Wayward, disobedient children cause their parents grief and anxiety.
— Joseph B. Wirthlin
Integrity, a firm adherence to the highest moral and ethical standards, is essential to the life of a true Latter-day Saint.
To me, integrity means always doing what is right and good, regardless of the immediate consequences. It means being righteous from the very depth of our soul, not only in our actions but, more importantly, in our thoughts and in our hearts.
Prosperity often leads to pride, which leads to sin.
Some have been ensnared in the net of excessive debt. The net of interest holds them fast, requiring them to sell their time and energies to meet the demands of creditors. They surrender their freedom, becoming slaves to their own extravagance.
Some pass their days as though suffering a deep sadness they cannot name. Others are unhappy because life didn't turn out the way they thought it would.
We've all met those who seem to radiate happiness. They seem to smile more than others; they laugh more than others - just being around them makes us happier as well.
Every day carries with it a responsibility.
We will all rise from the grave.
The most cherished and sacred moments of our lives are those filled with the spirit of love.
The Lord did not people the earth with a vibrant orchestra of personalities only to value the piccolos of the world. Every instrument is precious and adds to the complex beauty of the symphony.
The next time you're tempted to groan, you might try to laugh instead.
Life will continue on the other side of the veil.
Anything that does not draw us closer to God takes us away from Him.
The true greatness of a person, in my view, is evident in the way he or she treats those with whom courtesy and kindness are not required.
Although we might settle for less, Heavenly Father won't, for he sees us as the glorious beings we are capable of becoming.
Giant oak trees... have deep root systems that can extend two-and-one-half times their height. Such trees rarely are blown down regardless of how violent the storms may be.
While we yearn for peace, we live in a world burdened with hunger, pain, anguish, loneliness, sickness, and sorrow.
Lying, stealing, and cheating are commonplace.
The consequences of ignoring the Lord and His prophets are certain and often accompanied by great sorrow and regret.
There is something about prosperity that brings out the worst in some people.
A computer can be a useful and indispensable tool. But if we allow it to devour our time with vain, unproductive, and sometimes destructive pursuits, it becomes an entangling net.
Some carry the burden of bitterness and resentfulness for many years.
We don't have to be perfect today. We don't have to be better than someone else. All we have to do is to be the very best we can.
Every day is an adventure.
We are all busy. It's easy to find excuses for not reaching out to others, but I imagine they will sound as hollow to our Heavenly Father as the elementary school boy who gave his teacher a note asking that he be excused from school March 30th through the 34th.
God's commandments are not given to limit or punish us.
We are commanded to seek out those who are lost. We are to be our brother's keeper.
In my early teens, I was a janitor. In high school, I got up early to deliver to accounts that required early service.
In spite of discouragement and adversity, those who are happiest seem to have a way of learning from difficult times, becoming stronger, wiser and happier as a result.
Don't be discouraged if the answer to your prayer does not come immediately. Study, ponder, and pray, sincerely having faith, and live the commandments.
Occasionally, family members treat each other with less courtesy and kindness than they do acquaintances or even strangers.
We see ourselves in terms of yesterday and today. Our Heavenly Father sees us in terms of forever.
You can find peace amidst the storms that threaten you.
In the scriptures, 'peace' means either freedom from strife, contention, conflict, or war, or an inner calm and comfort born of the Spirit that is a gift of God to all of his children, an assurance and serenity within a person's heart.
Having received the Spirit of Christ to know good from evil, we should always choose the good.
Sin leads to wickedness and to hearts that become hardened to things of the Spirit.
We can easily get our lives out of balance.
Nets are generally defined as devices for capturing something. In a more narrow but more important sense, we might define a net as anything that entices or prevents us from following the call of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God.
Gratitude is a mark of a noble soul and a refined character. We like to be around those who are grateful.
Some of the happiest people I know have none of the things the world insists are necessary for satisfaction and joy.
What people think and believe and plan are all very important, but what they do is the thing that counts most.
The greater the measure of our love, the greater is our joy.
Think of how dark that Friday was when Christ was lifted up on the cross... It was a Friday filled with devastating, consuming sorrow that gnawed at the souls of those who loved and honored the Son of God.
The Lord Jesus Christ is our partner, helper and advocate.
Not even death can take us from the eternal blessings promised by a loving Heavenly Father.
We have no middle ground, no foggy gray area where we can sin a little without suffering spiritual decline. That is why we must repent and come to Christ daily on submissive knees so that we can prevent our bonfires of testimony from being snuffed out by sin.
Patience with family members and others who are close to us is vital for us to have happy homes.
The Lord compensates the faithful for every loss. That which is taken away from those who love the Lord will be added unto them in his own way. While it may not come at the time we desire, the faithful will know that every tear today will eventually be returned a hundredfold with tears of rejoicing and gratitude.
Oh, it is wonderful to know that our Heavenly Father loves us - even with all our flaws! His love is such that even should we give up on ourselves, He never will.
