I testify to you today that turning away from God brings broken covenants, shattered dreams, and crushed hopes. Such a quagmire of quicksand I plead with you to avoid. You are of a noble birthright. Eternal life in the kingdom of our Father is your goal.

No member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who has canned peas, topped beets, hauled hay, shoveled coal, or helped in any way to serve others ever forgets or regrets the experience of helping provide for those in need.

Finding the real joy of #‎ Christmas comes not in the hurrying and the scurrying to get more done, nor is it found in the purchasing of #‎ gifts . We find real joy when we make the Savior the focus of the season.

You can share your testimony in many ways, by the words you speak, by the example you set, by the manner in which you live your life.

There is a golden thread that runs through every account of faith from the beginning of the world to the present time. Abraham, Noah, the brother of Jared, the Prophet Joseph Smith, and countless others wanted to be obedient to the will of God. They had ears that could hear, eyes that could see, and hearts that could know and feel. They never doubted. They trusted.

Our Father's commitment to us, His children, is unwavering. Indeed He softens the winters of our lives, but He also brightens our summers.

Our task is to become our best selves. One of God's greatest gifts to us is the joy of trying again, for no failure ever need be final.