to the Lord and His guiding light. I kn...

"Whatsoever thing ye shall ask in faith, believing that ye shall receive in the name of Christ, ye shall receive it." -Enos 1:15 Prayers are answered! You may not have yours answered in the way or timeframe that you wish, but all will be fulfilled "in his own due time" (Enos 1:16). When fear or doubt seem to overtake you, call upon the Lord and He is there to help you overcome those dark feelings. Enos humbled himself before the Lord. As he focused on the things of God and was worthy to hear the words of the Spirit, his "faith began to be unshaken in the Lord" (Enos 1:11). Because of that resulting "faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen" (Enos 1:8), Enos was forgiven of his sins. This is not restricted to Enos only. We all can be forgiven of our sins if we will do as Enos did-- submit to the will of the Lord and strive sincerely to keep His commandments and honor our covenants. No matter the stain, we can be made clean ...

" Wherefore we labored diligently among our people, that we might persuade them to  come  unto Christ, and partake of the goodness of God, that they might enter into his  rest..." (Jacob 1:7) There are days when life is overwhelming.   " Look unto God with firmness of mind, and  pray  unto him with exceeding faith, and he will  console  you in your  afflictions , and he will plead your cause, and send down  justice  upon those who seek your destruction." (Jacob 3:1) His love is available and open for all. Only "... lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his  love ; for ye may, if your  minds  are  firm , forever." (Jacob 3:2) Let us lift our heads in His direction always, receiving His guidance.  We must always be "... pointing  our souls to him..." ( Jacob 4:5). Put His commandments and the things of Him first in our lives, before any worldly distractions, a n...

" Wherefore, ye must press forward with a  steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of  hope , and a  love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and  endure  to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have  eternal life" ( 2 Nephi 31:20). Life can seem really tough. It can be hard to understand the point of continuing, sometimes. We must continue! When life gets hard, we keep trekking along. We keep fighting. Why? Because God has told us to, and because He is here to help us do so. We are told to "pray always, and not faint" (2 Nephi 32:9). We are instructed to remain firm in our convictions and stand for the right, but also promised that if we pray always, and rely on  the  Lord always, then we will not faint. He will give us strength. He will help us to continue. "No one has failed who keeps trying and keeps praying." --Jeffrey R. Holland I, like Nep...

It is easy to become bogged down beneath the  expectations  of the world--"one should match this ideal body image, style, GPA, fitness level, etc." It is easy because Satan is trying to sink us with these suffocating worldly standards. It is easy for us to forget that none of these things actually matter. However, we are warned that "wo be unto him that hearkeneth unto the precepts of men" (2 Nephi 28:26) rather than focusing on the Lord's expectations for us. What other people hold as  important  on this earth (money, fame, appearance) doesn't matter even a bit. What matters is how we serve the Lord and each other, and the degree to which we strive to follow Him. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, " Sometimes we feel discouraged because we are not 'more' of something—more spiritual, respected, intelligent, healthy, rich, friendly, or capable... I learned in my life that we don’t need to be 'more' of anything to start to become the pe...

"The Lord will...restore his people from their lost and fallen state." 2 Nephi 25:17 When feeling down, inadequate, frustrated, anxious, depressed, alone, afraid, doubtful, insecure....the scriptures counsel us to "look forward with steadfastness unto Christ" (2 Nephew 25:24). To turn to Him should be our first instinct when in trouble or in need, for "we are made alive in Christ" (2 Nephi 25:25). If we sincerely approach Him and utilize His atonement, the promise is that "he shall heal them, and they shall have peace with him" (2 Nephi 26:9). Peace. The gospel is a message of hope, not condemnation! Anyone can be healed; as Christ went through all of our pain and paid for our mistakes, we needn't bear our sorrows and burdens alone. He carried them, too, once, and it would be a mistake to let His sacrifice go to waste. Give your problems to Him and let Him help you. "Come unto me all ye ends of the earth, buy milk and honey, without ...

“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation.” 2 Nephi 22:2 Trust in the Lord. He has promised to bear us up, to be with us, to comfort us, to protect us. He has promised to destroy our enemies. He is omnipotent and knows all things. I promise He has a plan for each of us. We might not know what's around the next corner of our lives, but He does. Although there will be twists, turns, ups, downs...in the end, there will always be Him. God will forever and always remain a constant in our lives if we let Him. We must trust in Him, and keep our part of the covenant. “…the Lord hath founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall trust in it.” 2 Nephi 24:32 Zion is a safe place, whether a physical location like the temple, or rather spiritual—the gospel, the scriptures, a prayer-filled heart and mind. We must take refuge there, with Him. “…God is with us” (2 Nephi 18:10...

“And the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of naught; wherefore they scourge him, and he suffereth it; and they smite him, and he suffereth it. Yea, they spit upon him, and he suffereth it, because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men.” 1 Nephi 19:9 Once, I was talking to my mom about how much trouble I was having with people-pleasing. I constantly measured my personal progression with others’ approval of me, my works, and my personality. I remarked that if everyone liked me, that would mean I am a “good enough” person.  Her reply changed the entire game, and enlightened me completely: she reminded me that some of the best people she could think of were in fact hated by a good number of people— for example, the Prophet and the apostles.  Never before had I considered that likability was not directly linked with goodness, righteousness, and virtue. I was in such a socially anxious state that a thou...