Increasing Faith in Heavenly Father and in Jesus Christ and His Atonement

This post was originally shared as a talk at stake conference of the College Station Stake in 2017.

I was born with a congenital heart defect and consequently underwent open heart surgery right before I turned 5. Five years later, I was diagnosed with exercise-induced asthma. And five years after that, I fractured my back in a sledding accident. So it may not be a surprise that exercise has never come naturally or easily to me.

The Night I Learned that President Nelson Still "Looks on the Heart"

As Church members around the world prepare for the leadership of President Russell M. Nelson, I look forward to the ways his prophetic leadership will help us all strengthen our personal spirituality. The recent challenges President Nelson has issued—for example, to read every passage of scripture about the Savior from the Topical Guide and to list the many ways our lives have been blessed by the Book of Mormon—have brought greater spiritual power into our lives.

This past week, I have reflected on a memorable experience I had with President Nelson during my full-time mission, which taught me the power of his individual care.

Turn Stress into Joy in the New Year

The late Thomas S. Monson once taught about the importance of finding joy in the journey of life. He said, “I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by…Instead, find joy in the journey—now.” (Monson, “Finding Joy in the Journey,” Ensign, Nov. 2008).

In his honor, my word for the new year is JOY. All of us are here on earth, that we might have joy (2 Ne 2:25), but what seems to come more naturally is stress. The joy of life tends to get bogged down with what I like to call “all the things:” the to-do lists, the assignments, the requirements, and constraints, plus what always seems like not enough time to complete it all. An added stress, social media seems to point out all we’re not doing as parents, partners, professionals, and people.