~by Beth

When my husband and I were first married, we lived in the northwest part of the United States, where he played on the ward softball team. In one of those games, his wedding ring spun off his hand into the dirt, and he couldn’t find it again. I had bought the ring for him, and I got mad at him about that mishap, even though it was only an accident. I was the one working at the time, while he was a student and “I” bought him another ring, with money “I” earned, then I kept feeling snippy.  Every now and then I would remind him about it in not-especially-kind ways.  

Fast forward a few years, and we were traveling from our home to Northern California, with a baby on board. Our son filled his (cloth) diaper just before we pulled into a wayside gas station. I took my rings off to rinse out the diaper, and then I forgot them, leaving them on the back of a toilet tank is some obscure Oregon town.  

I didn’t realize I had lost the rings until later that night.  I had a very humbling moment when I realized it, and told him. What he did was one of the many shining moments of our marriage. He managed to keep his face completely neutral, and then he helped me do what we could to get the rings back. They were long gone. And he didn’t say anything about the fact that my rings were more expensive, because they had a diamond. He bought me a modest band sometime soon, which was exactly fit with our financial circumstances at the time.  

Fast forward again. A few years later, he had a career and we were living in comfortable financial circumstances. One quiet Sunday afternoon, when all our kids were napping, he asked me if I wanted a diamond ring. He didn’t even say “another” diamond ring. He asked it like it was a spontaneous idea with no history, and a cheerful gift thought. I decided I didn’t really want another one, because I imagined — when I looked at my left hand with NO diamond — I thought of the value of having a husband who forgives me. 

And when he forgave me again for something else (an ongoing story, after 44 years), I imagined the immaterial gem of forgiveness growing in weight.  It now outstrips the Hope Diamond.  

The post Forgiveness: Better than a diamond appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

I am a working mother who is also a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The reason I mention that I am a working mother and a member of this church, is because sometimes those two things don’t seem cohesive, at least they didn’t always to me.

I believed a mother should be home to teach and care for her children, unless the family didn’t have enough money to eat or pay the important bills. Now that I am a working mother and have seen the struggles of my own children and the struggles of other children, I believe this teaching even more.

I wanted to follow the teachings found in The Proclamation to the World on the Family, that a mother was to be the main nurturer in the family. My husband worked very hard to provide, so that I could stay home to raise our children. He supported me in my role as nurturer and I was very grateful.

When our children were old enough to go to school, the Lord showed me a different teaching that is also found in the Proclamation to The Family. That husband and wife are to work together to meet the needs of the family. I was inspired to gain an education, which I did through a Church program (Self-Reliance Services), which in turn, inspired me to apply for a job.

I mention this, because the Lord knew that after my husband had supported me in my role as nurturer, it was time for me to support my husband in his role as provider. At the same time as I received work (which was terrifying for me to take), everything in our house started to break and would continue to break for the next 4 years. I am talking fixes to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars, not including our family vehicle which needed to be replaced.

Heavenly Father knew this would happen, so He prepared a way for my husband and me to work together, as partners, in providing for all the needs of our family. Through this experience, we have become a stronger, more united couple. The reason we are stronger is because the struggles were very rough, but we held firm in the teaching of the Church of Jesus Christ. We didn’t allow doubt to overtake us (mainly me) about following personal revelation, supported by the teachings of the prophets.

I have struggled greatly these last 4 years with weight gain, high anxiety, exhaustion, health concerns, family time, and more. But, I have also found medicine that calms my anxiety. I realized I can do more than I ever thought possible (with God’s help). I gained valuable skills in the work field, in my family, and church. I have also put a focus on my formal education, which has been huge for me.

The most important thing I have gained, (strange as this might sound, considering I just stated it became a struggle) is time with my family. It isn’t perfect, but I make more time to do things with my kids and my spouse, because I see the need more than ever and I desire that time with them even more.

How I have grown in my thinking on where the Lord wants women. He wants them where He needs them and he will let them know as long as they are being diligent in striving to follow his teachings and are listening for his voice guiding them. I am very grateful for the lessons I have learned.

The post Where does the Lord want women? “He wants them where He needs them.” appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Image from Wikimedia Commons; Photographer ~ Jeff Belmonte

These are some thoughts I wrote on Friday (with a few edits/additions) after hearing about the Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage.

Even though I knew it was coming, I am deeply disappointed in the Supreme Court’s decision. I understand why many are happy. I understand the desire for authentic living, for love and relationship, for a sense of cultural acceptance and belonging. I understand that bigotry and bullying exist around sexual orientation, and I think that is wrong. I understand these things.

But I still feel that when all things are weighed in the balance — including the balance of rights on the table (including religious, state, speech, parental, and the historical patterns regarding what is best for children) — we could and should have found ways to allow gays the chance to have legal rights in relationships *without* redefining marriage. At the very least, given the fact that marriage entered the political realm, I think the process should have been allowed to truly play out in the public square. This is such a significant, final, irreversible decision for our nation — and for generations to come — and yet it was set in stone by five people. (Actually, by one person…that one vote that swung the Court’s decision 5-4.)

The post Thoughts on the Supreme Court Decision on Gay Marriage appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

In the United States, today is the day of LOVE. It’s Valentine’s Day! Truth be told, it’s never been my favorite holiday, but I do think we can’t talk enough about LOVE — and who doesn’t need a nudge to show that love to people they care about?

The title of this post comes from a classic scene in The Princess Bride where the evil Humperdink is faking love for a woman in order to get her to marry him and help him take over the kingdom. If you have seen the movie, you know how hilarious the scene is because the priest’s voice is so unexpected.

But tonight I’m sitting here thinking about how tragic the scene is, too. Humperdink has no time for the sermon the priest wants to give on true love and what it means to truly cherish someone else.

Sounds a bit like what is happening in our culture. It seems so much of our world has little time or interest in divine truths about marriage, about sexual purity and high moral standards, about honesty, about respect. More and more we see pornography pushed and peddled not on the fringe where it belongs, but in previews at wholesome movies, in stores where you buy milk and shoes, and continually through our TVs and various modes of product marketing. That normalization is now including mainstreaming what has to this point only existed in the shadows of society — violent, sexist, abusive sexual relationships. (Yes, especially today, I’m looking straight at you, 50 Shades. 100 million copies in multiple languages? Has our society gone mad?)

So I just wanted to put my voice out there today on the day of love to celebrate what love is. To me, love includes things like respect (for self and the other), honor, virtue (in marriage, too!), truth-telling, and truth-living.

Perhaps if we can fill the world more with pictures and words and videos and movies and quotes of what love really is, the counterfeits will be recognized more readily by more people.

So, what does “wuv, twue wuv” mean to you? I invite you to include a photo, video, or post through your own social media connections about what true love looks like. Of course, this applies to love in marriage, but can also apply to family relationships, friendships, and even the loving actions that exist between strangers.

Let’s celebrate true love today. Happy Valentine’s Day!

The post Wuv, twue wuv = _________________ appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

During Education Week at BYU, Elder Bednar asked that we flood the internet with our testimonies. He said, “My beloved brothers and sisters, what has been accomplished thus far in this dispensation communicating gospel messages through social media channels is a good beginning—but only a small trickle. I now extend to you the invitation to help transform the trickle into a flood. Beginning at this place on this day, I exhort you to sweep the earth with messages filled with righteousness and truth—messages that are authentic, edifying, and praiseworthy—and literally to sweep the earth as with a flood.”

So I am going to share my thoughts and testimony of Jesus Christ.

My name is Michelle Iverson. I am a wife, mother, teacher, writer, missionary, and disciple of Jesus Christ and I believe that love is a super power!

It is a power we use in everyday life as we care for our families and friends, serve others through our work and church callings, and share the gospel. But there are also those defining moments in life where we get to find out what we are made of and it is in those moments that we can call on love to help us make it through.

When I was a very little girl I was sexually abused by my grandfather. This was a very scary experience for me that continued on for many years. I felt confused because I really loved my grandpa and I loved myself, but what I was experiencing made me wonder if I should love either one.

Those early defining moments in my life created a wall around my heart. I no longer saw myself through eyes of love. In fact, I hated myself. When I looked in the mirror, I could never see who I really was. I saw something so far from the truth. I could only see a broken, ugly, and unlovable image looking back at me. I carried secrets and those secrets were heavy and dark.

As I grew up and started to date, I realized that I had some serious issues with trust and commitment. I saw men as untrustworthy, and so that is what I often attracted and experienced in my relationships. Several years after I returned from serving a mission, I met and married Tyler. A couple of years into our marriage, I discovered he was struggling with a pornography addiction. All of the fears and insecurities I had carried my whole life were unleashed again, and I was left wondering if there was a single man on the planet I could truly trust with my heart.

Here it was, another defining moment. I remember praying and venting all of my pain, loneliness, and anger to Heavenly Father one night. I laid next to Tyler and quietly cried in the dark. I was angry, but I knew that if I was ever going to heal my heart and the incorrect perceptions I had of myself, I had to learn how to love and it had to start with me.

Throughout my life, I have found that the overriding lesson here on earth is love. We are given many experience where we learn how to wield our superpower with faith and humility. True love, the kind that heals lives and changes hearts, comes from Christ. He is the source of our power and I have seen his grace and light work wonders in my life and literally “save the day” in the most heroic ways. Anything I have been able to overcome is only because of him. He has healed my heart, my children, and my husband.

My greatest desire is to love as he loves, and life is giving me many opportunities to practice. It is the difficult things we face that carve out a deeper reservoir of light within us and allow us to use our powers for good! I love my Savior Jesus Christ. I know that he lives! He is real, and when I look at myself now, I am looking for him.

Michelle Iverson is a wife, mother, author, speaker, teacher and follower of Jesus Christ. She loves to share her insights and experiences through her writing and teaching and seeks to restore well-being to the lives of those who suffer. After experiencing sexual abuse in her childhood, and sexual addiction in her marriage, she and her husband Tyler have become passionate about sharing their story. Michelle’s true passion is helping women overcome adversity through the “sacred art of self-nurture.”

The post #BecauseofHim — Healing from Abuse and a Spouse’s Addiction appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

I remember the first time someone in my family received the Priesthood. I was 14 and my younger brother was ordained a Deacon. About the same time two years later, when he became a Teacher, I began to take notice of a unique difference in the “feel” of our home environment. My father was Catholic and my Mother had been inactive for many years until we kids came along. There had definitely been a “void” I didn’t know existed. For years though, the “Priesthood” elicited an entanglement of ideas growing up while attending all the meetings in our LDS world and an occasional Catholic Mass.

While a young bride years later, I remember complacently telling myself, “You’re good”…”temple marriage”, check, “worthy Priesthood holder”, check, Sick? Need a blessing?, check. It was so simple and yet, as I discovered, so much more than that.

There were times in that 20-year marriage that I had wholehearted faith that by one or two men laying their hands on the heads of my children, they would heal. There were other times when hands were laid on my head and I was told I would be able to cope. There were times when I witnessed friends, family, or acquaintances have faith that others would speak words of comfort and consolation by the power of God. I viewed this process somewhat clinically, now that I look back on it. It was all I knew then.

Within marriage, as well as any type of relationship, we associate with imperfect human beings. Those closest to us have the greatest capacity to do us the most harm. The foundation of emotionally intimate as well as physically intimate relationships is trust. When that trust is shattered, there is heartbreak. I suffered, as many others, the worse kind of harm, abuse from one holding the Priesthood. I have learned not to focus so much on the harm perpetrated, but how to process my healing.

Seeking solace from our very Creator through the Priesthood is more than a mere band-aid, it is through my experience, literally life changing. I’m at the seven-year mark of this process and still have much healing to do. In my mind it boils down to understanding that Christ’s Atonement grants us access to an enabling power to survive anything and everything, and trust me, that means anything and everything.

In the last few years my understanding of, belief in, and experience with priesthood blessings has expanded beyond my greatest expectations. I have been a vested partner in these experiences with my sweet husband of six years. He has exhibited patience in discussions about simple and complex gospel topics. He has helped me deepen my sense of worth as a daughter of God by treating me as an equal partner in our relationship. By living worthily to exercise his priesthood power he has exponentially enriched our relationship. The physical and literal miracles I have witnessed by his and other priesthood blessings have caused me to consider placing many more than Joshua’s’ 12 stones at the door of our future home.(see Joshua 4:21-24)

Last week the words spoken through my husband from my Heavenly Father were nothing short of pure intellect and revelation. The Lord answered questions never uttered anywhere but from my heart and provided comfort and direction specifically for me. How glorious an experience! How wonderful an opportunity to revel in light and feel the strength and love from my Father in Heaven!

It would have been so very easy over the years to give up on this power, yet through the very power I might have excused as ineffective, inadequate, or non-existent, I have been empowered to “plow through” all that life has had to deal me; divorce, abuse, betrayal, legal challenges, re-marriage, blending families, unemployment, depression, loneliness, loss of home, bankruptcy, relocation, health issues, estranged children, aging and ill parents, and whatever tomorrow brings!

I believe in the eternal nature and divine experiences that the priesthood may deliver through priesthood blessings! We are truly gifted by utilizing these powers. I don’t think we do it enough.

The post My Heart is Full: A Peace and Empowerment from Priesthood Blessings appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Yes, Pikus-Pace is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (Read her Mormon.org profile here — obviously written before Sochi.) If you look at photos of her wearing her silver medal, you might also see her wearing the Young Women torch necklace (see our Facebook page) or the Young Women medallion. The torch is a reminder to stand and shine Christ’s light to others, and the medallion is a symbol of years of work of goal-setting and faith-building efforts through the Personal Progress program.

You’ve probably already heard her Skeleton story — from being at the top of the charts in the sport a decade ago (and, looking back, realizing that her sport came before family), to missing the Turin Olympics due to a freak (and serious) leg injury (a bobsled ran into her), to barely missing a podium spot in Vancouver, to retirement after Vancouver, to re-entering her sport after a devastating miscarriage (at 18 weeks) and prayerful, partnership-focused consideration.

The catch to her coming back to compete? Her family would travel together to everything.

How was this possible? Friends and family helped, and eventually she got a sponsorship, but the story that brought me to tears this week was about a couple who had a chance meeting with Noelle and decided to quietly hand her a card with a $30,000 check in it a week before they were set to start traveling.

Mormons talk about how important marriage and family are. It’s wonderful to see such a powerful, primetime-sports example of a family who lives that reality. Did you watch the video showing how she jumped into the stands to get to her family? And how she said, “Remember who you are and what you stand for!”? I love to see how Noelle and her husband works together (he even designed and built her sled: e.g., “For Pikus-Pace, the custom sled is a reminder of the couple’s enduring partnership. ‘It’s never been only me crossing finish line,’ she said. ‘It’s always been us.'”) I love seeing their determination to make this dream work, and only make it work if the family could do it together. Although their situation is definitely unusual, and the miracles that made this possible were significant, the principles of putting family (and faith) first are applicable to us all. (See this simple photo of Pikus-Pace attending LDS Sunday church meetings in Sochi.)

I’m reminded of a quote we read yesterday in Relief Society:

“Do you spend as much time making your family and home successful as you do in pursuing social and professional success? Are you devoting your best creative energy to the most important unit in society–the family?” (Joseph Fielding Smith)

p.s. Besides the smile and tears I experienced as I watched the last run online, hearing the commentator talk about how she started her run with eyes closed (the commentator assumes in prayer), and how it was her family that was everything as she did that last run, I cracked up to hear that she has 2 kilos of chocolate taped into her sled.

** Image from Noelle Pikus-Page Facebook fan page.

The post Noelle Pikus-Pace — Miracles, Medals, Marriage, and Motherhood (and chocolate!) appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Strikedowns related to gay marriage, such as what has happened in Utah and in other states, deeply concern me for many reasons. I have long been an active and involved advocate of protecting traditional marriage; I do not believe it is in the best interest of our society to allow gay marriage. I am concerned that the voice of millions of people on this matter in various states is being cast aside by judicial fiat. I believe that religious freedoms are connected to the dynamics we have seen unfold over the years as well. I believe that the rights of children to be born to a mother and a father need to be represented in our laws and public discourse.

Although I know that most of my friends and I would agree on the “what” of these concerns, what I am finding is that we don’t always agree on the “how” to take action. That can prove to be both a bit of a frustration when we don’t agree, but in my mind, it can also can be a reminder that there are many ways to take a stand for what we believe is good, right, and true.

I’ve been thinking about this more this week as I have engaged in conversation with friends about this rally. I think it provides a simple case study for what I would like to communicate with this op-ed.

Some friends, whom I deeply love and admire, are passionate about attending this rally, and feel it is nothing short of the duty of anyone in the area to do so. To give a glimpse of the passion of these friends of mine, I invited one of the women who is helping promote the rally to write an essay about why she has chosen to attend. (Hint: For her, it’s about much more than standing for traditional marriage. She is a daughter of immigrants and to her this rally represents an opportunity to celebrate the freedoms her parents worked so hard to come to enjoy.) She and I have had several conversations over the past few months about issues related to faith, family, and freedom that have inspired me.

I had the privilege of talking with the woman who spearheaded the rally and she is simply a mom trying to follow through with something she feels strongly about. I admire her grit and commitment and am amazed at what she has been able to organize. Another friend may be flying from out of state to attend. She is a fearless defender of the family and of religious freedom.

On the other hand, with regard to this rally, I have heard from others — friends who are equally passionate about these things that matter so much to us as Mormons (faith, family, freedom), friends I also deeply admire  —  who feel there is perhaps more room for personal decision and revelation with regard to events like this. At the very least, they are not necessarily feeling the same pull to go to this particular event.

I am compelled to conclude that we simply may not all feel pressed or prompted to do the same things to take a stand for the shared ideals we believe in, but I think (or hope) we would all agree on what is captured in the following meme created from a quote in the February 2014 Ensign.

In discussions about this rally, I’ve seen people express concern that sometimes it’s fear that keeps us from action. And that can sometimes be true. Especially with hot-button issues in our culture, sometimes fear can drive us to avoid political or other topics altogether. I believe sometimes it IS better to stay silent, but when silence is driven by fear, it’s likely not the right choice.

I am glad my friends invited me to this rally, because if nothing else, it got me thinking more about why I will or will not go. (As it turns out, I have another commitment that I made a couple of weeks ago. Interestingly enough, it’s another opportunity to peacefully assemble for the cause of faith and family, just in a different way.) It gave me a chance to ask for and share my friend’s story. It gave many of us a chance to talk together about things that matter to us. It even spurred some to face their fears and take some action.

To those who believe in marriage, family, faith, and freedom, I invite you to think about how you can not “do nothing.” Be proactive, creative, and deliberate about what you do. Be “bold but not overbearing,” to coin a phrase. To claim the blessings of a robust, free society, we need the exercising of rights like the right to peacefully assemble, the right to exercise and act on religious beliefs, the cherished right of free speech. We can embrace the opportunity, blessing, and responsibility of learning to peacefully co-exist in our pluralistic society and to allow the political process to take its course.

I hope that this rally will go well and be what the organizers hope it can be. But the event will come and go. These issues are not decided in a day or with one event. Opportunities to stand for the family and for God’s plan will, I’m sure, only become more plentiful as time goes on. We are running a marathon, not a sprint. Because of that, we will each have to continually choose where and how we will get involved,and that may look a little different for each of us. I believe that sometimes (often?) if we are willing to take action, we can be compelled to use our particular skills, talents, and interests to express our positions and help the cause in which we believe.

How are you choosing to stand for the family? What talents, skills, and experience might you be able to bring to bear in the process of standing for marriage, family, children, and religious freedom? I’d love to hear your thoughts, see your memes, read your blog posts. We don’t have to be about making others change their minds, but I think we can and should be always looking for times and places to stand for what we think and believe, and finding ways to join with others in our efforts.

The post How do you stand for the family? appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

My parents are both converts to The Church Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As a young and recently baptized married couple in Brazil, one of their biggest dreams was to establish their family in the “Estados Unidos” (USA), more specifically Utah, to be closer to the large body of unified saints there. What they wanted more than anything was to raise their children on high moral ground. This fact, is something they have always been proud of, “our family legacy,” as my dad always says.

So they stood in long lines, filled out many forms, and waited…and waited…for six years. Then one day their request for permanent resident status was approved. That’s when our family (I was six at the time) moved. My dad jokingly recalls, “with four pieces of luggage and eight hundred dollars.”

Through hard work, and sheer grit, I saw my immigrant family struggle to survive. We worked as janitors, we delivered news papers, we worked odd construction jobs. I don’t think I ever saw my parents sleep. But I always saw them on their knees in prayer.

Now looking back at the upbringing they were able to secure for their children, the freedom from corruption and oppression they were able to give us, the opportunity every single one of us was able to access…their struggle was worth it.

This event happening on Tuesday is actually more than just a rally for marriage…to me at least. This event is about gratitude, and exertion of liberty. This event is the opportunity to stand as a collective body of saints for what matters most -our faith, our family, and our freedom.

That’s what brings me to you now. I wanted to share my story and why I want to personally go. It’s because my parents fought for me to have this very opportunity.  I remember waking up at 4:00 am and folding newspapers with my mom and dad. It’s for them that I’m going to this rally. It’s for the sacrifices they made to give me what I enjoy today. It’s for their marriage, the mutual covenant made between each other and God Almighty. It’s for their belief that the “Estados Unidos” is truly a place where if good men dwell, they will be free. It’s for Utah, the ‘city set high on the hill’, built from the ground up… out of nothing.

The very existence of my state was founded upon the backs of those who have gone before us. Courageous men, women, and children — families — that collectively gave their all for what we currently enjoy today. This is the legacy of Utah.

I want to stand with the large group of strong and courageous sons and daughters of those fathers and mothers that are counting on us to continue their legacy. I want to support this event with my presence.

-Carolina Sagebin Allen

Note: Mormon Women: Who We Are and the More Good Foundation take no official stance on events such as those mentioned above. Please remember, also, that this site is not an official site of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

The post How I am standing for faith, family, and freedom this week — by Carolina appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

You can read more about Kenna at this Deseret News article: Open, honest, and vulnerable: one blogger’s journey. Or visit her blog at http://ileftmyheartinnz.blogspot.com/. (You’ll see that the links in this post take you to more reflections at Kenna’s blog.)

My name is Kenna Christensen, and at the age of 21 I was divorced.

Growing up I witnessed lasting marriages in my life. I was raised being told marriages meant forever. I went into marriage believing that no matter how hard it got, love in a marriage always persevered.

My short-lived marriage was no walk in the park. We were poor. We were learning to somehow morph two-former lives into one – values, beliefs, habits, bank accounts, you name it. I now had a permanent roommate, which took some getting used to, but despite all of that – there was not a thing in the world I wanted more than a successful, happy and lasting marriage, and there was absolutely nothing I wouldn’t have done to earn that, so when my former husband decided to throw the towel in, my whole vision of marriage, as well as my world – were completely and entirely shattered.

Looking back a year and a half later, I can confidently say that there were two specific things that got me through it: time, and knowing with every fiber of my being that God loved me, He was there for me, and He would never leave me – even if at times it would feel that He had. I was not in it alone. My Savior had felt this pain – He had felt this pain so He could help me overcome it when it was my turn to experience it. The betrayal, the agonizing confusion, the endless questions. The dismay, the disbelief, the wet pillows, and the darkest most hopeless moments. He knew this feeling, He had walked this path before, and He was prepared and waiting patiently to walk me through it now.

I needed peace; He blessed me with it. I needed to know the answers; He extended me faith so I no longer did. I needed to find forgiveness; He lent me His so I could lend it to someone else. I needed hope; and He has reminded me every day that He lives, He knows me, He loves me and God’s plan is far, far better than my own.

I am a Latter-day Saint. I believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ. I have a testimony that God lives, that He loves me, and that if I live worthily – my blessings in the next life will greatly exceed my trials in this one. I know my Father in Heaven lives. I know He sent His Son to die for me, and I know that They are lovingly watching me, constantly cheering me on, and perfectly guiding my each and every footstep.

To those who have experienced divorce or currently are, whether it was your own or a loved one’s, to those of you who have been married for any length of time, to those of you who have felt the blessings of an eternal family jeopardized, whether that loss was within or without of your control: God loves you. He knows you individually. He knows your pain. Go to Him with your anger. Go to Him with your broken heart. Tell Him you can’t do it anymore. Ask Him to take your load for a little while. He will carry you. He will walk beside you. He will never leave you. Always remember and never forget that in your most hopeless moments, the moments you are lying on the bathroom floor, physically ill with absolutely no desire to go on, remember that those are the defining moments of your life, those moments God gives you in love, because only He sees who you can become.

The post Facing trials with faith: Divorced at 21 appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.