Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. She was the 2023 recipient of the John Taylor Defender of the Faith award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Proverbs 1–4; 15–16; 22; 31; Ecclesiastes 1–3; 11–12 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

Proverbs is full of little bits of wisdom that push us on to paths that can make life easier. Mortal life was never meant to be externally easy, but taking heed of some of these proverbs can help you to escape more difficulty than you would otherwise meet. It likewise puts your heart in a state where you recognize the reality of both your mortality and the eternities ahead.

One of those bits of wisdom is found here.

Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

When you respond with a soft answer, it can turn away the wrath that approached you.

There is wisdom here, but I want to discuss what it truly means to have a soft answer. I think sometimes people get mixed up in what it means to be Christlike. So before I delve into the definition of a soft answer, I want to give a disclaimer. There is truth in the promises offered by this verse, but it is not absolute. Sometimes we give soft answers and are still scorned and treated poorly. One needs only look at Christ to realize that the wisdom here does not always hold true. Sometimes, even when we’re perfect in our attitude and response, others will still give back hatred.

That doesn’t mean we failed.

I give this disclaimer because the soft answer that I want to talk about really only functions within a healthy relationship. Sometimes the righteous answer is to walk away from a relationship especially when it’s abusive, but only God can give you the answer as to whether that is your situation. So when we discuss these principles, it’s important to weigh them against your own situation and act accordingly. These are words of wisdom, not absolutes.

So what is a soft answer?

I want to look at a soft answer in the same light as a soft heart.

The Lord asks us to have a soft heart. This means that He wants us to be teachable, humble, willing to hear Him and learn about His choices. He wants us to be vulnerable with Him and lean on Him and trust Him and reach out to Him. He wants us to be willing to change. A hard heart is closed off, bitter, prideful, and insensitive to sin and others.

There are many applications for this. There are so many ways that we could look at examples of how to react when we’re in the heat of the moment. However, I rather teach a guiding principle that can be applied wisely rather than hard fast rules.

Soft answers begin with soft hearts.

When you are faced with an opportunity to give an answer, it’s not about artfully crafting the right response. It’s not about choosing positive words or putting a criticism in the middle of two compliments. It’s not about blunting the edge of correction. It’s about stepping back and asking yourself where your heart is.

Do you really love this person you’re about to respond to?

Do you recognize them as a child of God?

Do you want them to have a happy life?

Do you recognize that you would potentially make the same choices and have the same values if you grew up in their position?

If you can answer those questions correctly, you are much more prepared to give a soft answer even if that soft answer includes correction or standing by your beliefs.

Soft answers are not necessarily manifested in a specific volume; it’s manifested in your attitude towards another person who may be wrongfully accusing you, attacking your character, or spreading misinformation about you. It’s manifested in how you feel about someone you love when you feel betrayed or unloved by them in return. It’s manifested in your generosity with someone who makes your life harder.

I did not understand this when I was younger. I felt like I gave “nice” responses, but I often found myself in broken relationships or with frustrated friends.

I remember getting older and going on my mission. Missions are interesting for a lot of reasons but one of those reasons is the fact that you get put into leadership positions very young and are expected to help people reach their full potential. Sometimes that includes correcting others. I remember watching a couple of elders on my mission who could correct other elders without repercussion for the most part. People liked them and listened to them and could be corrected by them without growing defensive.

I remember thinking that I would never be able to do that.

These principles changed that. When you change your focus, you can often turn away wrath. It’s not about changing your words; it’s about changing your focus.

You stop focusing on how you are being perceived. You stop focusing on how to convince them to do better. You stop focusing on how much they’re making your life harder.

And you focus on them.

It’s that simple. People can feel when you’re just tolerating them and being polite to their face. They can feel your intentions. They can feel when you’re simply focused on yourself. Even if it’s not consciously recognized, they will still feel it and start putting up defenses.

It’s easy to get hyperfocused on handling your conversations well. It’s easy to hyperfocus on trying to get it right. But honestly, in the end, all that really does is signal to the other person that you’re focused on yourself and it starts you off on the wrong foot immediately.

If you can train yourself to focus on the good of the other person (as Christ teaches), it goes a lot farther in turning away wrath than any artfully crafted words you can possibly string together.

I love Proverbs because they’re full of the wisdom that stems from the teachings of Christ. Christ teaches us to love our fellow brothers and sisters. He is the One who teaches us to focus outward and forget ourselves. The exact application of these teachings brings results, and Proverbs often highlight those results and wisdom. I testify that Christ knows what He’s talking about when He instructs us on how to build happy lives. I testify that forgetting yourself softens others in turn and brings more joy, connection, and happiness into your life.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Proverbs 1–4; 15–16; 22; 31; Ecclesiastes 1–3; 11–12 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

In his April 2026 General Conference address, “The Character of Christ,” President D. Todd Christofferson teaches that becoming like the Savior involves more than simply imitating His outward actions. True Christlike character grows from the thoughts, desires, and intents of a heart that is being changed through Jesus Christ.

The gospel therefore asks a deeper question than simply, “What should I do?” It asks, “What kind of person am I becoming?”

Christlike character grows out of a Christlike heart.

President Christofferson explains that developing this kind of character requires a mighty change of heart. For most people, that change happens incrementally over time through faith in Christ, repentance, covenants, and the grace of Jesus Christ through the Holy Ghost.

The result is not merely better behavior. It is a transformed heart that increasingly produces Christlike thoughts, motivations, desires, and actions.

Common Criticism: “Christianity is just about following rules and trying to be a good person.”

It is easy to look at the commandments and practices of Christianity and conclude that discipleship is primarily about modifying behavior.

From this perspective, the gospel is essentially a moral checklist: behave better, work harder, and become a better person through personal discipline.

Fallacy at Work: Behavior Without Transformation

This criticism assumes that Christian discipleship is fundamentally about what we do on the outside.

It overlooks the deeper purpose of the gospel:

• Not simply changing behavior, but changing desires.
• Not merely following rules, but developing Christlike motivations.
• Not relying entirely on personal discipline, but receiving divine grace.
• Not simply becoming better behaved, but becoming more like Jesus Christ.

Doctrine: Christ Changes the Heart

President Christofferson teaches that Christlike character begins within us.

The Savior’s attributes are the natural fruit of His thoughts, desires, and intents. If we want to develop His character, we must therefore seek the kind of mighty change of heart described in the scriptures.

But this transformation is not something we accomplish through willpower alone.

The good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that we, each of us, can call on the grace of Jesus Christ to help us.

Through baptism and confirmation, the Savior promises the companionship of the Holy Ghost. Through the Holy Ghost, we receive His influence and spiritual gifts, including the power of godliness in our lives.

This is what makes the gospel more than a system of moral improvement. Jesus Christ can actually help change us.

President Christofferson’s Correction

The Christian answer to human weakness is not simply, “Try harder.”

It is:

Come unto Christ. Receive His grace. Let Him change your heart.

Our consistent effort matters, but our transformation ultimately depends upon the Savior.

Solution

When we understand the gospel as a process of transformation rather than mere behavior modification, the commandments take on a deeper purpose.

They become part of a covenant path through which Christ helps us become the kind of people we could never become through effort alone.

Living Apologetics: Becoming Christlike From the Inside Out

President Christofferson gives us a powerful way to think about discipleship.

We don’t simply imitate Christ from the outside.

We seek to develop the motivations that produced His actions in the first place.

For example, Christlike love produces:

• Compassion
• Patience
• Forgiveness
• A willingness to correct when guided by the Holy Ghost

His devotion to the happiness and advancement of others produces:

• Humility
• Meekness
• Selflessness
• Courage

As these qualities become part of our character, our actions begin to change because our hearts are changing.

This also explains why spiritual growth can take time. President Christofferson teaches that for most people, the mighty change of heart happens incrementally.

We may look back and realize that Christ has been changing us little by little:

A little more patient.

A little more forgiving.

A little less focused on ourselves.

A little more concerned with the suffering of others.

That gradual transformation is itself evidence of the Savior’s work in our lives.

Practical Apologetic Use

If someone says: “Christianity is just about following rules and trying to be a good person.”

You might respond: “President Christofferson teaches that the gospel is about something deeper than outward behavior. Through the grace of Jesus Christ, He can change our hearts and help us develop His character.”

Ways to Apply Today

1️⃣ Identify one Christlike quality you want to develop and pray specifically for the Savior’s help in developing it.

2️⃣ When a difficult situation arises, pause and ask yourself not only, “What should I do?” but also, “What would Christlike love, patience, or humility look like here?”

3️⃣ Look for one opportunity to turn outward toward someone else’s needs, especially when you are experiencing difficulties of your own.

Keep This Talk With You

President Christofferson’s message ultimately reaches beyond our individual efforts.

Our choices matter.

Not only because they shape who we become, but because individual character influences the world around us.

It is the aggregation of individual choices over time that forms and changes societies for good or ill.

One person choosing compassion matters.

One person choosing forgiveness matters.

One person choosing integrity matters.

One person choosing to follow Jesus Christ matters.

And when individuals throughout families, congregations, communities, and nations increasingly adopt the character of Christ, those individual choices can collectively shape the world.

President Christofferson teaches that adopting Christ’s character is therefore not merely preparation for ourselves. It is part of preparing the world for the Savior’s return and His millennial reign.

The work begins in the heart.

Christ changes the heart.

The changed heart produces Christlike character.

And Christlike character changes the way we live, serve, and influence the world around us.

What is one change Christ is inviting me to make in my heart that could change not only who I am, but how I bless the people around me?

The Consider Conference series by FAIR offers an in-depth look at recent General Conference talks to help members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints navigate common questions, misunderstandings, and criticisms. Each post provides doctrinal insights, historical context, and practical ways to apply gospel principles in everyday conversations. Through this series, we hope to equip readers with faith-promoting resources that encourage thoughtful reflection, respectful dialogue, and a stronger foundation in gospel truths, fostering both personal conviction and meaningful discussions with others.

The post The Character of Christ appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

Mortal life is not for the faint of heart. Though it can have breaks in the difficulty where the sun shines for a while, we often get thrown back into the waves so that we can achieve our purpose of growing. It’s a necessary exercise. It was the purpose of mortal life. However, despite opposition being one of the main tools of the Plan of Salvation, it can be exhausting.

Here is a verse in Psalms that helped me to reflect on this concept.

Psalms 116:7 Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.

In all the craziness that runs rampant in our world, the Lord can offer peace and rest. He doesn’t offer it as the world gives it; He offers it differently.

Doesn’t that sound nice? I spent a lot of time growing up not understanding how to actually harvest the peace out of the gospel. I did the work, but I couldn’t close the gap between following the commandments and actually receiving a calmness in my soul. I went to church and read scriptures and did programs and attended the temple, and I still had a significant amount of turmoil in my life.

So what are some of our barriers to peace? I think there can be many barriers to peace including opposition, spiritual challenges, and challenges for our loved ones. However, I think the biggest barrier is a misunderstanding of where peace comes from. Let’s talk about some of those misunderstandings first.

The world teaches us that removing the opposition will help us find peace. I don’t think that’s 100% false. I definitely find peace when I take care of some of my issues. However, this is not a consistent enough resolution. Even when my life is relatively serene, I have a bad habit of finding problems.

There was an experiment performed by John B. Calhoun in the late 1960’s where he created a mouse utopia with plenty of space, food, and water. The temperature was always ideal. There were no predators. The mice flourished initially. As time moved on, despite ideal conditions and plentiful resources, the society of mice dissolved. Males started fighting aggressively with no true purpose. Females abandoned their young. Many mice withdrew socially and wouldn’t participate.

In a world filled to the brim with external peace, the mice created their own problems and sabotaged their own society.

I can’t help but notice parallels in our own world.

There is such a thing as external peace, but it actually plays a relatively inconsequential role in our internal peace. The world would tell you to remove external pressures and responsibilities. This is relatively ineffective.

But beyond what the world teaches, I think sometimes we, as Latter-day Saints, misunderstand where peace comes from even within the gospel. At least I misunderstood it. I thought that if I did what I was supposed to, the peace would just descend upon me. It would just start springing up as I made the correct decisions.

I missed a critical step.

Following the commandments → get to know Christ → peace in Christ

Following the commandments does not automatically bring peace. It can remove some of the barriers to peace. It can prevent barriers from rising up. For example, following the Word of Wisdom helps prevent addictions which can upend your life. However, we have already discussed the fact that removing external barriers is insufficient.

Peace is a byproduct of belief. I believe that Christ can fulfill His promises to me, and those promises are so incredible. I love them. When difficult things happen, I can hold to those promises. When life is easy, I still can find purpose rather than emptiness. True belief brings peace.

Commandments can help us find belief.

Perhaps that seems like a silly nuance, but it made a world of difference for me. I kept doing what I was supposed to do in the church, but I was still finding turmoil. True belief was missing. Interestingly enough, I believe in the church. I believed that God led it. I believed that Joseph Smith had restored it. I believed The Book of Mormon came from God.

But it wasn’t until I started actively believing that Christ had died for me, paid for my sins, and promised to personally take care of me that things clicked into place and I felt safe. I’m grateful that the commandments helped me find that belief that brought peace.

Which brings us back to our verse. Let’s put it into modern words this time.

Psalms 116:7 Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.

Rest. Because the Lord has blessed you. Because He will bless you.

Sometimes He really does calm the sea and remove external barriers. Those are nice times. Those are times where we get to practice finding purpose to ground us.

But other times, He can help us walk on water instead. In the New Testament, Peter walks on water and stays there as long as he keeps his eyes on Christ. It doesn’t matter how tall the waves are. It doesn’t matter how much the water rises. It doesn’t matter when keeping your eye on Christ keeps you on top of all that water. In fact, the rising water just brings you higher.

You’re not swimming desperately or drowning. You’re keeping your eyes on Christ, and He is enabling you to walk on top of it all. Your soul can rest because He is dealing with you bountifully.

I testify that peace comes internally. External peace is nice sometimes, but inner peace is truly what matters. I testify that the most powerful kind of peace stems from keeping your eye on Christ. I testify that keeping the commandments brings peace because keeping commandments helps you keep your eye on Christ. I testify that peace is possible even in our world filled with turmoil.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 102–103; 110; 116–119; 127–128; 135–139; 146–150 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. She was the 2023 recipient of the John Taylor Defender of the Faith award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 102–103; 110; 116–119; 127–128; 135–139; 146–150 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

Psalm 102 is a chapter that reminds me a bit of one of the chapters we already discussed in psalms. The psalmist feels weary and broken, but despite the hardship the psalmist still praises the Lord. When we discussed the similar psalm last time, we spoke about the faith-building activity of praising the Lord after pouring our hearts out to Him. I want to approach it from a different angle this time.

We know that the psalmist has a testimony of the Lord from verses like this.

Psalms 102:24-27

24 I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are throughout all generations.

25 Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.

26 They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:

27 But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.

Despite all that the psalmist is feeling, he recognizes that the Lord’s power endures beyond it all. He is strong and unending, omniscient, omnipotent. The psalmist also has a testimony that the Lord listens to those who are weak.

Psalms 102:17 He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer.

This psalmist has some very important testimonies. He knows the power of God, and He knows that God is on his side. What more could you ask for in this mortal life? Surely the Lord allows difficulty in mortality for a reason, but when everything boils down, you have already won everything because of the merits of the Savior. We have every reason to rejoice. We have every reason to see the happy ending on the horizon. We have every reason to be at peace because the Lord is our God, and He has promised to make everything right.

And yet, despite this testimony of God’s omnipotence and willingness to uphold His children, this psalmist also spends half the psalm crying out to God over his pain.

It’s easy to think of the psalmist as complaining in the beginning. It would be easy to assume he simply doesn’t have enough faith and grows into that faith by the end of the psalm. He had to grow through a process in which his faith was building enough to comfort him. And in some ways, this viewpoint is accurate. I’m sure he did grow when he praised the Lord in pain.

I’ve watched it occur many times in my own life.

There have been many times where the Lord has helped me walk through faith-building activities. I’ve started at a low point only to end in a place where I sincerely feel like rejoicing because He has given me glimpses of how my story ends.

And yet, as I read this psalm this morning, the Lord gave me a different viewpoint.

Yes, I’m sure the psalmist grew in faith as he wrote about his testimony. However, the psalmist didn’t start from a point of faithlessness. It takes faith to praise the Lord in a time of need, but it also takes faith to be vulnerable and turn to the Lord in a time of need.

I have a testimony of the Lord. I know Him. I know His character, and I often feel reason to rejoice. When things are hard, I don’t often have to force myself into gratitude. I know that He will carry me. He has proved it time and again.

And yet despite the many testimonies that He has given me of Him and despite the many times that He has proved Himself, mortal life still feels heavy sometimes. So, so heavy. Faith can be a remedy to some of that heaviness, but it is not accurate to say that heaviness comes because of a lack of faith.

It takes faith to find comfort when surrounded by the heaviness of mortal life.

But it also takes faith to keep holding on when the Lord is silent. It takes faith to remember Him enough to wait it out when you don’t feel like rejoicing. It takes faith to turn to Him in despair even when it doesn’t feel as though He is responding much. Heaviness and difficulty in mortal life aren’t signs that your faith is weak; heaviness and difficulty are simply facts of mortal life.

And sometimes sitting in that heaviness is what you need. Sometimes you don’t need to find the bright light yet. Sometimes you just need Someone to sit with you in the heaviness for a while before it’s time to find the lightness again.

I remember being in a dark place on my mission. Everything felt heavy and hopeless. I didn’t want to love anyone anymore because I was so tired of all the pain that came with loving people. Maybe I didn’t actually feel that way long-term, but at that moment, I was too tired to keep loving all of these people. It had weight, especially when people didn’t choose the things that could bring hope or even when people were simply going through their own heaviness. I was just tired.

As my companion took a shower, I went out to our living area and prayed in that darkness. He came. He didn’t directly comfort me. He didn’t whisper a happy ending or try to lift my sights. I actually distinctly remember feeling like He was just sitting with me in that heaviness and darkness. It was precisely what I needed.

Faith can take on many forms. It can look like rejoicing, and I am so grateful to have found that powerful aspect of faith. But I also know that sitting in darkness is not an indication of a lack of faith.

I testify that mortal life is supposed to be heavy and dark sometimes. It was part of His divine plan. It was supposed to happen. We were supposed to be taken to our limits so that we could expand our limits. I testify that faith often comforts and uplifts and rejoices in the midst of difficulty, but I also that sometimes faith manifests in a slightly more subtle feeling. It’s the feeling that you want to keep holding on even when the rejoicing is absent. It’s a feeling that you can be open and vulnerable with Him, and He will not scorn you for it. I testify that He will hear the prayer of the destitute and not despise them for it.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 102–103; 110; 116–119; 127–128; 135–139; 146–150 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

In his April 2026 General Conference address, “All Who Have Endured Valiantly,” David A. Bednar teaches that enduring to the end is much more than simply surviving life’s challenges. Through the Savior’s grace, it is the lifelong process of becoming a new creature in Christ.

Many people hear the phrase “endure to the end” and picture determination, grit, or simply hanging on through difficult circumstances. But the Savior invites us to something much greater: a complete transformation of heart.

As we align our character, desires, actions, and what we truly love more closely with God’s will, the Savior can bring about a comprehensive and complete change in us.

Common Criticism: “Christianity is mostly about following rules and trying harder.”

Many assume discipleship is measured by how well we keep commandments or how much determination we can muster. From this perspective, enduring to the end simply means faithfully checking boxes until mortality is over.

Fallacy at Work: Behavior Without Transformation

This view reduces the gospel to outward performance.

It assumes:

• Obedience alone changes us.
• Spiritual growth depends primarily on personal effort.
• Enduring means surviving rather than becoming.

Doctrine: Enduring Is About Becoming Like Christ

Elder Bednar teaches that the restored gospel is designed to change our very nature.

Through the Savior’s Atonement, sacred covenants, ordinances, and the companionship of the Holy Ghost, disciples gradually become “new creatures in Christ.”

That transformation reaches its highest expression through the gift of charity.

At a higher and even holier level, charity is the very essence of the ‘end’ toward which we are enduring—becoming new creatures in Christ.

The goal of enduring is not simply finishing the race.

It is becoming more like the Savior.

Solution

When we understand enduring as transformation rather than mere perseverance, discipleship becomes less about trying harder and more about allowing Jesus Christ to change who we are.

Living Apologetics: Becoming, Not Just Doing

The gospel certainly asks us to do many good things.

But Elder Bednar reminds us that God’s ultimate purpose is not simply better behavior. It is a changed heart.

As we receive the Savior’s grace:

• Patience replaces frustration.
• Forgiveness becomes more natural.
• Charity grows where judgment once existed.
• Our desires gradually become more aligned with God’s.

This change rarely happens overnight. It happens one faithful choice, one covenant, and one act of discipleship at a time. Over time, we discover that Christ is not simply helping us act differently. He is helping us become different.

Practical Apologetic Use

If someone says: “Religion is just about trying harder.”

You might respond: “Elder Bednar teaches that the gospel isn’t primarily about trying harder. It’s about allowing Jesus Christ to transform our hearts until we become more like Him.”

Ways to Apply Today

1️⃣ Look for one opportunity to respond with Christlike charity instead of your natural reaction.

2️⃣ Reflect on one way the Savior has changed your heart over the past year.

3️⃣ Pray specifically for the gift of charity as you seek to become more like Jesus Christ.

Keep This Talk With You

Elder Bednar reminds us that enduring to the end is not measured by how long we hold on. It is measured by who we are becoming through Jesus Christ.

As we faithfully follow Him, the change He works within us becomes evident over time.

“As we live as He invites us to live and with His help, our nature and character over time increasingly become more like His.”

This week:

• Trust His grace. Christ can change far more than your circumstances.
• Seek transformation. Focus on who you are becoming, not just what you are doing.
• Choose charity. Let the pure love of Christ shape your daily interactions.

As we do, enduring to the end becomes more than perseverance. It becomes a joyful process of discipleship. Little by little, covenant by covenant, the Savior changes our hearts until we become more like Him.

How is Jesus Christ inviting me to become more like Him—not just in what I do, but in who I am?

The Consider Conference series by FAIR offers an in-depth look at recent General Conference talks to help members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints navigate common questions, misunderstandings, and criticisms. Each post provides doctrinal insights, historical context, and practical ways to apply gospel principles in everyday conversations. Through this series, we hope to equip readers with faith-promoting resources that encourage thoughtful reflection, respectful dialogue, and a stronger foundation in gospel truths, fostering both personal conviction and meaningful discussions with others.

The post All Who Have Endured Valiantly appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

David was a good king who loved the Lord but fell. He chose to engage in very serious sin and commit adultery with Bathsheba. The real problem came when he chose to cover it up. When David brought Uriah home to be with his wife, Uriah refused in loyalty to his fellow soldiers. In response, David got even more nervous and sent Uriah to a dangerous part of the battle to have him killed.

David spends a lot of time suppressing his own guilt until Nathan confronts him after the child is born. The fact that David doesn’t confess until after the child is born suggests that he was holding on to that guilt for 9-12 months.

Psalm 51 was written after David is confronted by Nathan’s parable. I want to talk about 51, but I think that covering Psalm 32 as well will add to the conversation. Both psalms occurred after David was called out.

Psalm 32:3-4

3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.

4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer.

David describes pain and groaning all day when he kept silent about his sins. He felt God’s presence as a condemnation during this time (heavy hand), and his strength was dried up like a drought. David kept on ruling as king, married to Bathsheba with no one the wiser, and it ate him up because he knew better and had loved God.

If you continue reading in 32, it talks about how David feels so much better after confessing.

Now here is a verse in 51.

Psalm 51:6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

The Lord desires truth in the inward parts because He knows what that does for us. He knows what a release it is. He knows that it releases a lot of suffering.

I’ve seen this in a lot of different ways in my life, but a couple come to mind specifically.

I grew up in a very good home. All of my siblings are active and as far as I know, all of their kids are active too. My parents are good people who choose to love each other and their children. This made it very easy for me to live the gospel. I didn’t have to ask difficult questions about how my family would fit on the other side. It never occurred to me that this might present very real problems.

And because of my naivety, I believe I was rather insensitive for a long time. I thought I was just really good at the gospel, not recognizing the fact that I had never faced obstacles and been forced to build strength as a result. I think this made me self-righteous in a lot of ways.

My mission helped with that a lot. I grew up a bit.

One of the indirect consequences of having my eyes opened was the fact that I got to look back at my choices with new eyes. And oh my goodness…cringe. I see why I lost a lot of friends growing up. I see how I was out of line.

I’ve reached the point where I give myself grace now because I recognize that I was young and simply didn’t know better. There was no way that I could have built the depth necessary for compassion because depth hadn’t been required for me in a lot of ways.

But that grace was hard to grow into. It took me a long time to make peace with my younger self and feel okay with her. I often found myself sleepless at night because of ridiculous ways that I had acted while growing up. I felt the same way when I looked back on parts of my mission before some of that maturing had occurred. It ate at me.

It ate at me so much that I finally started reaching out to people. Logistics made it so that I couldn’t reach out to everyone, but I reached out to some. I apologized for my part in whatever issues we had. I told them I was sorry for being young and immature and likely hurting them because of it.

Sometimes it felt weird reaching out to people after years of no contact, but I was sick of sitting with my discomfort.

The result was overwhelmingly positive. I connected with a lot of people who had also matured over the years. I received thanks from people who also struggled with their younger years just like I had. Despite the initial awkwardness I felt, I found kinship with many people that I thought I would never feel close to.

I still have moments where I cringe about things I did or said, but now there is mostly just freedom and peace. It doesn’t eat at me anymore. In fact, I liked the feeling so much that I do it often and immediately now. Whenever I say something dumb or worry that I offended someone, I don’t hesitate. I simply reach out and explain myself or apologize as warranted. I’m not perfect at it, and sometimes delicate situations don’t allow for directness or freedom. But I try to do it as much as possible.

It’s awesome.

I think sometimes people sin and then blame God when they feel guilty and torn up about it. I believe that what’s actually occurring is the fact that they’re good people, and sin eats at them. They’re trying to find some relief from it, and so they distance themselves from God and become angry with Him.

It’s so much easier to lean into it and try to fix it instead of living with it. So much easier.

I testify that God wants truth in the inward parts for own sake. A simple acknowledgment is going to take us a long way. I testify that the fear of facing those sins and mistakes and flaws comes from Satan because he wants us to keep living with that misery. I testify that the lightness and freedom are on the other side.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 49–51; 61–66; 69–72; 77–78; 85–86 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 49–51; 61–66; 69–72; 77–78; 85–86 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

One of the most emotional psalms found in the Old Testament was written by David. He was a king who worshipped and loved the Lord. He rejoiced in the Lord, and because of that, he sometimes found himself with enemies. His enemies were not just foreigners but within his own kingdom. This chapter often speaks of them. Though David pours out his heart over his suffering, it shifts towards the end of the psalm towards praise of the Lord.

Psalms 69:30-31

30 I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.

31 This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.

Before these verses, David is emotionally suffering. He is in deep need. He is flooded by difficulty, overwhelmed by it. It shifts to asking the Lord to protect him from his enemies, but then it takes an interesting detour. Despite his turmoil, David starts to praise God.

There are two parts that I want to talk about.

Part one: Truly pour out your heart to God, but then try ending it with sincere, heartfelt praise. Do this on purpose.

The Lord is not afraid of your strong feelings. Tell Him exactly where you’re at. Tell Him how afraid you are, uncertain, angry, exhausted, depressed. We do not have to muffle our despair to please Him.

But after we’ve been open with Him, can I recommend praising Him? During your prayers, make the same shift that David does. Start to praise the God who has showed up for you a million times before. No matter how much despair you’re holding, it’s not going to change the fact that the Lord has already won and will provide for your eternal happiness. He’s going to do that regardless. Praising Him doesn’t change anything except you; it changes you. When you start to praise Him, you remember. Your eyes are opened. Your problems start to seem small and pathetic because you suddenly remember the character of the God who is on your side.

The tricky part about this recommendation is that it has to be heartfelt. Otherwise, it does more harm than good. If you’re just trying to swallow your pain and “force” yourself into faith, you’re not going to find the peace. That’s not how you arrive at peace.

So tell Him how you feel and then remind yourself of Who is on your side by praising Him on purpose.

Part two: There is a reason David says the Lord appreciates praise more than an extra sacrifice.

In verse 31, he declares that this specific attitude (praising God despite turmoil) will please the Lord more than the ox or bullock that has horns and hoofs. This description is important. It is describing the highest quality sacrifice that one could make. It was a fully-developed, prime animal. It was costly and ritually perfect, but according to David, thanksgiving was more pleasing.

It is important to note that David participated in sacrifice. He believed in obedience. This verse describing the Lord’s approval of thanksgiving doesn’t diminish our need to do what the Lord asks. However, doing what He asks without letting it change you is just a fruitless exercise for everyone involved. This verse is emphasizing the entire purpose of sacrifice in the first place. It’s meant to turn our hearts to the Lord. David understands why he makes sacrifices.

This is very pleasing to the Lord.

When I think about what is pleasing to the Lord, I often think about what would please me as a parent.

Would I love it if my daughter came to me randomly and said that she had vacuumed downstairs? Absolutely. I would be grateful if I asked her to do it, and she complied. I would be even more grateful if she did it before I even asked.

But I think there’s another experience that would mean more to me.

If my daughter felt overwhelmed with persecution and trials, I would be honored if she came to me about it. David’s heart cries out to God in the beginning. This psalm isn’t just about thanksgiving. David also lays out every reason he has that would argue against gratitude. I imagine any of my children coming to me, talking about painful circumstances, but then ending with, “I know things are hard, but thanks for being my mom. Thanks for taking care of me at home and making sure I have what I need. I know I can trust you.”

I can understand why David believes that the Lord appreciates David’s trust and praise more than another sacrifice.

Not only does it please the Lord to have His children love Him for all He’s done for them, this attitude of praise also pleases Him because He gets to watch us find happiness from the practice of praise.

I love when my kids recognize what I do and are grateful. I love it because it feels good on a personal level, but I also love it because I know that attitude of praise and gratitude and trust are going to lead to happy lives. That’s how you get there, and I get so excited when my kids find it.

It is so cleansing and cathartic to do as David does. It feels so good to pour out your heart to God but then step back and truly believe that you’re going to be okay, not because of your own merit but because of the Lord’s. If I could watch my children (or any of my loved ones) find what I’ve found, what David has found, my soul would be satisfied.

Do it. Pour your heart out and then end it with praising Him.

I testify that the Lord has your best interest at heart, and He has all the power and wisdom in the world to bring it about. I testify that praising Him pleases Him because it enables you to be happy. He loves watching you be happy. I testify that as we consciously take time to praise Him, we find peace and joy.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 49–51; 61–66; 69–72; 77–78; 85–86 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

In her April 2026 General Conference address, Sister Kristin M. Yee teaches that ministering is not simply something disciples of Jesus Christ do—it is part of who they are becoming. Through the Savior’s Atonement and our sacred covenants, we are invited to participate in God’s work of loving and caring for His children one by one.

Ministering is truly loving and caring for others as the Savior would.

Many people—even faithful members—sometimes think of ministering primarily as a Church program. Assignments, companionships, interviews, and reminders can unintentionally make it feel administrative rather than spiritual. Sister Yee gently redirects our focus. Ministering is not fundamentally about completing an assignment; it is about becoming more like Jesus Christ.

Common Criticism: Ministering Is Just Another Church Program

Some people wonder whether ministering is simply another organizational initiative designed to keep members busy. If ministering is motivated by assignments rather than genuine love, can it really reflect Christlike service?

Fallacy at Work: Reductionism

Reductionism is the tendency to reduce something complex to only one of its parts while overlooking its larger purpose.

When ministering is viewed only through the lens of assignments, reporting, or monthly visits, its deeper meaning disappears. The outward structure is mistaken for the entire practice, while its covenant foundation, spiritual purpose, and transformative power are overlooked.

Doctrine

From the beginning, God has ministered to His children individually. Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus healed, comforted, taught, and lifted people one by one. He then invited His disciples to follow His example (John 13:34–35; 3 Nephi 27:21).

Sister Yee reminds us that ministering is rooted in our baptismal and temple covenants. It is not a temporary responsibility tied to a calling—it is part of taking upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ and becoming like Him.

Sister Yee’s Correction

Rather than defending ministering as an effective Church program, Sister Yee elevates it into something much greater. She teaches:

We are not called to or released from ministering.

That simple statement changes the entire conversation.

Callings begin and end. Assignments change. But discipleship does not.

Ministering is the natural expression of a covenant life. As we choose to love as Christ loves, we gradually begin to think, feel, and serve as He does. The goal is not simply accomplishing acts of service but becoming the kind of people whose hearts naturally turn toward others.

Solution

When we reduce ministering to a Church program, we miss its greatest purpose. God does not invite us to minister because He lacks workers. He invites us because becoming like His Son requires learning to love as His Son loves.

Ministering is not merely something we complete. It is one of the primary ways Christ transforms us.

Living Apologetics: Becoming the Savior’s Hands

Many conversations about the Church focus on its organization. But Sister Yee reminds us that behind every assignment is a person Heavenly Father loves.

Ministering helps answer the misconception that Church life is centered on programs or policies. At its best, it demonstrates that the restored gospel is deeply personal. God works through ordinary disciples to answer prayers, strengthen faith, and remind individuals that they are not forgotten.

Practical Apologetic Use 

If someone says: “Ministering just feels like another Church assignment.”

You can respond: “The assignment simply gives us someone to begin loving intentionally. Ministering itself isn’t the program—it’s learning to care for people the way Jesus Christ does. The assignment may organize the work, but Christlike love is the real purpose.”

Ways to Apply Today

1️⃣Pray for one person by name. Rather than asking, “Who is assigned to me?” ask, “Who needs the Savior’s love today?”

2️⃣Notice the one. Look for someone who may be overlooked at church, work, or in your neighborhood. A simple conversation, invitation, or act of kindness may answer a prayer.

3️⃣Remember your covenants. Before seeing ministering as another responsibility, remember that caring for others is one of the ways we live the promises we have already made with God.

Keep This Talk With You

One of the beautiful truths Sister Yee teaches is that ministering reflects the very nature of heaven. Our Father in Heaven works one soul at a time. Jesus Christ ministered to individuals one by one. As we follow Him, we begin to do the same.

This perspective changes more than our ministering assignments—it changes how we see every interaction. Instead of asking whether someone is “our responsibility,” we begin asking how we can represent the Savior wherever we are.

This week, try one small step:

• Look beyond the assignment. Reach out to someone simply because the Spirit places them on your mind, whether or not they are on your ministering list.
• Practice intentional noticing. Slow down enough to recognize someone who may need encouragement, friendship, or relief.
• Pray to become more like Christ. Ask Heavenly Father to help you see others the way the Savior sees them and to give you courage to act on spiritual promptings.

When disciples stop viewing ministering as a program and begin seeing it as part of their covenant identity, service becomes more than an obligation—it becomes a way of life. As Sister Yee beautifully reminds us, “When we bless the one, we bless the whole.”

Who is one person the Savior may be inviting you to notice, love, and minister to this week—not because you were assigned to, but because you are becoming like Him?

The Consider Conference series by FAIR offers an in-depth look at recent General Conference talks to help members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints navigate common questions, misunderstandings, and criticisms. Each post provides doctrinal insights, historical context, and practical ways to apply gospel principles in everyday conversations. Through this series, we hope to equip readers with faith-promoting resources that encourage thoughtful reflection, respectful dialogue, and a stronger foundation in gospel truths, fostering both personal conviction and meaningful discussions with others.

The post Ministering— “That Ye Love One Another; as I Have Loved You” appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

There are different kinds of scripture that reach us through different means. The Book of Mormon is filled with stories that teach us about the dealings of God with His children; it is also filled with sermons that teach doctrine. The Old Testament is likewise filled with stories that highlight our relationship with Christ. The New Testament teaches us about the character of Christ by helping us read about His mortal life. The Doctrine and Covenants show the voice of the Lord as He speaks to His children; He answers questions that they have. There are obviously other kinds of scripture in each book, but there are some general “types” of scripture that teach us in different ways.

The Psalms are different entirely; they are poems set to music. Oftentimes, they are simply filled with praise and worship. When I think of Psalms, I think of the times when I feel very close to God. When I write in my journal about ways that God has shown up for me or saved me, it often evolves into psalms. I tell whatever story has happened in life at that point, but then I shift a bit and simply start to rejoice in Him and praise Him and love Him for helping me.

The principle I want to talk about today was taught to me a few weeks ago as I listened during Relief Society. The Lord whispered a principle to me, and today I saw that principle again in the verses that I read. Here is that verse.

Psalms 20:7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

Upon first reading this verse, we learn that the Lord is more powerful than human technology and resources. Chariots and horses were the epitome of military technology when this psalm was written. Many leaders measured their power by how many chariots they had. Even the most advanced of mankind was negligible compared to the glory of God and the safety that He could offer to us. There is so much comfort and peace to be had when we shift our trust from earthly protections to the Lord.

But as I read this verse, a different principle jumped to mind.

Chariots and horses were tools of war. In our day, we do not use chariots and horses to go into battle. In fact, many of us aren’t going into battle at all.

Or are we?

There is spiritual warfare being waged right and left of course, but this specific verse doesn’t suggest that the Lord is fighting. There is plenty of scripture that teaches how the Lord will fight our battles, but this particular verse doesn’t say that. It specifically teaches that instead of trusting in war, we remember the Lord.

Instead of trusting in anger and defensiveness, we remember the Lord.

Perhaps you will not find yourself on a chariot, but you may find yourself in battle against someone who has hurt you. You feel a deep need to defend yourself and hold desperately to your anger. You are possibly presented with opportunities to fight back with sophisticated technology.

Or you can choose to remember the Lord.

I have heard forgiveness mocked in our day and age. I have heard anger praised and upheld as the savior of victims.

There are appropriate times to be firm and even “battle” for what’s right, but righteous anger and firmness is always accompanied by forgiveness. Forgiveness is what will really save you when you feel that war has been waged against you. Forgiveness may include pursuing justice and standing up for what’s right, but forgiveness is required if we want to truly find healing and be at peace once again.

As mentioned previously, rather than emphasizing the fact that the Lord will fight your battles, this verse simply implores you to remember Him.

As I sat in Relief Society a couple of weeks ago, the Lord whispered to me one of the purposes of a specific part of His atonement. This is a very specific example, but it can be extended to countless examples.

I have never been assaulted.

So I would imagine that giving a TED Talk and starting a speaking circuit about forgiveness addressed to assault victims wouldn’t go far. These women are extremely vulnerable. Their trust has been shattered. Why would they give their trust to me about how to heal? I’ve never been where they’ve been. I have no personal experience in that kind of healing. I have no personal idea of what’s going to make them feel safe again. Honestly, the audacity of me to set myself up as an example to follow would be arrogant.

But then imagine an assault survivor starting a speaking circuit about healing and peace. It’s going to hit really different. If these vulnerable women can look to this speaker who has been where they’ve been and can show them the way out of darkness, they’re going to trust this speaker.

This is part of the reason Christ suffered what we suffered. He wanted to be able to teach us with power. He wanted to be able to stand before us, healed and whole, and show us the way out. He wanted to be able to say, “I know exactly how you feel. You can trust Me and what I teach about healing.”

When Christ asks us to forgive, it’s because He knows the peace that it brings firsthand.

When we are faced with any kind of battle or war or violence against us, it helps to remember the Lord. It helps to approach the situation with the Lord as our teacher and our guide out of darkness. He knows what He’s talking about. When He asks us to forgive and love, it’s because He personally knows what that will do for us.

I testify that the scriptures can teach us how to survive mortality. I testify that they are full of the teachings of Christ that can enable us to come out on top. I testify that remembering Christ and what He went through can help us to trust Him and allow Him to lead us out of whatever pain we may be experiencing. I testify that He suffered on our behalf because He loves us and wanted that extra relatability and power to reach us.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 1–2; 8; 19–33; 40; 46 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 1–2; 8; 19–33; 40; 46 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

The Psalms are a book of poetry, and Hebrew poetry differs greatly from modern, Western poetry. Where our modern poetry focuses on sound, personal expression, and experimentation, Hebrew poetry focuses on thought, repetition, and theological truths. The psalms are prayers put to music. In Judaism, they are known as the first prayer book.

The psalms are a great way to teach ourselves prayer. I often find myself completely caught up in my mortal life and the things around me. My brain is often consumed with things like tasks, stressors, and responsibilities. And because my brain is consumed with it, it’s very easy for my prayers to become consumed with it.

The psalms have something to say about that.

Psalms 1:1-2

1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

There is a lot we could talk about there, but I want to put a couple phrases together to bring out an important idea. “Blessed is the man whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”

I remember being young and thinking that life would get awfully boring if I spent all my time thinking about religious things. Don’t get me wrong. I liked church. I liked seminary. I read my scriptures, and my favorite thing in the world was EFY (now FSY). I just remember believing that meditating on the Lord’s law day and night meant reading scriptures and listening to conference talks nonstop.

While I find a great deal of goodness in studying the word of God, and while I highly recommend prioritizing those things in your daily life, I have found that meditating on the Lord’s law all day can look like many things.

When I was on my mission, I remember feeling that I wanted to spend my entire life that focused on Christ. I vowed to prioritize Him off my mission as much as I did on my mission. I was excited to come home, but I was adamant that there were many things I didn’t want to lose. I had found joy in being surrounded by the gospel all the time, and I didn’t want to let that slip away from me.

As I got home, I found myself in the same situation as everyone else. You still love the gospel, but there are extra responsibilities and priorities. It’s hard to listen constantly to conference talks when you need to be spending plenty of time in textbooks. It’s hard to listen to General Conference when you have young kids who need you.

There were many ways that the Lord comforted me when I missed the days where my studies were quiet and uninterrupted. When I felt exhausted and wanted to be strengthened and focused but was constantly being needed, the Lord whispered many things to make me feel better.

One of those lessons influenced what I believe about meditating on His law all day and night. The way to describe it is in relation to my mother.

I call my mom a lot. When I walk my dog, drive my kids somewhere, cook, clean, or any other miscellaneous task that requires my presence but minimal thinking, I call my mom. There are plenty of times that I don’t have anything to say. We don’t necessarily fill the entire call with talking. I just have her on the phone. I walk around doing my stuff with an airpod.

I don’t have to go visit my mom down south in order to invite her into my life. I get to carry her with me. I don’t have to be constantly talking about our relationship or all that she’s given me or studying stories from her life to feel close to her. Those are good things to do, but they are not the only tools for our relationship.

Meditating on the law of the Lord day and night does not mean going to the temple for the whole day and night. It doesn’t mean separating yourself from your responsibilities in order to go and meet Him. I don’t have to be constantly reading scripture or listening to conference talks. I don’t have to try and keep a “gospel” thought in my thoughts at all times. Those are good things to do, but they are not the only tools you have to build your relationship with Christ.

Rather, I try to remember to frame my day through the perspective of Christ. It reframes all of my happy moments and worries. I come to understand why the psalm describes you as blessed when you meditate on the gospel constantly.

When I feel weary, I remember that the Lord says to lose ourselves in service. When I truly let go of my own needs and trust Him to take care of me, I find a much happier existence.

When I run into uncertainty or instability, I remember that the Lord promised to uphold the righteous. I remember my past experiences where He has shown up, and I cling to Him. I find myself much less scared.

When I find myself overwhelmed with responsibilities, I remember that God’s first priority is being our Parent. I reorient myself and let go of what’s not important. I find joy in being a mother rather than seeing it as an obstacle.

The list could go on and on. I don’t need to be reciting the Articles of Faith on repeat throughout the day in order to be described as meditating on God’s law throughout the day. Rather, I can go about my day and reframe it under what the Lord has taught me about life. His law teaches us how to build a life, and it teaches us how to look at our lives in a way that brings joy. There is a reason you’re blessed when you let His law influence your life.

I testify that meditating on His law all the time really does bless you. I testify that constantly turning your mind towards trust and eternal priorities is what will fill you. It will soften the worries, sweeten the good moments, and bring peace to all of it. The Lord knows what He’s talking about.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 1–2; 8; 19–33; 40; 46 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

In her April 2026 General Conference address, President Emily Belle Freeman reminds us that spiritual growth rarely happens in a single defining moment. Using the Apostle Peter’s life as her guide, she shows that discipleship is built through repeated experiences with Jesus Christ—moments of revelation, courage, weakness, repentance, and ultimately enduring faith. Even our hardest days can become part of God’s work of shaping us.

Our understanding of eternal truth is not forged in a single moment—testimony is built over time, day after day, both best days and worst.

This message also answers a common question raised by both sincere seekers and critics of religion: If the gospel is true, why doesn’t God simply give everyone undeniable proof? President Freeman’s answer is that God’s goal is not merely to convince us that He exists—it is to help us become like His Son. That kind of transformation takes time.

Common Criticism: If the Gospel Is True, Why Doesn’t God Make It Obvious?

Many people expect that a testimony should come all at once. If God wants us to believe, shouldn’t He provide unmistakable evidence that removes every doubt? When spiritual answers don’t come immediately—or when faith feels difficult—some conclude that God must be silent or absent.

Fallacy at Work: Instant Gratification Bias

Instant Gratification Bias is the tendency to expect meaningful results immediately rather than recognizing that the most valuable growth often requires patience and persistence.

We instinctively understand that becoming a skilled musician, physician, or parent takes years of practice and experience. Yet we sometimes expect our relationship with God to mature overnight. When it doesn’t, we may mistake gradual growth for no growth at all.

Doctrine: Faith Is a Living Relationship

The scriptures consistently teach that testimony develops over time. Alma compared faith to a seed that grows only as it is nourished (Alma 32). Moroni taught that “ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith” (Ether 12:6). God invites us into an ongoing covenant relationship where each act of faith prepares us for greater light and understanding.

President Freeman illustrates this beautifully through Peter’s life. Peter confessed that Jesus was the Christ, walked on water, began to sink, denied the Savior, and was later entrusted to feed the Lord’s sheep. His testimony wasn’t established in one miraculous experience—it was refined through years of learning to trust Jesus Christ.

President Freeman’s Correction

Rather than presenting Peter as either a hero or a failure, President Freeman presents him as a disciple in the process of becoming. His best days did not make him complete, and his worst days did not disqualify him. Every experience became another opportunity for Christ to strengthen him.

This perspective changes how we see our own spiritual journey. Testimony is less about collecting dramatic spiritual moments and more about faithfully responding to Christ’s invitations, again and again, throughout life.

Solution

The gradual nature of testimony is not evidence that the gospel is false—it is evidence that God is shaping disciples rather than merely producing believers. He is interested in conversion, not just conviction. As we continue walking with Christ through both joyful seasons and difficult ones, our understanding deepens, our trust matures, and our faith becomes resilient enough to endure.

Living Apologetics: Faith Grows One Step at a Time

Many faithful people become discouraged because they assume everyone else has a stronger testimony or receives clearer answers from heaven. President Freeman reminds us that every disciple experiences both “best days” and “worst days.” Spiritual growth isn’t measured by the absence of struggle but by our willingness to keep walking with Christ through it all.

Practical Apologetic Use 

If someone says: “I’ve prayed for years, but I still have questions. Maybe the Church just isn’t true.”

You can respond: “The scriptures rarely describe testimony as something God gives all at once. Instead, He invites us to keep walking with Him. Peter’s testimony wasn’t built in a single miracle—it was forged through years of following Jesus, learning from mistakes, and continuing to trust Him. God often builds lasting faith one faithful step at a time.”

Ways to Apply Today

1️⃣ Look for steady growth. Instead of asking whether you’ve received one unforgettable witness, consider how your faith has quietly matured over the past year.

2️⃣ Stay with the invitations. Continue praying, studying scripture, worshipping, and serving even when spiritual progress feels slow. God often works through consistent discipleship.

3️⃣ Record your “best days” and “worst days.” As Peter’s life demonstrates, both kinds of experiences can become sacred building blocks of testimony when viewed through Christ’s perspective.

Keep This Talk With You

President Freeman’s message reminds us that testimony is not something we either have or do not have. It is something we are continually building with the Savior. Every answer to prayer, every covenant kept, every act of repentance, every season of waiting, and every quiet act of trust becomes another layer in the foundation of enduring faith.

That truth can change the way we respond to doubt. Instead of seeing unanswered questions as signs that God has abandoned us, we can recognize them as invitations to continue walking with Him. Like Peter, we may experience remarkable moments of faith alongside moments of weakness. Yet the Savior remains within reach, patiently strengthening us through every season of discipleship.

This week, try one small step:

• Reflect on your spiritual journey. Write down one way your testimony is stronger today than it was a year ago, even if the growth seems small.
• Trust the process. When questions arise, resist the urge to measure your faith by a single moment. Remember that God is building something lasting.
• Pray for enduring faith. Ask Heavenly Father not only for answers but also for the patience and courage to continue following Jesus Christ while those answers unfold.

Because testimony is built one day at a time, how can you more intentionally recognize the quiet ways Christ has been strengthening your faith, even during your “worst days”?

The Consider Conference series by FAIR offers an in-depth look at recent General Conference talks to help members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints navigate common questions, misunderstandings, and criticisms. Each post provides doctrinal insights, historical context, and practical ways to apply gospel principles in everyday conversations. Through this series, we hope to equip readers with faith-promoting resources that encourage thoughtful reflection, respectful dialogue, and a stronger foundation in gospel truths, fostering both personal conviction and meaningful discussions with others.

The post Best Days and Worst Days appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

I love the tangible. I love when Christ takes vast, spiritual concepts and puts them into human parables that help us better understand. Even if those earthly parables are imperfect in comparison to God’s plans for His children, they help me grasp things more solidly.

Biblical scholars argue whether Job was a real man or whether he is a piece of literature simply meant to teach us. Job may be a person who truly lived upon the earth, or he may be a parable. I have no idea whether Job was real, but I do know that the Lord uses physical things to help us better understand. All things are spiritual unto the Lord. The book of Job is no different. There are beautiful spiritual parallels to be drawn from Job.

Here is one of those spiritual parallels.

Job’s story begins with abundance. He has 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke (1,000 oxen), and 500 female donkeys. He has 7 sons and 3 daughters. His life implodes with a series of horrible trials, and he loses everything including his children.

Job remains faithful, and this is the end of his story:

Job 42:12-13

12 So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses.

13 He had also seven sons and three daughters.

His material blessings from the Lord are doubled by the end. He also ends up with the same amount of children that he had before, 7 sons and 3 daughters.

I found myself asking, “If I knew the end from the beginning, would I voluntarily choose to experience what he experienced to double what I had?” My knee-jerk reaction is “HECK NO.” Not only would I never give up my current children, but I’m also a total wuss when it comes to pain. So no thank you. I’m happy with half of my potential riches. Seems plenty sufficient to me. I don’t know what to do with 1 sheep let alone 7,000, but I digress.

Interestingly enough, all things are spiritual to the Lord, and that’s actually exactly what we volunteered to do.

Before we came to earth, we lived in a beautiful place with a loving family. We were safe. It was wonderful, but Heavenly Father wanted to give us more. In order to give us more, we would need to choose to go down to earth and experience opposition. We would have to walk away from all of that goodness, but Heavenly Father also had some promises for us. He would give us a double portion, and we wouldn’t have to actually lose anything important (i.e. children) because we had a perfect older Brother who would take care of us.

And so we volunteered to experience pain in order to receive that double portion, and we held on to the promises that the most important things would be restored to us.

It is significant that Job had the same number of children. I don’t know if Job was real and if he truly lost 10 children, but the spiritual lesson is poignant. Heavenly Father can double all of these other wonderful resources, AND we don’t need to truly lose anything valuable. He didn’t double Job’s children like the first round was unimportant; the Lord restored what Job originally had.

A double portion of resources was likewise significant. It describes the Lord’s generosity and His willingness to overcompensate for anything we might have lost during our period of opposition. I truly believe that. I believe that anything I suffer here will pale in comparison to what He plans on giving me there, and I hold tightly to those promises. They fill me with peace.

Honestly, part of that double portion is peace, but it’s so much more than that as well.

Sure, the Lord is going to give us a heavenly place with all that we need. We will have resurrected bodies that never grow old and die, but we will have more than that. Job was given double the resources, but he was given something much better as well. He became the blessing. He levelled up. He became more like his Savior. This is a parable for us. We can be someone worth being. We can be resilient, wise, and strong. We can be powerful. We can know the truth deeply because we were given an opportunity to live the truth.

We can be prepared to serve as our Heavenly Father serves, which actually leads to another insight surrounding the idea of “double portions.”

A biblical double portion refers back to inheritance laws and traditions. The firstborn son always received a double portion. This was both an honor and a responsibility. That double portion was given so that the firstborn son could take care of the vulnerable members of the family.

When I picture heaven, I see a beautiful place with everything we could possibly ask for. I also see good people who take care of each other. It feels heavenly because we’re all friends and build a community. Heavenly Father is actually trying to give us more than a beautiful place. He is trying to give us eternal purpose so that our forever doesn’t feel meaningless and empty. He wants to give us responsibilities to serve the vulnerable who come after us. He wants to give us a double portion to serve, but He needs to know that He can trust us to stay strong through opposition just as He does.

There are far more layers and parallels to study in the book of Job, but one of those layers echoes the Plan of Salvation itself. Job began with abundance. He experienced opposition. He had his abundance restored and doubled, and he likewise came out of the experience as a better man.

I testify of a Heavenly Father who has a plan. I testify that He teaches His plans over and over and over throughout His word. We just have to find the patterns. I testify that He loves each of us and has the power to restore what’s most important as well as offering a double portion. He is good and wise and powerful, and He adores us. We can trust Him as we wait to get to the other side of the opposition.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Job 1–3; 12–14; 19; 21–24; 38–40; 42 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Job 1–3; 12–14; 19; 21–24; 38–40; 42 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

FAIR is deeply saddened by the tragic passing of Chandler “Chuck” Hendry, host of Restored Truth.

Chandler joined us at the FAIR Conference this past week, and on Thursday we had the privilege of spending time with him as he met with FAIR and fellow podcasters. His unexpected passing the following morning, as he returned to the FAIR conference, has left us shocked and heartbroken.

Chandler was a passionate defender of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Through Restored Truth and his other efforts, he willingly entered difficult conversations, answered challenging questions, and sought to strengthen faith in Jesus Christ and His restored Church. We are grateful for his voice, his courage, and the contribution he made to the Latter-day Saint community.

Our hearts and prayers are especially with Chandler’s family and friends, as well as the many people who came to know and appreciate him through Restored Truth. We mourn with all who loved him and pray that they will feel the peace and comfort of the Savior during this time of profound loss.

We are grateful that Chandler chose to spend some of his final days among friends and fellow believers at the FAIR Conference. We will remember him with gratitude and affection.

— FAIR

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by Autumn Dickson

Job is a profound biblical exploration of faith and loyalty to God. Job loved the Lord, and he stayed true to Him. In the midst of great tribulation as well as riches, Job kept himself close to the Lord. Here is a verse that tells us a bit about Job.

Job 2:3 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.

By this point in time, Job has lost all of his property and riches. Worse than that, he has also lost his children. Despite this being the case, Job remained an upright man. There is one phrase in particular that I want to talk about, namely, “he holdeth fast his integrity.”

What does it really mean to have the Christlike attribute of integrity?

The more I try to write about integrity, the more difficult it becomes. Integrity is a mixture of things.

Preach My Gospel gives us a great definition that I want to paraphrase. Integrity is when you love God and stay true to Him because of that love. Integrity means that you know there are absolute truths and you align your life with those absolute truths no matter what comes along. It includes deep honesty, and what you choose to do when you’re alone is a good measure of your integrity.

In order to develop integrity, you need two ingredients: a knowledge of absolute truth and then alignment with that knowledge.

Ingredient one: a knowledge of absolute truth.

There are different types of integrity. There is a general sense of integrity where you hold fast to your principles, and then there is a religious integrity where you hold fast to God’s principles. It doesn’t matter how much general integrity you have if your principles are weak. Creating a house entirely made of straw may be consistent. It may be honest in the sense that you’re not pretending your house is anything other than what it is, but at the end of the day, it’s still straw. It won’t be able to withstand load or protect you.

We have to start with strong principles, God’s principles, in order to build something that will protect us and stand strong under the weight of adversity.

It is worth starting with the right materials if you’re going to build something. Starting with the right materials means understanding reality. If you understand that you’re a child of God and that there is an eternity waiting for you on the other side, it’s (hopefully) going to change your choices.

Ingredient two: aligning with that knowledge.

You would think that if you’ve got a solid foundation of truth, you would want to stay true to it. You would assume that if you could see that there are eternal realities, you would see the long game and hold on. Unfortunately, it’s simply not always true.

For example, King Zedekiah knew Jeremiah was a prophet. He protected and consulted Jeremiah. He even admits that he believes Jeremiah, and yet, he ignored Jeremiah’s warnings. He didn’t align himself with the truth that he knew, and tragedy struck because of it. In the face of fear and rejection, Zedekiah crumbled. And because he crumbled, his kingdom fell and the Jews were scattered.

So in order to reach integrity (the ability to withstand pressure), we need knowledge of truth and we have to align ourselves with that truth. It’s not enough to have one ingredient or the other; they have to come together in order to stand strong.

Action without knowledge of eternal realities stops when pressure builds. Knowledge without aligning yourself is moot; it doesn’t affect you or save you or bring you joy.

I’m going to make up a ridiculous parable, but it teaches my point.

A stranger comes to you, sets down a stool, and convinces you to step onto it. The stranger warns you that if you get down, you’ll die. It’s easy enough to stay standing on the stool for a little while, but then your legs get tired. You need to go to the bathroom. You’re hungry and cold. Why on earth are you standing on a stool because a stranger told you to do so?

Now imagine someone you deeply love and trust doing the same exercise. They warn you. You know they have your best interest at heart. You trust their wisdom and knowledge of reality. Despite mounting discomfort, you choose to hold on because you trust your loved one. Integrity is what you find when you keep standing on the stool even when it’s difficult.

It’s a mixture of trust in eternal principles and resilience.

And then there is the happy ending. Job is blessed with even more than he had previously. Even beyond the physical blessings, Job comes out a stronger man with a deeper appreciation of salvation and heaven. Integrity allowed him to conquer and come through on the other side.

Recap.

Ingredient one. Knowledge of God and eternal principles.

Integrity is powerful because it takes our acts of faith and turns them meaningful. No longer are we reading scriptures because a stranger asked us to. We read them to get closer to our Father in Heaven. And because we know Him, we seek Him out in times of trouble and need. Rather than turning our back on Him in anger, we find all the solace we need. It helps us to escape bitterness.

Ingredient two. Aligning ourselves with that knowledge.

Resilience gives us personal power as we grow into what our Father would have us become. It forges strength of character. We come out refined on the other end, seeing more clearly and that much more convinced of the truthfulness of gospel principles.

Integrity is powerful. It makes the gospel pathway worth it. We can see the blessings, and we stay on track to receive them. I testify that Heavenly Father is seeking to teach you truth. He wants you to see things as they are, and He wants you to choose to change your life according to that truth so you can experience the same joy He has experienced.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Job 1–3; 12–14; 19; 21–24; 38–40; 42 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

In his April 2026 General Conference address, Elder Thierry K. Mutombo taught that every covenant God invites us to make is motivated by His perfect love. Rather than imposing unnecessary rules, Heavenly Father gives commandments and covenants because He desires something infinitely greater for His children: an eternity of joy in His presence. Through his own experiences of profound grief, Elder Mutombo testifies that covenant discipleship anchors us to Jesus Christ, whose power makes that eternal promise possible.

Some people see religion as a collection of restrictions that prevent people from living freely or finding happiness. Elder Mutombo offers a very different perspective. God’s commandments are not barriers to joy—they are the path that leads to it.

His desire, purpose, and glory are to have us return to Him pure, having proven ourselves worthy of an eternity of joy in His presence.

Common Criticism: Commandments Restrict Happiness

Many people assume that religion asks us to sacrifice happiness in exchange for obedience. Commandments can appear limiting, especially when they require us to resist immediate desires, challenge cultural expectations, or trust God through difficult circumstances. From this perspective, God’s laws can seem like arbitrary rules rather than expressions of divine love.

Fallacy at Work: Present Bias

Present Bias is our tendency to prioritize immediate comfort or short-term rewards while undervaluing future blessings.

When we evaluate God’s commandments only by what they require today, we can lose sight of what they are preparing us to become tomorrow. Elder Mutombo reminds us that Heavenly Father always sees beyond today’s sacrifice to the eternal joy He desires for His children.

Doctrine

Throughout scripture, God establishes covenants to bless His children, draw them closer to Him, and prepare them for eternal life (Mosiah 18:8–10; Doctrine and Covenants 82:10). His commandments are not arbitrary tests of loyalty—they are invitations to become more like Jesus Christ. As we faithfully keep the covenants we make at baptism and in the temple, we deepen our relationship with Heavenly Father and receive His promised strength, peace, and guidance.

Elder Mutombo’s Correction

Elder Mutombo illustrates this truth through one of the most heartbreaking experiences imaginable. After losing four children, he and his wife faced another trial when extended family members insisted that cultural tradition required them to separate because of their repeated losses.

In that moment, he remembered the covenants they had made with God.

Nathalie is my eternal companion. We are striving together to build an eternal family, and the Savior is helping us achieve it.

Choosing the covenant path did not immediately erase their grief. It did something even more important—it gave them peace, purpose, and confidence that God’s promises extended beyond mortality. Their experience demonstrates that covenant faithfulness is not about earning God’s love; it is about trusting the God whose love is already perfectly given.

Solution

The gospel of Jesus Christ teaches that obedience is not an end in itself. God asks us to keep commandments because He knows what kind of people we must become to enjoy eternal life with Him. What may feel like sacrifice today is preparation for everlasting joy tomorrow. Elder Mutombo reminds us that every covenant reflects the loving purposes of a Heavenly Father whose “desire, purpose, and glory” is our eternal happiness.

Living Apologetics: Seeing Commandments Through God’s Eternal Perspective

One of the greatest challenges of discipleship is remembering that God sees what we cannot. We naturally focus on today’s inconvenience, unanswered questions, or painful trials. The Lord sees the person we are becoming and the eternal future He is preparing for us.

Elder Mutombo’s testimony invites us to trust God’s perspective even when we do not yet understand His timing.

Practical Apologetic Use

If someone says: “Why would a loving God give so many commandments?”

You can respond: “The restored gospel teaches that God’s commandments are expressions of His love, not His control. He isn’t trying to keep us from happiness—He’s preparing us for the fulness of joy that comes from becoming like Jesus Christ and living with Him forever.”

Ways to Apply Today

1️⃣ Look beyond today’s inconvenience. The next time a commandment feels difficult, ask yourself what Christ may be helping you become through your obedience.

2️⃣ Remember the end of the story. When discouragement comes, reflect on the Savior’s Resurrection and Elder Mutombo’s reminder that “Sunday will come.”

3️⃣ Review your covenants. Spend a few minutes pondering how your baptismal or temple covenants have brought greater peace and direction into your life.

Keep This Talk With You

Elder Mutombo’s message reminds us that God’s vision for our lives extends far beyond mortality. Every commandment, every covenant, and every invitation to follow Jesus Christ flows from a loving Father’s desire to bring His children safely home. Even when discipleship requires sacrifice, we can trust that God never asks us to surrender lasting joy for temporary obedience. Instead, He invites us to exchange temporary comforts for eternal blessings.

This week, try one small step:

• Read Mosiah 3:19 and consider how yielding to the Savior changes your heart over time.
• Identify one commandment you have come to appreciate more deeply than when you first tried to live it.
• Thank Heavenly Father in prayer for one covenant blessing you have experienced, even during difficult seasons.

As Elder Mutombo beautifully reminds us, God’s ultimate desire is not merely our obedience—it is our return to Him, “having proven ourselves worthy of an eternity of joy in His presence.”

When God’s commandments require patience or sacrifice, what helps you remember that His ultimate purpose is not to restrict your happiness but to prepare you for an eternity of joy in His presence?

The Consider Conference series by FAIR offers an in-depth look at recent General Conference talks to help members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints navigate common questions, misunderstandings, and criticisms. Each post provides doctrinal insights, historical context, and practical ways to apply gospel principles in everyday conversations. Through this series, we hope to equip readers with faith-promoting resources that encourage thoughtful reflection, respectful dialogue, and a stronger foundation in gospel truths, fostering both personal conviction and meaningful discussions with others.

The post The Joy of a Covenant Relationship with God appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

Esther’s story is one of courage. She is a remarkable woman who was placed in humble circumstances and rose to save her people. In a land that often looked down upon Jews, Esther’s heritage should have prevented her from being able to save her people. And yet, she rose to prominence was guided by the hand of the Lord. Here is one verse that introduces Esther and sets the foundation for what I want to talk about.

Esther 2:7 And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter.

In this verse, we learn that Esther’s given Hebrew name was “Hadassah.” In an effort to protect her, her name was changed to “Esther,” a Persian name. Jews were often looked down upon, discredited, and hated. Having a Persian name would have protected Esther from some of the prejudice she would face in court.

There is beautiful significance in the fact that Esther changed her name.

“Hadassah” means “myrtle.” The myrtle was a fragrant, humble evergreen plant often symbolizing righteousness, peace, beauty, or God’s people in biblical imagery. Esther was many of these things, and she rose to represent all of her people. The name “Esther” was also significant. Its Persian roots connect it to the word “star” which she certainly rose to be. Interestingly enough, the name “Esther” also has Hebrew roots, but those Hebrew roots mean “hidden.”

Esther’s names, with their many meanings, all tell her story very well. It also connects her back to Christ.

Esther was placed in a position to save her people. So much of her identity was “hidden” so that she could fulfill her role to save her people. Had her true identity been known, she may have been barred from being queen due to prejudice.

In the Old Testament, Christ is known as Jehovah, a latinized version of “YHWH.” This means, “I am.” It is a powerful statement of our Creator. It emphasizes self-existence, sovereignty, and eternal nature. When He comes to the earth, His name is revealed to Mary as “Jesus.” Jesus is the English version of Yeshua, which is a shortened version of Yehoshua. Yehoshua means “YHWH saves.”

When Christ came to earth, He did so quietly. Much of His identity was hidden. It was so hidden that the people in Nazareth, who knew Him while He was growing up, rejected Him thoroughly. They were angry when He claimed divine authority and purpose, and they tried to kill Him. If He had come in all of His glory, would things have been different? How would they have felt about Him then?

If He had come in all of His glory, He might not have been rejected and put in a position to save us.

On a broader note than Nazareth, many of the Jews didn’t recognize Him. They were looking for a powerful rebel who would throw off the Roman empire. They did not understand that Jesus was coming to save them in a more important way. Because He didn’t come in all of the glory that was due to Him, He was betrayed and rejected.

And though He didn’t deserve it, we needed it. We needed His true identity to be rejected so that He would be able to fulfill His atonement on our behalf. His “hidden” identity placed Him in a position to save the entirety of the human family.

Let’s take it a step further.

Esther’s hidden identity placed her in a position to save her people, but it wasn’t just her hidden identity. It was also her humility. Because of her docile and peaceful nature, the king really liked her. When she entered the throne room, the king extended his scepter towards her, sparing her life. Even after being spared, her humility continued. Rather than making a big fuss in the middle of court, she invited the king and Haman to a banquet. At the banquet, her request on behalf of her people was not widely viewed.

This likewise ties her to Christ.

When Christ saved the world, He did it quietly and without fanfare. As He suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane, He may have had an audience on the other side of the veil, but they were likewise hidden. His only companions fell asleep, and Christ accomplished His mission humbly. When it was all over, His success remained quiet as He was betrayed and taken to die. Not even His apostles seemed to understand just what He accomplished in that garden.

Both Esther and Christ had identities that were hidden that placed them in a position to save. Both Esther and Christ did so quietly and humbly, and this likewise enabled them to fulfill their missions.

What does this mean for us?

Each of us has a mission given to us by the Lord. We made promises before we came here. The Lord can place us in the position we need to be in to set us up for our mission. Regardless of whether we are born as an exiled, lowly orphan or born in a stable, He has the power to place us exactly where we need to be. Though it is counterintuitive, sometimes it is the very humble circumstances we are given that enables us to fulfill our own personal missions. Christ utilized kings like Cyrus and Hezekiah to save His people, but He also used those in the humblest circumstances to save His people. None of your circumstances matter; those are easy enough for the Lord to manipulate. What truly matters is whether you’re following the Savior.

Your mission may be quiet and humble, but if that is the case, then you are in good company. We don’t have to go over a loudspeaker to save His people. It doesn’t have to look outwardly dramatic. It doesn’t have to be filmed or livestreamed or hold a huge audience. We simply have to be willing to follow the Savior, and He will lead us to do good.

I testify that we can learn about Christ when we study the scriptures. I testify that everything was set up perfectly for Him to save us, not just with the alignment of circumstances in the New Testament, but also in your own personal life. There is a Plan of Salvation at large, and it has been successfully won. There is also a Plan of Salvation for you, and through the power of God, the circumstances can align for Him to save you too. We can trust Him.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Esther – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Esther – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

Can’t Make It to Lehi? Watch FAIR’s Conference Live — Save with COLLAB26

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by Autumn Dickson

The book of Esther is generally well-known. A Jewish orphan finds herself in the harem of the king, and she becomes queen after winning his favor. A plot against the Jews unfolds, and all of them are going to be destroyed. At the peril of her life, she stands before the king and invites him to the banquet to plead on behalf of her people.

It is very easy to see how Esther is a type of Christ. She intercedes on behalf of her people. She is willing to die in order to do it. She delivers the Jews from death; she gives them a fighting chance. She “rises” on the third day of fasting to go to the king on behalf of delivering her people. There are many parallels that we could talk about.

But after pondering on the fact that Esther is a type of Christ, it occurred to me that Mordecai is a type of Heavenly Father. It’s not a perfect parallel, but there are two details that point to Mordecai being a type of the Father.

Esther 2:7 And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter.

Esther was an orphan, and Mordecai raised her. He loved her. After Esther was taken by Persian soldiers, he walks in front of harem court to check on her everyday. In all the important ways, he was her father.

And then, of course, there was this parallel.

Mordecai asks Esther to intercede on behalf of the Jewish people. She responds that it might kill her. He responds with this verse.

Esther 4:14 For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

Mordecai warns that deliverance will come from elsewhere, but that she might not escape in the king’s court. He encourages her to risk herself, and we get his famous line that suggests she had been placed in a very specific place where she was capable of saving the kingdom.

I love this little parallel too. Christ likewise asked for the cup to be passed by Him in the Garden of Gethsemane, but He willingly took it when it was presented before Him.

But it’s actually Mordecai that I want to talk about.

As Latter-day Saints, we believe that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are two separate Beings. If it is true, then this is actually a very important theology. Combining them into one Personage, completely eliminates the sacrifice of the Father. There is great love in sacrificing yourself; there is also immense love in allowing your loved one to be sacrificed.

But unlike with Esther, where deliverance would have risen from elsewhere, there was no one else to save us but Christ.

Heavenly Father could have stopped the atonement of Jesus Christ because of His great love for His Son, but He didn’t. He allowed Him to be sacrificed. This is no small thing, and we can’t afford to look over Heavenly Father’s sacrifice.

Mordecai understood what it meant to sacrifice a child. Despite the fact that he had likely been moved upon by the spirit to help him see that Esther had been set up to save her people, I can’t imagine that there weren’t nagging little feelings. Did Mordecai ever think, “What if I ask her to do this and I’m simply sending her to her death for nothing? What if the Lord has a different means of deliverance but Esther is simply killed because I asked her to approach the king? What if her death is my fault?”

Obviously, Heavenly Father knew what the sacrifice of Christ was really going to entail. However, Mordecai’s experience of worrying over Esther helped him get a better taste of what Heavenly Father experienced as He watched His Son suffer.

I’ve never been asked to sacrifice a child on behalf of the world or even a nation (or at all). Because I’ve never been asked to sacrifice in this manner, I can only imagine what Heavenly Father felt when He allowed the Savior to take on the sins and pains of the rest of us. Mordecai has a better understanding of what Heavenly Father went through.

Esther was separated from her family and taken into the Persian court, a place of danger and intrigue. When Mordecai asked her to go walk into that court and face death, he was asking her to do it alone. Her handmaidens fast with her, but when she truly goes in to face her death, there is no mention of anyone standing with her.

Heavenly Father likewise had to completely withdraw from His Son in order to complete the atonement. Christ had to understand what it meant to be truly rejected by God in order to fulfil the atonement completely. Not only did Heavenly Father have to ask the Savior to suffer what He did, Heavenly Father had to leave His Son to do it alone.

We cannot overlook what Heavenly Father did for us without robbing ourselves of the chance to be grateful. We cannot combine them into one Personage without running the risk of completely disregarding the sacrifice of our Heavenly Father. The story of the atonement of Jesus Christ is a story of sacrifice. Christ willingly laid Himself upon the altar, but there is One who loved Christ who also allowed it to happen.

And honestly, I rather lay down on the altar than ask my child to do it. But in the case of Heavenly Father, He couldn’t. He simply had to let Christ do it.

The atonement of Jesus Christ preaches great love in the form of self-sacrifice. It preaches love in the form of watching a loved one suffer. Is there any greater love than that?

I testify that Christ loves us and volunteered to do what He did. I testify that when Heavenly Father asked who He could send down to the earth to perform the atonement, He knew that only Christ could do so. Christ 100% volunteered, but Heavenly Father knew what He was asking for. I testify that Heavenly Father loved us enough to ask His perfect Son to do that. Between the two of Them, I can think of no greater love that has been offered to us.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Esther – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

In his April 2026 General Conference address, Elder Patrick Kearon taught that Church callings are much more than assignments to fill vacancies or keep a congregation functioning. They are inspired invitations to join Jesus Christ in His redeeming work while allowing Him to refine our own hearts through service. Looking back on his first calling as a newly baptized member, Elder Kearon recognized that what once seemed unexpected became one of the Lord’s greatest tools for his growth.

I could see the Lord working through imperfect servants. . .who were striving to discern His will for those they were serving.

Many people struggle with Church callings. Others struggle with the fact that the Church itself is led and served by imperfect people. If leaders make mistakes or members fall short, does that mean the Church cannot be guided by God?

Elder Kearon’s answer is both honest and hopeful: God has always accomplished His work through imperfect servants who are sincerely striving to follow Him. Rather than being discouraged by human weakness, we can recognize it as evidence of the Savior’s power to accomplish divine purposes through ordinary disciples.

Common Criticism: The Church Can’t Be True Because Its Leaders and Members Are Imperfect

One of the most common criticisms of religion is that if a church truly represents God, its leaders and members should consistently reflect His perfection. When mistakes are made, people sometimes conclude that the Church’s claims to divine guidance must therefore be false.

Elder Kearon responds by shifting our focus from human perfection to divine partnership. God has never waited for perfect people before accomplishing His work.

Fallacy at Work: Perfectionism (The Nirvana Fallacy)

The Nirvana Fallacy occurs when we reject something good because it falls short of an unrealistic ideal.

Instead of comparing the restored Church with real-world alternatives, critics sometimes compare it to an imagined community without weakness, mistakes, or growing disciples. But throughout scripture, the Lord repeatedly entrusted His work to imperfect people—from Moses and Peter to Joseph Smith and the early Saints.

Expecting flawless disciples before believing in divine guidance misunderstands the way God has always worked.

Doctrine

The Lord has consistently called ordinary men and women to accomplish extraordinary purposes. King Benjamin taught that “when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God” (Mosiah 2:17), reminding us that service itself is one of God’s principal means of shaping His covenant people.

Likewise, Paul described the Church as the “body of Christ,” where every member contributes according to the gifts God has given (Romans 12:4–5). The strength of the body comes not from the perfection of each individual member, but from Christ, who is its Head.

Elder Kearon reminds us that callings are “tailor-made for our growth” and that “it really isn’t where we serve but how that matters to the Lord.” God is not looking for flawless servants. He is looking for willing ones.

It really isn’t where we serve but how that matters to the Lord.

Elder Kearon’s Correction

Elder Kearon does not pretend that Church leaders always make perfect decisions or that every member serves flawlessly. Instead, he invites us to recognize something more remarkable: Christ patiently works through imperfect people who are striving to discern His will.

That perspective changes how we view callings, ward members, bishops, Relief Society presidents, youth leaders, and even ourselves. Rather than asking whether God’s servants are perfect, we begin asking whether they are honestly seeking to follow Him.

The answer, more often than not, is yes.

And that is exactly how the Lord has always built His kingdom.

Solution

The existence of imperfect servants is not evidence against God’s Church—it is evidence of God’s grace.

If God only worked through perfect people, no one could participate in His work. Instead, He invites imperfect disciples into His service, knowing that as they bless others, He will also sanctify them.

That is one reason Church callings matter so deeply. They are not merely responsibilities; they are one of God’s primary classrooms for discipleship.

Living Apologetics: Looking Beyond Human Weakness

It is easy to become discouraged when we notice mistakes in Church leaders or fellow members. It is equally easy to become discouraged by our own shortcomings when serving in a calling.

Elder Kearon invites us to remember that Christ’s work has never depended on perfect servants. It depends on willing hearts.

Practical Apologetic Use

If someone says: “If the Church were really true, its leaders wouldn’t make mistakes.”

You can respond: “God has always worked through imperfect people. The real miracle isn’t that His servants never make mistakes—it’s that Christ consistently accomplishes His work through disciples who are humbly striving to follow Him.”

Ways to Apply Today

1️⃣ Extend grace. When someone serving in your ward falls short, remember that they are learning discipleship just as you are.

2️⃣ Support those you sustain. Pray regularly for your leaders and teachers rather than assuming they carry their responsibilities alone.

3️⃣ Embrace your own calling. Don’t wait until you feel perfectly qualified before giving Christ your willing heart.

Keep This Talk With You

Elder Kearon’s invitation extends far beyond accepting a Church calling. It invites us to see God’s kingdom through the eyes of Christ. The Savior has never built His Church with perfect people. He has always built it with covenant disciples who are willing to follow Him, repent, learn, and keep serving.

That truth should fill us with both humility and hope. Humility because we recognize our own imperfections. Hope because Christ is not waiting for perfection before inviting us into His work. As we accept opportunities to serve, sustain one another, and trust the Lord’s guiding hand, we discover that He is shaping us even as He blesses others through us.

This week, try one small step:

• Thank someone who quietly serves in your ward or branch. Your encouragement may remind them that their efforts matter more than they know.
• Pray for someone whose calling seems especially demanding, asking the Lord to strengthen and guide them.
• Look for one opportunity outside your formal calling to be “about His Father’s business” through an act of Christlike service.

Then we can learn to see one another the way the Savior does: not as finished disciples, but as willing ones.

How can you better support those the Lord has called, knowing that He accomplishes His work through willing—not perfect—disciples? 

The Consider Conference series by FAIR offers an in-depth look at recent General Conference talks to help members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints navigate common questions, misunderstandings, and criticisms. Each post provides doctrinal insights, historical context, and practical ways to apply gospel principles in everyday conversations. Through this series, we hope to equip readers with faith-promoting resources that encourage thoughtful reflection, respectful dialogue, and a stronger foundation in gospel truths, fostering both personal conviction and meaningful discussions with others.

The post About His Business  appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

In the readings this week, we find three changes for the Jews under the kings in Persia. There were three men who helped with these changes.

First, we have Zerubbabel, a Jewish governor who worked tirelessly to build the temple.

Ezra 5:2 Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem: and with them were the prophets of God helping them.

Then we have Ezra who taught the people the Law of Moses.

Nehemiah 8:2-3

2 And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month.

3 And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.

And lastly, we have Nehemiah who rebuilt the wall around Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 2:17 Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach.

I want to talk about these three elements of the Jews returning to their homeland and why it’s so relevant to the Lord working with us in our day.

The three elements are this: covenants, gospel, and protection.

When the Lord is seeking to build us and sanctify us and bring us to Him, those are the three elements He uses.

It starts with the covenants. Covenants are promises to and from the Lord. They bind us to Him in significant ways and offer us protection. It gives us access to Christ’s power. When I think of a covenant with Christ, I always think of it in terms of marriage covenants. Christ often uses the allusion of marriage to describe His relationship with us as well.

When two people get married, they make promises to each other. They’re going to stand by each other even in imperfection and trial. Traditionally, their finances also merge. Whatever debt or surplus they bring is combined. When we enter into a covenant with Christ, we promise to stand by Him, and He promises to stand by us even in imperfection and trial. Our “finances” merge with His. All of our debt is erased by His infinite surplus but beyond that, we have constant access to that surplus to call upon in times of need or want.

This is the first step. We cannot be saved without Christ. We need to be bound to Him in a way that enables Him to save us. Hence, covenants. Hence, Zerubbabel and the temple.

The next portion of rebuilding Jerusalem was the Law of Moses. The Law of Moses is often described as the “preparatory gospel.” It helped the people start to figure out Christ and what He meant in their lives. All of the rituals and remembrances were put in place to help them better understand Christ’s role.

In our day, the Law of Moses is fulfilled and we have the gospel. The gospel, with all of its truth, is taught to us regularly so we can understand Christ in our lives. What good is being bound to Christ if we don’t know the point of Him? What good will a covenant do me if I don’t know that my sins are paid for and I don’t know that I can draw upon His strength and peace and power? We need the covenant, but we also need the information that enables us to draw upon Christ and take effect in our life.

The last portion of rebuilding Jerusalem was the wall. City walls were tremendously important. When the walls of Jericho fell, the Israelites were able to immediately take the city. The walls around Jerusalem offered protection from enemies who would want to hurt what was inside of the city.

It would be easy to put “protection” under the umbrella of covenants and gospel learning, and it would likewise be accurate to do so. Covenants protect us; covenants are our promises that allow us to call upon Christ in need. That is definitely protection. Gospel learning protects us; understanding our Savior and His love and power keeps us close to Him where we can remain safe.

But I want to separate the wall from the temple and Law of Moses readings in order to highlight specific portions of protection.

Joseph Smith taught the following regarding the gospel:

The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.

The gospel (Ezra and the Law of Moses equivalent) is that the apostles and prophets testify of Christ and His mission; everything else is an appendage. The church is an appendage, an important and beautiful appendage, but it is separate. This is what I’m thinking of when I picture the wall around Jerusalem.

There are additions to the covenants and gospel that protect us. For example, commandments protect us. The Word of Wisdom protects us from all of the terrible things that can happen when you don’t have complete control over your body. The spirit of revelation protects us by warning us about certain situations or leading us towards where we need to be. There are a ton of different church programs that put us in safe and holy places to protect us.

City walls were not foolproof. Christ could make our “walls” foolproof, but part of mortality was opposition. Sometimes we leave the walls and find ourselves in trouble. Sometimes the trouble finds us even when we stay behind the walls. However, city walls still provide more protection than we would otherwise have. Not to mention, when an enemy breaches the gate, we still have complete access to our temple covenants and gospel knowledge and that heals us. The opposition hopefully pushes us closer to Christ so that no lasting damage can be done.

The stories we find in Ezra and Nehemiah have these overarching themes that point our minds back to Christ and what’s important to Him. We see His patterns. We see what He utilizes when He’s trying to build us and sanctify us: covenants, the gospel, and spiritual protective barriers.

I testify that the scriptures contain beautiful messages that teach us about God’s plans and purposes for us. I testify that Christ offers Himself to us by giving us covenants, knowledge concerning His gospel, and specific protections that build a barrier between us and our enemies. I testify that Heavenly Father thought of everything when He came up with His plan, and I testify that He is purposeful in preparing us to come home.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Ezra 1; 3–7; Nehemiah 2; 4–6; 8– Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Ezra 1; 3–7; Nehemiah 2; 4–6; 8 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

I’m going to give you a bit of a timeline to help you follow what is going on with these chapters. The bible is not chronological, and so it can get confusing. There are different names for the same people, and different names for the same ethnicity of people. Ezra also jumps around which isn’t particularly helpful. So here is a brief timeline to help you keep track of where we’re at.

There are three main waves of Jews returning to Jerusalem.

Context: Babylonians were the ones who took Jews away from their homeland. Cyrus easily defeats Babylon, and now Persia is in charge with a more tolerant hand.

The first wave happens with Zerubbabel, a Jewish governor, and Jeshua (Joshua) is the priest who helps with the religious portion of returning to Jerusalem. This happens under Cyrus, and the temple foundation is laid. About 50,000 people have returned, and they brought sacred temple treasures with them. Opposition stalls the rebuilding of the temple.

Cyrus has a son, but he’s not mentioned much and there is simply more stalling that occurs from local opposition.

Then Darius takes over, and he finds Cyrus’ decree to let the Jews go back and build. The work resumes. It is still Zerubbabel and Jeshua who are leading the rebuilding. The temple is completed, and Passover is celebrated. Haggai and Zechariah were prophets who became involved at this stage in urging the continuation of rebuilding.

Xerxes comes onto the throne. He is also known as Ahasuerus. Jewish rapport is building in high places within Persia, and this is the king who marries Esther.

Now we get our second wave of people returning to Jerusalem. Artaxerxes comes on to the throne. He is sympathetic to Jews, possibly influenced by Esther. Ezra is part of this second wave, and he goes and starts teaching the Law of Moses again. Unfortunately, letters of opposition once again stop the work.

Then there is our third wave. Thirteen years later, Nehemiah gains sympathy from Artaxerxes. He is the cup-bearer, and the king notices Nehemiah is sad. He allows Nehemiah to go and build the wall (which affords great stability and protection to the Jews against all of the local opposition). The king even gives Nehemiah resources to do so. Despite continued opposition, Nehemiah finishes the wall in 52 days. The people celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.

This entire timeline, from the first wave of Jews under Cyrus to when Nehemiah finishes building the wall around Jerusalem, occurs over approximately 95 years. 95 years of waiting. There were 70 years of exile under Babylon, and then there was another 95 years of waiting until they truly got any momentum in rebuilding their home.

Despite the decrees of kings, the Jews found their work halted again and again and again by local enemies, primarily the Samaritans who held long-standing rivalries with Judah.

And maybe that’s my message this week. The Lord is patient even when we’re anxious to reach our happy ending. Maybe we keep finding moments where we’ve finally “made it” only to have things fall apart again. Perhaps we find ourselves in the trenches, and it feels like no one is listening.

God knew exactly where His people were, and He was not as worried about rebuilding His temple as He was about rebuilding His people. After all, the temple isn’t the end-all. The temple is a tool to get to the end-all: a redeemed House of Israel.

Perhaps it’s time to realign our goals with the Lord.

I’m going to keep referring to the goal of “rebuilding the temple and walls of Jerusalem,” but you can insert whatever goals you’re currently working towards.

I’m sure it was discouraging for the Jews to face all of that opposition. I’m sure it was discouraging every time a page turned, and they thought it was “finally time.” Perhaps they kept thinking, “This is it,” only to get halted all over again. I wonder if they felt like they were taking one step forward and ten steps back.

Interestingly enough, the Lord sees the entire process differently. Where you see ten steps back, He sees 11 steps in the correct direction for His goal. The Lord wasn’t just rebuilding Jerusalem; He was rebuilding His people. And despite the fact that it likely made them feel broken down, those trials were an important part of their refining process. He was making them powerful by helping them face obstacle after obstacle.

I can only imagine how much more they appreciated their home because of how much longer it took to rebuild it, and that was really the successful part for the Lord. They had a holy city, but more importantly, He had a people who loved their holy city.

If you’re struggling to find peace in the midst of the ups and downs of trying to find your “happy ending,” might I make a recommendation?

Prayer.

Prayer is not about changing the Lord’s mind or getting yourself out of a situation. Prayer is about talking with the Lord so that you see the way that He sees. So turn to prayer; not just so you can ask Him to save you but so that you can see how He is actively working within your life. Perhaps He might even show you how the seeming setbacks are the exact stepping stones you need. He has a glorious goal in mind: you.

I testify that the Lord remains with us through the ups and downs. I testify that even when we’re doing His work, He purposefully allows for opposition because opposition is an important ingredient for His goal. He can’t accomplish His goal without that opposition so don’t despair. It’s all part of the plan. He loves you. He’s got this. He knows exactly what He’s doing.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Ezra 1; 3–7; Nehemiah 2; 4–6; 8– Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

In his April 2026 General Conference address, “Come Unto Christ—Together,” Elder Taniela B. Wakolo taught that God’s plan of salvation is ultimately about bringing His children to Christ and uniting families eternally. Drawing from scripture and personal experiences, he reminded listeners that the Lord works patiently with individuals and families, honoring agency while inviting all to receive the blessings of the gospel.

One criticism frequently raised about Latter-day Saint teachings is that temple ordinances and eternal family doctrine create division between believing and non-believing family members. Elder Wakolo’s message offers a different perspective: the gospel is not intended to separate families but to help unite them through Christ.

The temple stands as a symbol of hope, not pressure. The gospel of Jesus Christ is not a wedge to divide families but a bridge to unite them eternally.

Common Criticism: Eternal Family Teachings Divide Families

Some critics argue that teachings about temple marriage and eternal families create painful distinctions between family members who hold different beliefs. They see the doctrine as exclusionary and assume it places institutional loyalty above family relationships.

Fallacy at Work: False Dilemma

False Dilemma is the tendency to assume there are only two options when reality is more complex.

In this case, critics often assume a person must choose between loyalty to family and loyalty to faith. The gospel, however, teaches that discipleship and family devotion are not competing commitments. God’s plan is designed to strengthen both.

Doctrine: God’s Plan Centers on Eternal Families

When Moses asked God why He created the earth and its inhabitants, the Lord answered that His work and glory is “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” Elder Wakolo connected this purpose directly to the doctrine of eternal families, teaching that through Jesus Christ all people are invited to receive eternal life and dwell in God’s presence as families.

This doctrine is rooted in scripture and reinforced through temple ordinances. Latter-day Saints believe that family relationships are not merely temporary arrangements for mortality but can continue beyond death through sacred covenants made with God.

Elder Wakolo’s Correction: Love, Patience, and Agency

Rather than portraying the gospel as something that divides, Elder Wakolo repeatedly emphasized patience, respect for agency, and Christlike love. The stories he shared—from New Zealand, Australia, Utah, and Fiji—demonstrated that conversion cannot be forced and that family unity often grows through years of faithful example rather than persuasion.

One of the most powerful themes in the talk is that God works according to His timing.

“The Lord honors patient faith. And it is never too late for miracles.”

Throughout these stories, believing spouses did not pressure, manipulate, or withdraw from loved ones. Instead, they loved, served, prayed, and trusted God. Their discipleship became a bridge rather than a barrier.

Solution

The criticism misunderstands the purpose of eternal family doctrine. The doctrine does not teach that some family members are more valuable than others or that relationships should be sacrificed for religious conformity. Instead, it teaches that God’s ultimate desire is to unite His children through Jesus Christ.

When viewed through the lens of Christlike love, the doctrine becomes an invitation rather than a threat. The gospel calls disciples to be patient, faithful, and hopeful while respecting the agency of every individual.

Living Apologetics: Building Bridges Through Faith

Many Church members have loved ones who do not share their beliefs. Elder Wakolo’s message provides a practical framework for navigating those situations.

Faithfulness does not require pressure. Testimony does not require arguments. Often the strongest witness comes through consistent love, service, and patience.

Practical Apologetic Use 

If someone says: “Doesn’t your belief in eternal families create division between family members?”

You can respond: “Actually, the doctrine exists because God wants families to remain together forever. While individuals exercise their agency, the gospel encourages patience, respect, and Christlike love rather than pressure. The goal is unity in Christ, not division.”

Ways to Apply Today

1️⃣Choose patience over pressure. Trust that God is working in the lives of those you love, even when you cannot see it.

2️⃣Respect agency. Remember that genuine conversion is personal and cannot be forced.

3️⃣Build bridges of love. Look for simple ways to strengthen relationships with family members regardless of where they are on their faith journey.

Keep This Talk With You

Elder Wakolo’s message reminds us that God’s work is deeply personal. He knows every waiting spouse, every praying parent, every hopeful child, and every family carrying unanswered questions. His timing may not always match our expectations, but His promises remain sure.

The temptation is to measure success by immediate results. The gospel invites us to measure success by faithfulness. As we follow Christ’s example of patience, gentleness, and love, we become instruments in His work of gathering and uniting God’s children.

This week, try one small step:

• Reach out to a family member or friend whose beliefs differ from your own and focus on strengthening the relationship rather than winning an argument.
• Pray specifically for greater patience in God’s timing.
• Look for one way to help ensure that, as Elder Wakolo taught, “no one sits alone.”

What relationship in your life could be strengthened this week if you focused less on changing someone and more on loving them the way Christ does?

The Consider Conference series by FAIR offers an in-depth look at recent General Conference talks to help members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints navigate common questions, misunderstandings, and criticisms. Each post provides doctrinal insights, historical context, and practical ways to apply gospel principles in everyday conversations. Through this series, we hope to equip readers with faith-promoting resources that encourage thoughtful reflection, respectful dialogue, and a stronger foundation in gospel truths, fostering both personal conviction and meaningful discussions with others.

The post Come unto Christ—Together appeared first on FAIR.

There Is Something Special About Gathering Together.

The post 🚨FAIR Conference Ticket Sales Close July 28!!😨 appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

Time for another Old Testament story.

Jehoshaphat is a king of Judah. He is a righteous king who worked on pushing the hearts of his people towards the Lord. He tears down idols. He seeks out the will of the Lord. He’s a good man, though imperfect at times.

At one point in time, Jehoshaphat finds himself in Israel with his ally, the wicked King Ahab. Ahab wants to go fight Syria to recapture a city that was taken from Israel. Jehoshaphat agrees but wants to consult a prophet first. After consulting 400 false prophets who declare that they will be victorious, Jehoshaphat insists on consulting a true prophet.

The true prophet, Micaiah, comes and prophesies that they will lose and Ahab will die. Micaiah is actually quite awesome, but he is a story for another day.

Despite Micaiah’s prophecies, Ahab and Jehoshaphat try to fight Syria. It obviously doesn’t go very well. Ahab tells Jehoshaphat to wear royal robes, and Ahab dresses like a common soldier. Syria immediately starts trying to kill Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat calls out to the Lord and is saved. Ahab takes a random arrow and dies.

Jehoshaphat returns home and is greeted by a prophet from his own kingdom.

2 Chronicles 19:2-3

2 And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord.

3 Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land, and hast prepared thine heart to seek God.

After this experience, Jehoshaphat continues to make reforms to point his people towards the Lord. Jehoshaphat was not a perfect king, but he was a good king. In the Old Testament, we read a lot about the Lord punishing disobedience quickly and strongly. There is a reason for that; the Lord is warning us about the spiritual consequences of disobedience. And yet, the Lord doesn’t do this with Jehoshaphat despite his multiple recorded failings.

We see Jehoshaphat’s weakness a few more times over his reign.

Later on, Jehoshaphat makes another alliance with Ahab’s son, the new king of Israel. They built a bunch of ships together, and the prophet, Eliezer, prophesies that the ships will get destroyed. They get destroyed.

One of the ways that these two nations were allied was through a marriage. Jehoshaphat’s son, Jehoram, marries Ahab’s daughter. It comes back to haunt Jehoshaphat later when Jehoram starts worshipping idols and Ahab’s daughter tries to wipe out the Davidic line.

I love the nuance here.

Jehoshaphat made mistakes, but God spares him. He has weaknesses; he keeps trying to connect himself further with the northern kingdom that is wicked and idolatrous. There are two “despites” here that teach something really important.

Despite the fact that Jehoshaphat loves God, his disobedience and lack of trust come back to bite him. He loves God, but he has to experience consequences because of his flaws.

Despite the fact that Jehoshaphat has flaws, God continues to save him. He is directly saved in the battle that he fought with King Ahab, but he is preserved upon the throne until he “rested with his ancestors.” This is a biblical phrase that suggests he died peacefully.

I see it in my own life all the time. Despite the fact that I love God, I have flaws and they come with consequences. They drive me to be unhappy. When I get frustrated with my kids or get prideful or uncharitable, I find innate consequences that come back to bite me.

And yet, despite the fact that I have flaws, God continues to save me. We just keep on trying to move forward.

As I pondered this pattern, I thought of some of the other patterns I find in the Old Testament, specifically the pattern where God punishes those who trust mankind over Him. We see examples of kings that trusted Egypt but found themselves completely fallen to Babylon. Why didn’t Jehoshaphat find himself in this category? As I pondered Jehoshaphat’s exception, I was reminded that Hezekiah is another example of this. Hezekiah tried paying tribute to Babylon to get them to go away, and he even stripped the gold and silver out of the temple in order to pay that tribute.

So why were Hezekiah and Jehoshaphat spared when they also didn’t put their trust fully in God?

There is one more verse I want to share. It’s about Jehoshaphat, but Hezekiah did a similar thing.

2 Chronicles 18:31 And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, It is the king of Israel. Therefore they compassed about him to fight: but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him; and God moved them to depart from him.

What was the difference? Jehoshaphat called out to God. Hezekiah did similarly. After stripping the temple and failing, Hezekiah went to the temple and pleaded with the Lord.

When do we really lose the battle? When we turn on the Lord and don’t turn back to Him again after.

I think that’s really one of the keys to life here. We all fail. It’s inevitable. What keeps us in the pattern of Jehoshaphat and Hezekiah? We turn to the Lord again even after we failed Him. We plead to Him and ask for forgiveness even in the midst of the potentially devastating consequences that we got ourselves into.

We just keep turning back, no matter how many times we’ve failed.

I testify that we can turn to God, no matter how many times we’ve failed. I testify that this pattern is the one that really grants us success: turning to the Lord over and over and over and over. Even when we’ve failed Him, we turn right back. We trust that He will still love us, and we ask Him to help us get out of it and get better.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 2 Chronicles 14–20; 26; 30 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 2 Chronicles 14–20; 26; 30 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

Asa is one of the kings we read about this week. He was a king of Judah, the southern kingdom. He starts out his reign really strong, tearing down idol worship and deposing his own grandmother who worshipped idols. He encouraged people to seek the Lord. Unfortunately, he also took a turn for the worse and started trusting in human solutions over God, and he died.

There is one verse in the midst of his story that I want to share.

2 Chronicles 14:6-7

6 And he built fenced cities in Judah: for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years; because the Lord had given him rest.

7 Therefore he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us; because we have sought the Lord our God, we have sought him, and he hath given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered.

Asa had a time of peace during his reign, and in the midst of this peace, he built fortified cities in Judah.

Asa goes on to face an Ethiopian army, and he is vastly outnumbered. As he faces his enemy, he cries out to God.

2 Chronicles 14:11 And Asa cried unto the Lord his God, and said, Lord, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O Lord our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O Lord, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee.

The Lord proceeds to smite the Ethiopians, and they are driven back.

So here is my question…why did they fortify their cities?

Over and over and over again in the Old Testament we read about this same pattern. The Israelites (or in this case, Judah specifically), do all of the things only to have the Lord completely fight their battles.

The Lord parted the Red Sea. He made the walls of Jericho come down. He struck down 185,000 Assyrians outside Jerusalem’s walls during Hezekiah’s reign. This is a consistent pattern throughout scripture. The Lord fights the battles. Entire armies are defeated or become confused or simply flee.

So why bother even fortifying the cities?

Even in this specific story where the Lord defeats an army of a million Ethiopians, it doesn’t say that the fortified cities made a difference in the slightest. So why? Why fortify the city when the Lord defeats the enemy?

The only way I can think to explain it is this: chores.

Every Monday, our house gets totally cleaned. Bathrooms, mopping, dusting, vacuuming, all of it. Then, throughout the week, my three oldest kids are assigned one chore a day. It is usually the same list of chores that is done on Monday.

I remember watching my four year old wipe down the mirrors in the bathroom on Tuesday. That mirror went from clean to streaked in no time flat. My soul kinda died a little bit watching her make the mirror dirtier, and then it died a little more when I had to sneak back in to clean it a third time in two days.

But. I have to remind myself that it’s not about a clean mirror. It’s about a healthy, growing child. She doesn’t clean the mirror so that I can have a clean mirror (obviously). She cleans the mirror so that she learns how to clean a mirror (eventually).

The Lord paid for our sins. He paid for the sin you committed years ago, the sin you committed yesterday, the sin you’re going to commit today, and the sin you’re going to commit years into the future. The mirror is already clean.

But He still asks us to learn how to clean a mirror. Even when we’re actually just making the mirror dirtier again or when we’re cleaning an already clean mirror.

Being saved means you’re clean again, and to some extent, all of us will be saved in some degree of glory. Being saved means you’re clean, but being exalted means you grew up.

And that’s important because it determines our level of happiness.

There is inherent worth in knowing how to clean a mirror. There is inherent worth in learning how to fortify your city and do labor. There is inherent worth in growth even if it’s not actually contributing to anything yet. There is inherent worth in work even when it’s not paying for our salvation.

The Lord saves us. He cleaned the mirror. He protected His people throughout the scriptures.

But He asks us to learn how to clean the mirror because we won’t find happiness unless we know how. Some of the most miserable people I know are the ones who don’t appreciate the value of working hard. It won’t do you much good for the Lord to save you if you’re still miserable, and He’s not going to hook you up to constant happy drugs in heaven. Where do you think happiness comes from? It doesn’t really come from the mirror simply being clean. It comes from growing, and the clean mirror enables you to live with God again.

So we follow the Lord and His commandments so we learn how to be happy, and then He pays for the whole experience. He cleanses us so we can return to live with Him, and we return with the knowledge and experience required to find deep and lasting joy.

I’m grateful for the scriptures that teach true doctrine. I’m grateful that I get to watch these patterns over and over and over throughout the Old Testament. The Lord does the work, but then He asks us to grow. I see it everywhere. I’m grateful He paid the price for me to get messy and come home with the knowledge and experience I need. I’m grateful that I get to learn, through my own experience, the good from the evil. I testify that the Lord saves, and I also testify that He gives commandments for our good.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 2 Chronicles 14–20; 26; 30 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

In his April 2026 General Conference address, “Glorying in Jesus Christ,” Elder Aaron T. Hall reflected on Nephi’s powerful declaration: “I glory in my Jesus.” He taught that true discipleship involves more than believing in Jesus Christ—it means coming to know Him personally through the many ways He acts in our lives. By understanding His divine names and roles as Redeemer, Shepherd, Healer, Advocate, Deliverer, and more, we discover not only who Christ is, but who He can become to us.

Many people, both inside and outside the Church, wonder whether a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is truly possible. Isn’t faith primarily about accepting doctrines, ordinances, and commandments? Elder Hall’s message offers a compelling answer: Christianity is not merely about knowing facts about Christ—it is about coming to know Him through lived experience. As we learn the meaning of His names and recognize His work in our lives, our testimony becomes personal.

When life feels infuriatingly unfair and finding the strength to glory in the Lord seems difficult, reflect on the meaning of His divine names and let Him restore peace to your soul.

Common Criticism: Latter-day Saints Focus More on the Church Than on Jesus Christ

A common criticism of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that members emphasize prophets, programs, ordinances, and Church structure more than a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Some conclude that faith is primarily institutional rather than relational, and that Christ becomes secondary to the organization built in His name.

Fallacy at Work: False Dilemma

A False Dilemma occurs when complex realities are reduced to two competing options when both can actually work together.

In this case, critics often assume that disciples must choose between devotion to Jesus Christ and participation in His Church. But scripture consistently teaches that Christ works through covenants, ordinances, prophets, and His Church to bring people into a closer relationship with Him.

Doctrine: The Names of Jesus Christ Teach Us Who He Is

Throughout scripture, the Savior is known by many names and titles. Each reveals an aspect of His divine character, mission, and relationship with God’s children. Elder Hall notes that Nephi used more than sixty different names for Jesus Christ in his writings, each teaching something about His majesty and saving work. Yet Nephi’s most personal expression was simply “my Jesus.”

As we study the Savior’s names—Redeemer, Shepherd, Healer, Advocate, Deliverer, Friend, and many others—we learn not only what He does but how He blesses us individually. Scripture and covenant discipleship help these titles become personal realities rather than abstract doctrines.

Elder Hall’s Correction: Christ Is the Center of Everything

Elder Hall repeatedly emphasized the personal nature of the Savior’s ministry. He rejoiced in Christ as:

• Our Redeemer
• Our Good Shepherd
• Our Healer
• Our Advocate
• Our Lawgiver
• Our Deliverer

Rather than pulling us away from Christ, the restored gospel helps us discover these dimensions of His character more fully. Elder Hall taught that covenants provide “direct access to His power” and help us receive “an extra measure of [His] love and mercy.“

“Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me. . .” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:63)

Solution

The restored gospel does not place Jesus Christ in the background. It places Him at the center. Every covenant, ordinance, commandment, and prophetic invitation is designed to bring individuals into a closer relationship with Him.

When we understand the purpose behind these practices, the false choice between “following Christ” and “participating in His Church” disappears. The Church exists to help people know, trust, and glory in Jesus Christ.

Living Apologetics: Learning the Savior Through His Names

One reason Elder Hall’s message is so powerful is that it gives us a practical way to draw closer to Jesus Christ. Instead of asking only, “Do I believe in Christ?” we can ask, “Which of His divine names do I need most right now?“

Someone burdened by guilt may need to know Him as Redeemer.

Someone facing uncertainty may need to know Him as Shepherd.

Someone carrying grief may need to know Him as Healer.

Someone feeling overwhelmed by injustice may need to know Him as Deliverer.

As we discover how Christ fulfills these roles in our own lives, our testimony becomes more personal and resilient.

Practical Apologetic Use 

• If someone says: “Latter-day Saints seem focused on the Church more than Jesus.”

• You can respond: “The purpose of everything in the restored gospel is to bring us closer to Jesus Christ. Covenants, ordinances, scriptures, and prophetic teachings aren’t substitutes for Him; they are invitations to know Him more personally and access His power in our lives.”

Ways to Apply Today

1️⃣Choose one name of Jesus Christ this week. Study related scriptures and look for evidence of that role in your life.

2️⃣Pray using that title. If you need healing, pray to understand Christ as your Healer. If you need guidance, seek Him as your Shepherd.

3️⃣Record personal evidence. Write down moments when the Savior fulfilled one of His divine roles for you.

Keep This Talk With You

Elder Hall’s Easter message reminds us that the gospel is ultimately about a Person, not merely a set of principles. The doctrines of the restored gospel matter because they help us come unto Jesus Christ and know Him more deeply.

Like Nephi and Ammon, we all face moments of weakness, disappointment, uncertainty, and struggle. Yet those very experiences can become opportunities to discover new dimensions of the Savior’s love and power. When life feels unfair or faith feels difficult, Elder Hall invites us to reflect on the Savior’s many names and remember what each one teaches us about His character and His promises.

This week, try one small step:

• Choose one title of Jesus Christ and study related scriptures each day.
• Pray specifically to recognize the Savior’s influence in your life.
• Share with a friend or family member one way Christ has blessed you personally through one of His divine roles.

As Elder Hall taught, Jesus Christ is not only the Savior of the world—He is your Savior. The invitation is not merely to believe in Him, but to know Him.

How has Jesus Christ become more personal to you through your experiences with Him?

The Consider Conference series by FAIR offers an in-depth look at recent General Conference talks to help members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints navigate common questions, misunderstandings, and criticisms. Each post provides doctrinal insights, historical context, and practical ways to apply gospel principles in everyday conversations. Through this series, we hope to equip readers with faith-promoting resources that encourage thoughtful reflection, respectful dialogue, and a stronger foundation in gospel truths, fostering both personal conviction and meaningful discussions with others.

The post Glorying in Jesus Christ appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

This week, we find a righteous but imperfect man surrounded by legitimate reasons to be afraid. How do you respond when you’ve been backed into a corner? Let’s talk about how Hezekiah responded.

Hezekiah was a righteous king especially when contrasted with his wicked father, Ahaz. When Hezekiah rose to the throne, he threw out all of the idolatry and tore down all of the false places and altars of worship. He was reforming Judah, and he was helping them repent and turn back to the Lord.

Assyria was a superpower in the ancient world. They had just dominated the northern kingdom of Israel, and they set their sights on Judah next.

I am a firm believer that the Lord protects the righteous. It’s one of the main themes of The Book of Mormon, and yet, we see something interesting happen here. Judah is not completely protected. Assyria is able to take some of their fortified cities, and Hezekiah responds by offering to pay them a tribute to go away. In order to afford the tribute required by Assyrian, Hezekiah strips the temple.

It doesn’t work. Assyria sticks around.

One of the Assyrian commanders comes to the walls of the city and starts speaking in Hebrew so that the people of Jerusalem can fully understand the danger they’re in. It’s psychological warfare, and the people respond with silence as instructed by Hezekiah.

Hezekiah responds differently this time. He covers himself in sackcloth and ashes and goes to the temple to pray to the Lord. He prays and tells the Lord, “They’re mocking Thee. Show them who You are.” The Lord does. He slays 185,000 soldiers in the Assyrian army, and Sennacherib goes home to be assassinated by his sons.

We get to see Judah change and repent at this particular period in time. There are many good details; let’s cover a few.

Detail one. The Lord allows Assyria to defeat some of the fortified cities in Judah.

Judah was in the process of repenting. Hezekiah had torn down a lot of the idolatry, and this was incredible faith. Unfortunately, Judah had a long history of turning away from the Lord. Losing these cities was not an indication of the Lord being powerless. It was about discipline so that Judah could learn.

I actually find it really poetic that the fortified cities were conquered, but Jerusalem remained. What was in Jerusalem?

The temple.

The kingdom of Judah was being stripped down to its center, specifically to that covenant relationship that it held with the Lord.

I’ve seen this kind of repentance in my own life. I didn’t actually recognize it until a couple of days ago as I sat in my car in a parking lot. There was once a time when the Lord dismantled huge parts of who I used to be in order to make way for more important things.

Music used to be the most important thing in my life. I would drive down the highway, listen to some good country songs, and I always felt like I was on fire. It was such a strong feeling. So much of my identity revolved around music. There were a lot of reasons I was worried about getting married and starting a family, but I actually think music was a huge portion of those reasons. I didn’t want to sacrifice music.

Music was taken away from me. I stopped college to try and be a musician. I was working in the industry. I was entering competitions and playing small shows. I did it for months. Then it all collapsed a bit. I was surrounded by darkness, both within my own mind and in what I had surrounded myself with.

After being separated from that dark period, I put up a barrier between me and music. It didn’t touch me like it used to. I couldn’t write anything anymore. It was too associated with darkness.

As I sat in my car pondering this, I found myself bawling my eyes out that the Lord had taken it away. Only, I was bawling in gratitude not in despair. Music is powerful and wonderful and I don’t think I’m done with it yet. However, it had become an idol to me. I needed it taken away because the Lord had something much more important in mind. If I had kept music, regardless of whether I was successful or not, I think it would have prevented me from fully stepping into more divine callings. I wouldn’t have had room for these other things that the Lord wanted to give me.

Would I have willingly chosen children or resented them? Would I have ever had time to bear my testimony in the capacity that I do now? Would I even have been able to enjoy my role as a wife as much as I do now if music hadn’t been taken away from me?

I can’t totally be sure, but I think music would have robbed me of those things. I was that obsessed. It was an idol. I know that’s not the case for other musicians, but it was for me. It would have kept me from some of the most important parts of my life.

As I think about the beautiful life I’ve been given, it makes me sick to think that I could have missed it.

The Lord stripped away all of these parts of me that felt so important, and He left just Himself and His covenant with me. With all of the problems I had accumulated combined with the music having been taken away, there wasn’t much of me left. Just a covenant.

And the Lord upheld that covenant. He somehow got me on a mission and gave me my family. He had to remove all of that other stuff so that He could build something better with nothing but the covenant protection He had given me.

Detail two. Hezekiah goes from stripping the temple of riches to praying in it.

Hezekiah originally tried to give money over to Assyria to get them to leave, and it didn’t work. They camped outside of Jerusalem. He doesn’t make the same mistake twice. Hezekiah receives a letter telling him, “Don’t trust anyone who tells you that your God can save you. We’ve defeated so many other gods before you.”

Hezekiah had overturned altars and torn down idolatrous images in Judah; he did all the things. Now he gets to prove how much he really trusts the God of his fathers. Hezekiah tells the Lord that the Assyrians have done all of these major feats of strength and power, but Hezekiah also acknowledges that it is only the power of mankind. He continues his beautiful prayer with this sentiment.

2 Kings 19:19 Now therefore, O Lord our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord God, even thou only.

He implores the Lord to show the Assyrians who the true God is.

This isn’t about saving his own skin anymore. Hezekiah’s heart has turned towards God’s glory. That is the result he wants: God’s glory.

God shows up with a whole lot of glory, and He shows Judah and the rest of the world who holds the real power.

Hezekiah repented. He spiritually up-levelled. He went from knocking down idols to facing fear with nothing but his trust in God’s covenants with Judah. He went from fear of losing his life and kingdom to simply wanting the glory of God. He stood to lose a lot in facing off with Syria, but he chose trust and it saved him.

I testify that a covenant relationship with Christ is a powerful foundation. I testify that sometimes the Lord strips away parts of us that feel so important so that He can uncover that foundation and start anew with something more powerful. I testify that spiritually maturing means stepping into trust, and I testify that trusting in God saves us. It’s not enough to keep the commandments and do the things. Hezekiah did the things, and they were SO important and necessary, but even that was not enough. Hezekiah still had to trust, and that was what turned the tides of Judah. It can turn the tide for you.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 2 Kings 16–25 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 2 Kings 16–25 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

For a few weeks, two of my kids were really struggling. They would fly off the handle at little provocations. I would ask them to do things, and they would throw a fit (or throw other things). It was beyond normal kid misbehavior. I still don’t know whether it was a phase or something going on at school. I tried hard to figure it out, but couldn’t.

After trying to connect with them first, we ended up just spending a lot of time in our rooms. If they made my home miserable, they were going to spend time in their room. My normal philosophy is that as soon as they are truly repentant, they can come out. As soon as their ready to be part of the family, they can come join the family.

Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to be cutting it.

So we spent extra time in our rooms for just a couple of days. Some days, they would spend the whole afternoon into the evening in their rooms, and I would bring them dinner. There was one day where Warner tried talking to me through the door. He asked me, “Mom why are you being so mean? I’m sorry. Can I come out?” I had let him out previously, and we ended up exactly where we were within minutes. So he stayed.

There are a lot of moments in parenting where you question whether you’re getting it right. This was definitely one of those times. I didn’t know what my kids needed in order to turn themselves around and choose happiness, but I had exhausted other options so we were trying this one.

The spirit was super kind and as I walked away from their doors, a verse was brought to mind. In Mosiah 21, we learn that the Lord was slow to hear the cries of His people because of their iniquities. The Lord is perfectly loving, and He made a perfectly appropriate choice to be slow in responding to their cries.

Sometimes we need to sit with the discomfort a little bit longer in order for the lesson to sink in.

After a couple days of this torture (for them and for me), we finally started controlling our tempers and choices again. My home isn’t perfect, but it’s definitely more peaceful than it was for those couple of weeks.

This week in the Old Testament, we read about some people who found themselves in similar situations. I want to specifically talk about Zedekiah.

I want to tell Zedekiah’s story. Many of the details are actually found in the book of Jeremiah who was the prophet at the time of Zedekiah.

At this point in our timeline, the southern kingdom of Judah has been conquered by Babylon. Babylon puts Zedekiah in as a puppet king. Zedekiah swears an oath of loyalty to Babylon. Zedekiah reigns for a total period of 11 years. Around year 9, he starts rebelling against Babylon. He stops paying tribute and seeks help from Egypt. Most importantly, he ignores warnings from the prophet, Jeremiah.

Over and over and over and over, Jeremiah warns Zedekiah to bow down to Babylon. Zedekiah receives a very clear warning: submit or the city will be destroyed. Egypt will not save you.

Unfortunately, Zedekiah believes Jeremiah, but he keeps rebelling against Babylon anyway. He pays the price for it.

2 Kings 25:6-7

6 So they took the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him.

7 And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.

Zedekiah’s sons were killed, and he was blinded.

The principle I want to teach in this post requires highlighting a very specific fact: Judah’s subservience to Babylon was a direct result of breaking their covenants. Judah needed to repent, and the Lord sent Babylon to help them do it. Apparently, their repentance process was not quite over. The Lord was slow to hear their cries. They were not going to be immediately delivered from consequences because the Lord knew what they truly needed.

Judah was unimpressed with the Lord’s choices, rebelled against their consequences, and found even deeper consequences.

Sometimes when we’ve found ourselves entrenched in the consequences of sin, we bristle against it. We get tired and want to throw it off. We believe that surely, we’ve repented enough. We can move on. We can do what we want again. We don’t want to deal with the pain or humiliation anymore. I think of the Anti-Nephi-Lehies who almost broke their covenant and went back into battle. I think of the consequences of addiction and the continuous maintenance of keeping yourself clean. I think of people who believe it’s easier to walk away from the church completely than to try and keep working towards worthiness.

We rebel. We find consequences so that the Lord can soften our hearts and reach us. We are annoyed by the consequences, and we find ourselves in deeper trouble than before. We blame the Lord instead of recognizing His desire to help us step in a better direction.

The kingdom of Judah hated being a vassal state of Babylon. The leaders and priests found it humiliating and degrading. They did not want their consequences anymore, and it cost them dearly.

Consequences are not fun, but they are there for a reason. The Lord doesn’t hand out consequences generously to uphold His own control. No, the Lord gives them out as necessary to get us to turn our hearts around. Consequences are a gift and bristling underneath them only drags out the pain further. It doesn’t necessarily make the consequence longer, but it does drag out the pain. Let me explain what I mean by that.

Think of the Anti-Nephi-Lehies. They were about to break their pacifist covenants when they saw the Nephites suffering on their behalf. The consequences of their past violence was that they needed to keep their “swords bright.” They couldn’t stain them with blood again.

The Anti-Nephi-Lehies had changed hearts. They were hurting for their Nephite brothers. The consequences were too much to bear. And then I can imagine that it only got worse when their young sons volunteered to go in their place. Can you imagine the grief that filled their hearts? Can you imagine the regret they felt over past actions that kept them from defending their sons?

The consequences were REAL.

But they accepted the consequences and let their sons go. And because this is the gospel of Jesus Christ, we get a happy ending. The sons were all protected. They performed miracles. They made their fathers and mothers proud. And what’s more? They probably developed an intense testimony because of their experiences.

The fathers submitted to the consequences of their actions and because of the atonement of Jesus Christ, their submission to the ongoing repentance process became a blessing to them and their families.

Any pain they might have felt at sending their boys off surely paled in comparison to the joy they felt at watching their sons come home as incredible, powerful, spiritually gigantic men.

Zedekiah bucked against his consequences, and in doing so, told the Lord that he still needed his consequences. He hadn’t learned anything yet.

Consequences are not fun, but I testify that they are signs and reminders of the love of our Father in Heaven. He wants us to be better because that is the only way to be happier. I testify that the sooner we submit to whatever lessons the Lord is trying to teach us, the sooner we find hope and peace (regardless of whether the lesson continues on). I testify that even if we have to carry consequences the rest of our lives, it is not a sign that the Lord has rejected you. Be patient and submit to what the Lord sent. There is a bright horizon coming.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 2 Kings 16–25 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

In his April 2026 General Conference address, “Keys, Covenants, and Easter,” Elder Quentin L. Cook connected the Savior’s Resurrection with one of the most significant events of the Restoration: the appearance of Jesus Christ, Moses, Elias, and Elijah in the Kirtland Temple. Elder Cook taught that the priesthood keys restored there are central to God’s plan to unite His children and families eternally.

But some people wonder why priesthood keys and temple sealing ordinances matter at all. Aren’t they simply later additions to Christianity? Elder Cook’s message offers a powerful answer: these restored keys are not peripheral doctrines—they are part of the Savior’s work to bring God’s children back into His presence.

The keys committed by ancient prophets to the Prophet Joseph Smith in the Kirtland Temple are an essential part of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

Common Criticism: Priesthood Keys and Temple Sealings Aren’t Necessary

Many Christians believe faith in Christ alone is sufficient and see priesthood keys, temple ordinances, and eternal family sealings as unnecessary additions to the gospel. Others view temple work as an elaborate system built upon speculative interpretations of scripture.

Fallacy at Work: Presentism

Presentism is the tendency to judge past beliefs and practices solely through modern assumptions while overlooking their historical and scriptural context.

In this case, critics often assume that priesthood authority and covenant ordinances are later inventions because they are unfamiliar today. Yet this overlooks the biblical pattern of divine authority, priesthood keys, and prophetic restoration that stretches from Moses and Elijah through Christ’s ministry and into the Restoration.

Doctrine:

Priesthood keys are the authority God gives to direct His work on earth. Jesus spoke of these keys when He promised Peter the power to “bind on earth” and “bind in heaven” (Matthew 16:19). Through Elijah’s return, the sealing power was restored so sacred ordinances and family relationships could endure beyond death.

Elder Cook explained that Elijah restored “the priesthood keys pertaining to the sealing power to bind sacred ordinances and covenants on earth and in heaven.” These ordinances make possible the eternal union of husbands, wives, parents, and children. Without these keys, he taught, there would be “no eternal families.”

Elder Cook’s Correction

Elder Cook reframes the discussion by showing that sealing keys are not primarily about temples or procedures—they are about God’s plan to save and unite His children.

He pointed to the prophecy delivered through Moroni: “If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming.”

The Restoration provides an answer to questions many believers have wrestled with for centuries: How are families connected in eternity? What role do ordinances play in God’s plan? Why did ancient prophets repeatedly speak of Elijah’s return?

Solution

Rather than seeing temple sealings as additions to Christianity, Elder Cook invites us to see them as restorations of truths and authority that God promised would return before the Second Coming.

The gospel is not only about individual salvation. It is about creating an eternal covenant family through Jesus Christ. Priesthood keys make those covenants possible.

Living Apologetics: Seeing Temple Covenants Through the Lens of Christ

A common misconception is that temple work focuses more on ordinances than on the Savior.

Elder Cook’s message teaches the opposite. The purpose of priesthood keys is to connect us more fully to Jesus Christ and His Atonement. The restored sealing power allows the blessings of Christ’s sacrifice to extend across generations.

Practical Apologetic Use 

If someone says: “I don’t understand why temples and sealings are necessary.”

You can respond: “Latter-day Saints believe Christ restores authority whenever He restores His gospel. Temple sealings aren’t about adding requirements—they’re about making possible the eternal family relationships God has promised through His covenant plan.”

Ways to Apply Today

1️⃣ Study Elijah’s mission. Read Doctrine and Covenants 2 and Doctrine and Covenants 110 to better understand why Elijah’s return matters.

2️⃣ Strengthen family connections. Reach out to an ancestor, relative, or family member and learn more about their story.

3️⃣ Focus on Christ in temple worship. When attending the temple, consciously look for ways every ordinance points back to the Savior and His Atonement.

Keep This Talk With You

Elder Cook’s Easter message reminds us that the Restoration is ultimately about Jesus Christ. The same Savior who conquered death also restored the authority needed to unite families eternally. His Resurrection gives us hope beyond the grave, and His restored priesthood keys give shape and purpose to that hope.

The world often treats family relationships as temporary and fragile. The restored gospel offers a different vision: through Christ, covenant relationships can endure forever. The sealing power restored by Elijah is not merely a historical event to admire—it is a living reality that continues to bless families today.

This week, try one small step:

• Read the account of Elijah’s appearance in Doctrine and Covenants 110.
• Spend time learning about one ancestor or family story.
• Pray for greater appreciation of the Savior’s role in both your personal salvation and your family’s eternal future.

As Elder Cook promised, as we adhere to Christ’s ordinances, covenants, and commandments, we grow closer to Him and gain greater gratitude for the blessings restored in this dispensation.

How can you draw closer to Jesus Christ this week by strengthening your connection to the covenants and family relationships He has made possible through His restored gospel?

The Consider Conference series by FAIR offers an in-depth look at recent General Conference talks to help members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints navigate common questions, misunderstandings, and criticisms. Each post provides doctrinal insights, historical context, and practical ways to apply gospel principles in everyday conversations. Through this series, we hope to equip readers with faith-promoting resources that encourage thoughtful reflection, respectful dialogue, and a stronger foundation in gospel truths, fostering both personal conviction and meaningful discussions with others.

The post Keys, Covenants, and Easter appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

There are many patterns in the Old Testament. The story of Naaman, the Syrian, falls right in line with one of these patterns.

Naaman was a Syrian captain. The Lord utilized Naaman to deliver Syria. He was a good man, but he was also a leper. A captured Israelite girl resided as a servant in his home. She audibly wishes that Naaman could visit the prophet in Israel because the prophet could cleanse him of his leprosy. The testimony of the captured servant girl reaches Naaman and through a series of diplomatic relations, Naaman finds himself outside of Elisha’s door. Elisha doesn’t come out, but he does send instructions for Naaman.

2 Kings 5:10 And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.

Naaman is supposed to wash in Jordan seven times. He’s annoyed about these instructions for a number of reasons: Elisha didn’t come out to greet him, the river Jordan isn’t as nice as the rivers in his homeland, and it seems like such a silly thing. Despite his annoyance, his servants are able to convince to wash seven times. He does so, and he is cured of his leprosy.

I actually talked about this story four years ago when I went through Come Follow Me the first time. I talked about how arbitrary it was for Naaman to wash seven times in the river Jordan. I still stand by the principles I taught in that post. However, I am now four years older and wiser, and I have learned that washing in the river seven times is not arbitrary at all. Seven is a very symbolic number.

In the bible, the number seven symbolizes completeness, so let’s look at this story from that angle and let’s also generalize the details just a tad so that they become relatable.

A man wants to be clean (it specifically says that he was “cleansed” from leprosy). He has to go to a prophet to figure out how to be cleaned. The prophet instructs him to “be complete,” and he will be cleansed. He is cleansed.

I think this is so cool.

If we want to be clean in our day and age, the Lord still works through the same patterns. He works through His prophets to point us in the right direction. Through his prophet, we are given instructions. If we follow through on those instructions towards completion, we are cleansed. Naaman’s story is a parallel for receiving salvation.

I was definitely mistaken in thinking that seven was an arbitrary number. However, I actually love that I made the mistake because it led me to an important realization: bathing in the river seven times is not what healed Naaman. I don’t think there was some odd organism in the river that year that ate away at his chronic bacterial infection. I think the Lord healed him for his obedience.

And isn’t that the key here?!

As Latter-day Saints, we believe in salvation through grace. Naaman didn’t actually wash off his leprosy in the river. He was healed by the Lord. It was a gift that was given to him.

But the Lord didn’t cleanse Naaman until after Naaman was obedient in washing seven times, in being “complete.”

Latter-day Saints believe that salvation is a gift; we also believe we will be judged by our actions and whether we followed the Lord. The Lord judges us, cleanses us, and gives us that gift of salvation if He judges us worthy.

We see this same pattern multiple times in the Old Testament. It was the same with the walls of Jericho. The Israelites were instructed by the prophet to circle the city seven times, and the Lord made the walls come down so that they could enter into the promised land. The Israelites didn’t make the walls come down; they were obedient and the Lord judged them and enabled them to enter into the promised land.

We work towards completion, and the Lord cleanses us so that we can enter into the Celestial Kingdom.

So what does it mean to be complete?

There are probably a lot of things to be said about reaching completion, but the first thing that came to mind in this particular moment was the captive Israelite girl.

There were skirmishes along the border of Syria and Israel. Syria would perform raids into Israel, and they would steal women and children and turn them into slaves. This is likely how she came to be a slave in Naaman’s household. She was young. Some biblical scholars believe she was anywhere from 8-14 years old. We know nothing of her family, whether they were killed or put into slavery elsewhere or whether she was simply taken away from them.

What we do know is that she was in a pagan household, and despite her youth, she believed in a prophet in Israel. Belief will take us so far, and yet, she takes it beyond belief. That little servant girl held true compassion. She loved Naaman’s household enough to want Naaman to be cured and okay. Despite the fact that Naaman might have been partially to blame for her slavery, she had compassion.

Completion does not mean perfection. If we specifically strive towards perfection, we often end up discouraged. Instead, I would hope that we strive for completion. In my mind, completion means that we become beings that mirror Christ. We have faith. We have enough love in our hearts that our actions follow suit.

That little servant girl reflected Christ. She loved the very people who betrayed her. Being betrayed enabled her to save Naaman. We don’t know if she had to work through homesickness or anger or deep depression, but we do know she loved. I think that love helped her be complete in the sense that she turned outwards and was like Christ, but I also have the distinct impression that her love healed her. No matter what she went through, that love healed her enough that she could be compassionate.

I testify that the Lord teaches us His gospel in patterns. He teaches His gospel again and again and again through His servants, the prophets. I testify that He is the one who gives salvation to us, and I also testify that doing our best to become the kind of person who reflects Him brings healing and joy and peace into our lives no matter what we’ve been through.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 2 Kings 2–7 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 2 Kings 2–7 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

One of our people from this week’s readings is Elisha. He is the prophet who was called after Elijah. We don’t get many of his words or sermons, but we do get to read about many miracles. One of those miracles includes a Shunammite woman who took care of Elisha.

The Shunammite woman recognized Elisha as a man of God despite the fact that she lived in an idolatrous nation. Elisha and the prophet before him, Elijah, both worked to address the sins of the northern kingdom of Israel, but it only went so far. Widespread problems still occurred. Yet despite the widespread sin, the Shunammite woman chose faithfulness.

She constrained Elisha to come in and eat one day. After that first time, he came in to eat as often as he passed by. The Shunammite woman takes it farther and convinces her husband to make up a room for Elisha, and Elisha stays for them some time. Because of her kindness, Elisha prophesies that she will have a son. The son later dies from a tragic reaping accident, and the Shunammite woman goes to see Elijah.

2 Kings 4:22-23

22 And she called unto her husband, and said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the young men, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come again.

23 And he said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him to day? it is neither new moon, nor sabbath. And she said, It shall be well.

Her son has died, and she wants to go to the prophet. Her husband asks, “Why are you going to the prophet? It’s not a religious day.” She simply responds, “It will be okay.”

She moves quickly to find Elisha and finds him at Mt. Carmel. Elisha sees her coming and sends his servant to meet her.

2 Kings 4:26 Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well.

I want to draw your attention to two details that speak volumes for this woman and teach us valuable lessons about approaching prayer.

Detail one. Her husband didn’t make the connection between the death of his son and his wife’s desire to go and see the prophet. This implies that it didn’t even cross the husband’s mind to ask the prophet for a miracle. It occurred to the wife though.

How often do we pray for miracles? What is our mindset towards miracles? When something tragic happens, does it even occur to us that we can ask for a miracle? Maybe we believe in miracles, but maybe we don’t even think to ask for them. It makes me think of the quote from Elder Holland, “God is anxiously waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill your dreams, just as He always has. But He can’t if you don’t pray, and He can’t if you don’t dream. In short, He can’t if you don’t believe.”

It certainly didn’t occur to the husband to dream and ask the prophet to bring back his son. This isn’t a pronouncement of judgment on the husband, but it does reflect the strong faith of the wife. She had enough faith to dream up something miraculous in response to the tragedy. When her son died, she went for the prophet to ask for help.

As I look back on my life, I think I got the concept of faith wrong sometimes. When something tragic would hit, I would often despair and think God was mad at me or I would try to press myself into faithfulness and acceptance of whatever the Lord was sending my way. Perhaps tragedy was the Lord’s way of softening my heart sometimes, and it is always the appropriate response to accept what the Lord sends your way.

But faith isn’t just about accepting. Sometimes the Lord sends tragedies (or allows tragedies) because He wants to bless us directly. It draws us to Him. He wants us to have enough faith that we feel comfortable approaching Him in humility. There is power in humbly approaching the Lord. You see His hand when you’ve asked Him for it.

My husband is super handy. I’m convinced he can fix anything, and apparently, my kids are likewise convinced. Whenever they break something that matters to them, it is placed on dad’s desk. And he does fix it. Conner often fixes it.

One time, near the end of a pregnancy, we were all gathered in the kitchen. I turned to my husband and said, “I think my water just broke.” I didn’t realize my oldest was even listening, but she didn’t miss a beat. Before my husband could respond to this life-altering detail, my daughter called out, “It’s okay mom! Dad can fix it!”

We all laughed pretty hard, but as I write this particular post, I actually find myself in tears. My kids trust their dad. They have faith in his abilities to fix things. They have so much faith that my daughter’s immediate response to the word “broke” is to call for her dad’s help. I hope that I can keep building my faith until my response is that immediate.

What tragedy or uncertainty are you facing right now? What miracle can you pray for? What’s your happy “ending” for this particular episode in your life? Have you prayed for it?

Perhaps sometimes we simply forget to ask for a miracle, and other times, perhaps we’re simply afraid the answer will be no. The second detail I want to point out can likewise help with this.

Detail two. She responds with, “It is well.”

The Shunammite woman, in the face of horrifying tragedy, responds, “It is well,” two times. When her husband asks and when Elisha asks, that is how she chooses to respond. Her son had just died but when asked if everything is okay, she says, “It’s okay.”

I don’t think the woman was trying to downplay the tragedy. I don’t think this is one of those quintessential stories where you ask someone if they’re okay, and they sigh really big and say, “It’s fine,” when it’s anything but. I believe the wife was declaring trust in the Lord.

I believe she was saying, “It’s going to be okay. I can ask the prophet to save my son, but if not, it will still be okay.”

As I mentioned before, maybe it’s hard to ask for a miracle when you’re scared of a “no.” When Elisha tells the wife that she is going to have a son, she responds with, “Please don’t lie to your handmaid.” This could signal a lack of faith, but the fact she calls herself his handmaid is significant. She is calling herself his servant. She is saying “I serve you. Please don’t lie to me if this isn’t a real thing, but I’m your servant.”

So even the Shunammite woman was afraid to ask at some point. However, turning to the Lord, even when He is going to say “no,” can still be a cathartic experience if we approach it with the right heart. Demanding a miracle sets us up for failure because the Lord won’t take away every hardship.

But turning to the Lord with a specific type of heart will always bless us. We find this type of heart in the Shunammite woman. Her heart trusted in the Lord’s ability to fix things, but she also declared that it would be fine if He chose not to. She would trust Him. We talked about the blessing of the first detail, but the second detail can be just as important.

When the Lord says no, we’re willing to say “okay.” This faith enables Him to bless us even when He won’t fix things. It is this humble, trusting attitude that allows Him to comfort our hearts with the life-altering facts that we have a powerful God who orients His every action towards giving us what’s best for us. We trust that He can fix anything. We trust that He loves us. We trust that if He chooses not to fix something, He’s got a good reason and all things will be made up to us. Even when He has told me no, I have found special comfort when I’ve responded with, “Okay.”

I testify that prayer is healing. I testify that it brings great blessings into our lives. Building that childlike faith that the Lord can fix anything is powerful in our life. It brings joy and hope. Building that faith even farther brings a mature faith that withstands even the hardest of tragedies on earth. It is the kind of faith that will carry us. It is the kind of faith that can’t be brought down because it leads one to trust that He will fix it, even if it’s not immediately. I testify that He can and will fix everything. Trusting Him soothes and carries us in the meantime.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 2 Kings 2–7 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

In his April 2026 General Conference address, “I Will Give Away All My Sins to Know Thee,” Elder Wan-Liang Wu teaches that coming to know God is not merely a matter of belief—it requires faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, and a willingness to change. Through Christ, we can come to know our Heavenly Father and receive the gift of eternal life.

“What are we willing to give up or change to truly know God and be saved at the last day?”

Common Criticism: “If God loves me, why should I have to change?”

Many people believe that a loving God should simply accept people as they are. Repentance can seem unnecessary, restrictive, or even judgmental.

Fallacy at Work: Status Quo Bias

Status Quo Bias is the tendency to prefer things to remain as they are, even when change would lead to something better.

Spiritually, this bias can cause us to view repentance as a loss rather than a blessing. We focus on what we must give up instead of what God is offering us through Jesus Christ.

Doctrine: Repentance Is the Path to Knowing God

Elder Wu teaches that eternal life comes through knowing “the only true God, and Jesus Christ” (John 17:3). We come to know God by coming unto Christ, exercising faith, repenting, and following Him.

Repentance is not about earning God’s love. It is about removing the things that keep us from fully receiving it.

Elder Wu’s Correction

King Lamoni’s father did not ask what repentance would cost him.

Instead, he asked God:

“I will give away all my sins to know thee.”

Elder Wu teaches that true conversion requires the same willingness. Knowing God becomes possible when our desire for Him becomes greater than our desire to hold on to anything that separates us from Him.

Solution

The gospel does not teach that God loves us only after we change.

It teaches that because God loves us, He invites us to change.

Repentance is not evidence of rejection. It is evidence of divine potential. Through Jesus Christ, we can become more than we are today and prepare to return to God’s presence.

Living Apologetics: Seeing Repentance Differently

Many people think repentance is primarily about giving things up.

Elder Wu’s message invites us to see repentance as gaining something greater: a deeper relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

“The gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to change.” 

Practical Apologetic Use 

If someone says: “I don’t think God should expect me to change.”

You can respond: “The gospel teaches that God loves us exactly as we are, but He also loves us enough to help us become more. Repentance isn’t about proving our worth—it is about allowing Christ to transform us.”

Ways to Apply Today

1️⃣ Identify one habit, attitude, or fear that may be keeping you from drawing closer to God.

2️⃣ Ask yourself Elder Wu’s question: What am I willing to give up or change to know God more fully?

3️⃣ Focus on what Christ promises through repentance rather than what repentance requires.

Keep This Talk With You

Elder Wu reminds us that conversion begins with a choice. Like King Lamoni’s father, each of us must decide what matters most.

This week:

• Seek one way to draw closer to Jesus Christ.
• Pray to know Heavenly Father better.
• Identify one change that would help you follow the Savior more faithfully.

As we choose faith, repentance, and discipleship, we discover that God is not asking us to lose ourselves. He is helping us become who we were always meant to be.

What step can you take this week to choose Christ over comfort, habit, or fear?

The Consider Conference series by FAIR offers an in-depth look at recent General Conference talks to help members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints navigate common questions, misunderstandings, and criticisms. Each post provides doctrinal insights, historical context, and practical ways to apply gospel principles in everyday conversations. Through this series, we hope to equip readers with faith-promoting resources that encourage thoughtful reflection, respectful dialogue, and a stronger foundation in gospel truths, fostering both personal conviction and meaningful discussions with others.

The post Giving Away Our Sins to Know God appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

Do you ever feel like you’re desperately scraping at an empty barrel? Maybe it’s with physical resources to take care of your family, or maybe you feel emotionally or spiritually drained.

Well this week holds a story that can give us the key to finding peace with our barrel.

There is a huge famine in the land, and the Lord is providing for the prophet, Elijah. Elijah is living by a stream and getting water from it, and some birds are feeding him. When the stream dries up, Elijah is instructed by the Lord to go to Zarephath where a widow will take care of him.

When he gets to Zarephath, he finds the widow. He requests water and a piece of bread. Here is where our story continues.

1 Kings 17:12-14

12 And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.

13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.

14 For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth.

Elijah requests bread. The widow said she only has enough for her and her son before they die. Elijah tells her to get him some bread anyway and promises that if she does, she will have enough flour and oil until it rains again.

HERE IS WHY I LOVE THIS STORY AND WISH IT WERE ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS STORIES IN THE BIBLE: There is always enough in the barrel.

The widow of Zarephath chose to feed the prophet, and his promise was fulfilled. She had enough food for her and her son, and that food continued on. Absolutely incredible.

But. What did the miracle look like?

When the widow of Zarephath woke up in the morning and she lifted up the lid on her barrel, how much flour was there? Was the entire thing full? Did it always remain full? Did it empty over time and then one morning, she would awake to a full barrel again? Or…did it always stay almost empty?

Was there always a slight tinge of fear that one morning, it would simply be gone? Every night when she used up the “last” of the flour, did it prick at heart and push her to pray for another day? How long did it take for her to trust the miracle?

I’m going to highlight it again: There will always be enough in the barrel.

But even more than always giving enough, the Lord is trying to teach us something important.

I don’t know how the Lord continued the miracle of flour, but I would feel pretty comfortable guessing that it was the last option. The barrel always had just enough. If we’re going off of the Lord’s past patterns in almost everything (not just physical and monetary resources but spiritually and emotionally), we see very clearly that the Lord likes to give us just enough.

Here is my theory as to why I think the Lord chose the last option: that there was always just enough flour left.

Let’s say the Lord filled up the barrel and kept it perpetually full. There is not as much need, and therefore, there is not as much reliance upon the Lord. The widow always had plenty of flour. This is awesome, but there is an option that actually gives the widow more than just flour.

Let’s say the Lord filled up the barrel, let it empty, and then filled it up again. I don’t know how big her barrel was, but let’s say it took a week for her to empty the barrel. Once a week, the widow would go to bed with a prayer in heart that there would be more tomorrow.

And then my personal theory: The Lord only ever gave the widow just enough. Every single time the widow opened the barrel, she was praying that there was enough. She had so much more need which meant there was more opportunity to rely on the Lord and learn to trust Him. There were way more opportunities to build trust, and so the widow had flour AND she gained trust.

Some might argue it was cruel of a loving Father to not give her more flour and more security and confidence. I think the gift of trusting Him is one of the greatest gifts He can offer, and He’s very limited in how He is able to build that trust. Hence, the withheld flour.

So how does this relate to us?

If He’s withholding flour, it’s not because He wants to torture you. It’s because He wants a relationship with you. He wants you to trust Him, and giving you these repeated exposures builds trust even if it’s stressful until you figure out that He’s going to show up.

So the solution? Trust! Trust that there will be enough.

Perhaps the widow even had to scrape the bottom of the barrel to make sure there was enough, but the simple fact remained true: there was enough. Even if you’re only ever receiving enough for your needs, your barrel might as well be overflowing because the Lord’s resources are infinite. You don’t have to worry about that part. The part you should really start to work on is trusting Him.

Because even with a full barrel, there is never true security in this world. Everything could blow up tomorrow. But if you put your trust in the Lord instead of a full barrel, you never feel empty. In fact, I don’t think scraping the barrel is the stressful part. I think worrying about whether you’ll have enough is the stressful part. The real part that is killing you right now is not the physical motion of scraping the barrel; it’s being terrified that there won’t be enough tomorrow. If you can release that fear, the barrel will no longer feel tortuous. You’ll see the miracle as it is. You will see infinite resources.

If you can learn to trust, you won’t feel empty. You will rejoice and trust in His infinite resources. You will feel confident as His heir. Your barrel will feel full.

Every night, as you go to sleep, switch your thinking. Don’t ask yourself, “Will there be enough tomorrow?” Instead, recount the many times there has always been enough. You will find that the worries begin to disappear on their own.

The widow of Zarephath is one of my favorite stories because it teaches me that I don’t have to be scared about what’s in my barrel. I can look at my barrel and see the emptiness, or I can look up and see His infinite flour. Just because He’s only giving me a scoop at a time doesn’t mean I have nothing. It means I get as much flour as I need AND it means that I get to look up at Him everyday. I testify with all of my heart that there is enough for you.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 1 Kings 12–13; 17–22 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 1 Kings 12–13; 17–22 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

There are major themes throughout the stories we read in the Old Testament. Some of the more negative themes are idolatry, fear over losing power, disobedience, and corrupting influences. The Old Testament does not shy away from showing the fallibility of humankind. There is great hope in faithful stories in the scriptures; there are also important warnings in the stories of people who were not obedient to the Lord.

One of the stories we read this week shows themes of obedience and disobedience. We see people who have a connection to God and follow Him, but we also watch them choose against God and find themselves in deep water because of it.

There are a lot of details for our story in this post, but stick with me. They are important because they set the stage for our principle.

In 1 Kings 13, we read about a man of God and an old prophet. Those are the only “names” we receive for these men, and these titles can get confusing especially when you’re reading the details of the story. Though they were labeled as a man of God and an old prophet, we see their fallibility on full display.

For some quick background, Israel has split into two kingdoms: Judah and Benjamin in the south and the rest of the ten tribes in the north. The man of God was from Judah where the true temple was. The northern kingdom had fallen into idolatry. The man of God was commanded to go to Bethel (in the northern kingdom) and condemn the idolatrous practice. He does so and performs a couple of wonderful miracles as well.

The Lord warns and commands the man of God to not eat or drink in Bethel. The man of God originally follows this command very well as he works to return to Judah. Unfortunately, another man, the old prophet, comes along and finds the man of God resting under the shade of a tree. The old prophet offers the man of God some food and drink, and the man of God refuses. The old prophet says this.

1 Kings 13:18 He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him.

The man of God listens to the old prophet and partakes in food and drink. While the man of God eats, the old prophet tells him that he won’t make it home because of his disobedience. On the way home, the man of God is killed by a lion. The old prophet collects the body, gives the man of God an honorable burial, and requests to be buried next to the man of God when he dies. The old prophet calls the man of God a brother. He testifies that the prophecy made by the man of God earlier regarding the idolatrous altar in Bethel will come true.

There are a lot of confusing details. I don’t know if this was one of those parts of the bible that was translated incorrectly or whether it’s simply highlighting the fallibility of real people who sometimes follow the Lord.

Who was the old prophet? Was he an actual prophet to the Lord? He was in the idolatrous kingdom so when they called him a prophet, was he a false prophet? Was he trying to tear down the man of God for prophesying against the northern kingdom? We know that the old prophet received some revelation from the Lord. He prophesied of the death of the man of God, and he testified of the prophecy given by the man of God. So why did he lie? Was he threatened by the man of God or did he see no harm in his white lie? Was he trying to just nourish the man of God? Was he wicked but then received a testimony while he watched the man of God come and eat?

There is a lot of ambiguity. Oftentimes, I’ll try to take one biblical theory and talk about true principles from it regardless of whether the details are perfect. This time, I’m going to embrace the ambiguity.

The man of God listened to the old prophet and found himself dead because of it.

I’ve seen a pattern on social media. This is a pattern that has existed for a long time, but I’ve seen it more readily because of its prevalence on social media.

On social media (and in real life), we find people who are disgusted by the church. They hate it. They actively fight against it. Their entire online persona can be defined by, “I hate the church.”

But there is another group of people. They claim to be part of the church, to receive revelation, and to love the Lord. Some of their posts are uplifting and encouraging, but some of their posts teach things that can be found in direct conflict with the Lord’s commandments. Some of their posts might not necessarily be in direct conflict, but they are critical of the church in the name of their love for the Lord.

These people are much more ambiguous. What are their true motives? What does it mean that they call themselves members? Because heaven knows you can call yourself a member without actually following Christ.

I don’t have any real desire to discover their motives. If they are sincere, the Lord will work with them and hopefully they will listen. If they are not sincere, then the Lord can handle all of that. I don’t need to know their motives or even condemn them.

Rather, I’d like to highlight a warning from this story. The man of God died because he followed the ambiguous old prophet who had some claim to God but also lied.

I don’t think we’ll get killed by a lion if we follow these accounts, but I do think it can spiritually deaden us. It can blind us.

Isn’t that funny? The rest of the world would call us blind and accuse us of drinking the Kool-aid, and yet, either side could be logically labelled as propaganda. Both sides label themselves enlightened. Everyone thinks their version is the closest one to the truth.

So how do we know whether we can trust the old prophet? How do we know whether we should whole-heartedly follow the prophet of our church?

I can’t answer that question for everyone. All I know is that I talk to the Lord, and He responds. I can’t answer for other people, but the more I study the gospel and the church, the more I see the Lord’s perfect hand working with the imperfection of mankind. I have watched some of my loved ones listen to these posts and believe they can disobey the Lord in little ways and be fine, and I have watched some of my loved ones turn these voices off. With the experiences that I’ve had in the gospel, I have no desire to follow anyone (real or on the internet) who tells me that I can disobey the Lord. It’s not just about avoiding dying either. I have found too much joy in the protection and safety of the Lord, and I refuse to lose that joy.

I testify that being obedient to the Lord provides safety and warmth and true happiness. I testify that even in the darkest times, following Him is where we will find respite. I testify that He teaches us through powerful stories in the scriptures, and that His patterns reflect across all generations on the earth. I testify that there is safety in joy in following the word of the Lord as given from Him directly.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 1 Kings 12–13; 17–22 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

In his April 2026 General Conference address, “Eternal Marriage Is an Eternal Journey,” Neil L. Andersen teaches that eternal marriage is not simply a sacred moment at the altar; it is a lifelong and eternal process of becoming more like Jesus Christ.

While the wedding day is filled with hope and promise, the reality of marriage raises an important question: What sustains a relationship not just for a lifetime, but for eternity?

“Our eternal marriage is not a short-term experiment but a journey, an eternal journey of becoming who God desires us to become.”

Common Criticism: “If marriage is right, it shouldn’t be so hard.”

In a world where confidence in lasting marriage is declining, some assume that difficulty in a relationship is a sign that something is fundamentally wrong.

Fallacy at Work: Effort Equals Failure

This belief assumes strong relationships should feel easy, struggle indicates incompatibility, and lasting commitment should not require ongoing effort. 

Doctrine: Marriage Is a Refining Covenant Journey

Elder Andersen teaches that eternal marriage is designed to refine us, not simply fulfill us.

Within this covenant relationship, we develop Christlike attributes: sacrifice, charity, patience, and peacemaking. 

Marriage becomes a spiritual crucible—a place where we are shaped over time.

Elder Andersen’s Correction

Elder Andersen reframes marriage as a process of becoming, not just a state of happiness.

Even with preparation, weaknesses remain. Growth is required; repentance and forgiveness are essential. 

Difficulty is not a sign of failure. It is part of the design.

Solution

When we see marriage as an eternal journey, we stop expecting perfection and start embracing growth.

Living Apologetics: Growing Together Over Time

Elder Andersen shares powerful real-life examples of couples who faced mental health challenges, physical illness, and unexpected hardship. 

Yet through it all, they chose to stay faithful, serve each other, and trust in their covenants. 

Their strength did not come from ease. It came from faith in Jesus Christ, reliance on the Holy Ghost, and commitment to each other. 

“Keep your hope in each other and in Jesus Christ.”

Marriage is strengthened not by avoiding difficulty, but by facing it together with faith.

Practical Apologetic Use

If someone says: “Marriage shouldn’t be this hard.”
You can respond: “Elder Andersen teaches that marriage is meant to refine us. The challenges are part of what helps us grow into who God wants us to become.”

Ways to Apply Today

1️⃣ Choose patience in a moment where it doesn’t come naturally.
2️⃣ Strengthen your relationship through a simple act of service or kindness.
3️⃣ Turn to the Holy Ghost for guidance in your relationships.

Keep This Talk With You

Elder Andersen reminds us that eternal marriage is not sustained by human strength alone. It is sustained by Jesus Christ.

Through Him, couples can endure hardship. Grow in love. Stay true to their covenants. 

This week:

• Be patient. Growth takes time.
• Be faithful. Keep your covenants central.
• Rely on Christ. He strengthens what we cannot sustain alone.

In doing so, struggles become refining, weakness becomes strengths, and relationships become deeper and more enduring. 

We begin to understand what God intended all along: Marriage is not just about staying together. It is about becoming something eternal, together.

How can I more intentionally grow—not just endure—in my most important relationships?

The Consider Conference series by FAIR offers an in-depth look at recent General Conference talks to help members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints navigate common questions, misunderstandings, and criticisms. Each post provides doctrinal insights, historical context, and practical ways to apply gospel principles in everyday conversations. Through this series, we hope to equip readers with faith-promoting resources that encourage thoughtful reflection, respectful dialogue, and a stronger foundation in gospel truths, fostering both personal conviction and meaningful discussions with others.

The post Eternal Marriage Is an Eternal Journey  appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

This week, we get to learn a bit about Solomon’s reign. Solomon was known for his wisdom, a spiritual gift that was the direct result of a request he made as he was ascending the throne. The story of the two women and the baby is well-known and highlights this wisdom.

In the last post, we talked about how the Lord reflected Solomon’s heart back to him when the Lord offered to answer a prayer for Solomon. This week, we get to read about Solomon imitating the Lord in the story with the two women.

Here is a refresher on the story with the two women and the baby.

Two women lived in the same home. They both had babies. One woman accidentally laid on top of her child and killed the child. She snuck into the room of the other woman and switched the babies. The second woman woke up to the dead child and realized he wasn’t hers. They took their case to King Solomon. This is how King Solomon responded.

1 Kings 3:24-25

24 And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king.

25 And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.

The lying woman wanted the child cut in half. The true mother offered to let the other woman have the son; she just wanted him to be alive. Solomon obviously gave the baby to the woman who wanted to protect the baby at all costs.

Now, I want you to imagine being the true mother of the child who found herself in this nightmare through no fault of her own.

I don’t know exactly what she was feeling, but I think my response to this wild suggestion from the king would be this: “What?! I thought this guy was wise! Why would he do this? Is he crazy?”

I think this is sometimes how we react when the Lord makes decisions in our lives as well.

Sometimes the Lord sends or allows trials to happen in our lives. Sometimes we respond with, “What?! I thought the Lord was wise! Why would He do this?”

Throughout my life, and especially while working through sharing my testimony online, I have received this testimony over and over and over: The Lord loves me and works very carefully as He makes decisions to interfere in my life. He is wise! He knows what He’s doing! I know this testimony. I believe it. I find a lot of comfort in it.

And yet, even though I already had a testimony of this fact, I’ve found that there were limits to this testimony that needed to be expanded. When certain events have cropped up in my life, such as getting pregnant three months after having a baby, I have tried to trust in that growing testimony that the Lord loves me and is trying to give me the best of what mortality actually has to offer. Despite my desire to trust that He was trying to do what was best for me, I simply felt scared and betrayed and powerless.

I’m sure that woman was terrified when Solomon made the crazy suggestion to cut the baby in half. He was a king, and she was a harlot. I’m sure she knew what it meant to feel powerless and to have someone making decisions regardless of what was best for her.

And yet, Solomon wasn’t trying to torture her. He had very specific purposes. He was not rash or ridiculous. He was intentional. He was a mortal man blessed with wisdom to discern what was going on in his kingdom. He “sent a trial,” and it revealed the hearts of the women he was judging.

The Lord already knows our hearts, but He still sends little tests in mortality. I’m becoming increasingly convinced that He isn’t testing our hearts for His own sake, but for our’s. We spoke about this in my last post as well: He reflects our own hearts back to us.

Solomon actually needed to see the reflection of the hearts of the women so he could judge well. He was wise, but he did not know these women perfectly. He needed a way of seeing their hearts.

The Lord’s purposes are slightly different, but His methods are similar. His purpose is showing us our own hearts. Sometimes that means sending or allowing trials that allow the deepest parts of our heart to go on display. It highlights the boundaries of what we truly know and feel and desire. It gives us opportunities to expand those boundaries.

Going back to my example of getting pregnant so quickly, I felt incredibly betrayed by God. I am so miserable when I’m pregnant, and now I was going to be in that dark state of mind for 18 months with very little reprieve (honestly, with no reprieve since my body and mind still hadn’t completely recovered in between babies). I thought I had a testimony that the Lord loved me, and I did. But apparently there were limits to that testimony. This specific experience showed me the boundaries of my own testimony. It brought my heart right up to the surface where I could look at it very clearly. I then had the opportunity to work through those experiences and expand those boundaries.

Despite the fact that this woman likely thought King Solomon was out of his mind, I would guess that she felt differently after the experience. Despite the initial fear and distress it caused her, she gained a testimony that Solomon acted with purpose. By the end of this, she knew that Solomon wasn’t crazy. He was trying to be a good king and make sure that baby went back to its rightful mother.

Surely, the experiment could have gone poorly. What if both mothers had pled for the life of the baby? Yes, it could have failed, but this story is a parable. Even if Solomon’s experiments fail, the Lord’s “experiments” never have to. Solomon was a mortal man. The Lord has much more to offer in the way of helping us discern the boundaries of the testimonies that will carry us and help us get where we need to go. The Lord also has the ultimate power of delivering what will be best for us. Even when He sends or allows dark times, He has the power to help those difficult times become sacred experiences.

I testify that the Lord loves us. I testify He knows what He’s doing. I testify that He already knows our hearts, but like Solomon, He sends and allows trials that bring our very essence up to the surface where it’s noticeable. We get to find the holes and limitations of our testimonies, and in turn, we can fill the holes and broaden the boundaries until we are fully protected and constantly uplifted by them.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 2 Samuel 11–12; 1 Kings 3; 6–9; 11 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 2 Samuel 11–12; 1 Kings 3; 6–9; 11 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

Solomon, David’s son, has become king. Very early on in his reign, Solomon has a dream in which the Lord appears to him.

1 Kings 3:5 In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.

This is a really incredible experience as Solomon is stepping into his kingship; the Lord appears and offers to grant a prayer to Solomon. Solomon asks for wisdom and discernment in judging his people. The Lord is pleased with what Solomon asked for especially since Solomon could have asked for more selfish things such as riches, long life, or the defeat of his enemies. Solomon does none of this; he wants wisdom.

For a moment, I asked myself what I would ask for. It turned into quite the exercise as I pondered what I really wanted. Going through this experience taught me a couple of principles.

Principle one: No dream required.

I began thinking of all the things that would bless my life the most. I thought of a grateful heart, seeing people clearly, or or to see His hand moving in my life. I thought of spiritual protection for my kids. I tried to think of which spiritual gift would be the most effective for my own life.

It suddenly occurred to me that I didn’t have to wait for a dream from the Lord in order to ask for things, and I didn’t have to pick just one gift. I could ask for all of them. That’s my first principle. The Lord answers prayers regardless of whether He came to us in a dream and agreed to answer a prayer. What would you ask for? What do you ask for? What will you ask for now?

Ironically, I haven’t prayed for any of those things in a long time. I don’t think my prayers have been bad by any means, but I thought so hard about what I really wanted from the Lord and realized that those values had gotten buried by the day-to-day.

Principle two. It is powerful to have your heart reflected back to you.

The normal pathway for prayers and answers goes like this: We are encouraged by prophets and scripture to pray to the Lord, and He answers according to His wisdom.

The pathway for Solomon in this specific experience: The Lord appears directly to Solomon and essentially offers a wish.

So here are the differences:

The Lord appears directly instead of going through a prophet.

He basically offers a wish which is highly unusual (at least in my experience).

The experience that Solomon had was very different than normal. Why? The Lord is intentional so why did He make this particular choice with Solomon? Both of these differences combined to make a special thing happen. Whether this was the Lord’s intentional purpose is a question that only He can answer. However, one of the side effects was that Solomon had his heart reflected back to him. Let’s talk about both differences.

Difference 1: He appeared directly.

The Lord does not often appear when we have sufficient for what we need. For example, He doesn’t always answer “yes” to everything we ask Him about; sometimes He simply refrains from saying “no.” In my experience, He directly interferes only as necessary. Obviously, He is very involved in our lives and manipulates the details in our favor. I’m talking about when His actions would affect our faith. So the Lord is taking care of me behind the scenes and influencing things to help me out, but He’s not appearing in a manner where I can have a very clear conversation with Him.

And there are reasons for this.

Later in life, Solomon turns towards worshiping other gods, influenced by his many foreign wives. I wonder how much more intense Solomon’s betrayal was because Solomon had this dream from the Lord directly. The Lord is very involved in our life, but He also keeps direct interference to a minimum in order to protect our faith.

And yet, despite the fact that the Lord could have allowed Solomon to simply pray without receiving a dream, the Lord chose to come to Solomon to ask and offer. This extremely direct experience opened up Solomon’s heart in a way that normal prayer doesn’t always achieve. Perhaps ideally, normal prayer would achieve this, but I’m not sure that it often does.

If the Lord came to you, I have a feeling you would be much more intentional in comparison to praying in faith. As least, I would be more intentional…and because it forces intention, you get to see what really matters to you. It reflects your heart back to you.

Difference 2: He offers a wish.

If you knew you had the opportunity to ask the Lord for something that He had offered to grant, it changes how you approach what you’re asking. The Lord has already offered to answer prayers, but this is different. He offers to directly answer one prayer. It’s almost like He offered to give Solomon a wish.

When I approach normal prayer, I am very open and talk through things and ask for little things. I’m not always perfectly focused. I ask for a lot of things. When I was thinking about what my request would have been, I suddenly got extremely intentional and this wasn’t even my experience! This didn’t even happen to me, but all of a sudden I was way more concerned about what I was asking for. It gave me an opportunity to reflect on what really mattered to me. What are my values? What do I really want?

It’s interesting because the Lord already knows our hearts. While mankind looks on the outside, the Lord looketh on the heart. So this wasn’t about the Lord trying to figure out Solomon’s heart. One of the effects was that Solomon was able to take a good look at his heart as he ascended the throne where he would have power and responsibility. Not only do we pray more intentionally, it also pushes us to live more intentionally.

How did Solomon feel when he approached that throne to govern his people? How did this experience change how he approached that throne?

I have not stepped onto a throne recently. I have not received a dream or a wish, but even my less-intense experience of pondering what I would ask for has changed my prayers. And in turn, as I pray for help with specific gifts, I’m more intentional as I approach experiences that call upon those gifts.

I testify that the Lord is intentional. I testify that He already knows our hearts. I testify that He is very involved in our lives and acts with purpose. If we can learn to act with purpose as He does, we start to change more readily. Our lives become much more available to Him.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 2 Samuel 11–12; 1 Kings 3; 6–9; 11 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

In his April 2026 General Conference address,“’Tis Eastertide: No One Walks Alone,” Gerrit W. Gong teaches that the resurrected Savior does not leave us to walk life’s roads alone—even when we may not recognize His presence.

Drawing on the disciples’ journey to Emmaus, he invites us to see our own lives in that sacred pattern.

Though we did not recognize Him before, He has been walking with us all along.

But that raises a quiet question: If Christ is already walking with us, why do we sometimes feel alone?

Common Criticism: “If God were really with me, I wouldn’t feel so alone.”

Many experience moments of loneliness, confusion, or distance from God. In those moments, it can feel as though heaven is silent and Christ is absent.

Fallacy at Work: Felt Absence = Actual Absence

This belief assumes that if we don’t feel God’s presence, He must not be there.

It equates emotional experience with reality, or perception with truth. 

Doctrine: Christ Walks with Us, Even When Unrecognized

Elder Gong teaches that the Savior’s presence is not dependent on our immediate awareness.

On the road to Emmaus, Christ walked with, taught, and comforted His disciples. Yet they did not recognize Him at first.

Similarly, in our lives:

• He speaks through scripture
• He is present in covenants and ordinances
• He sends the Holy Ghost as a Comforter

“As we walk by faith with Him… we come to know He lives.”

Elder Gong’s Correction

Elder Gong reframes loneliness through covenant relationship.

Christ promises not only to visit, but to abide with us through the Holy Ghost, His own presence, and covenant connection. 

We are not abandoned.

We are accompanied.

Solution

When we learn to recognize Christ’s presence, we begin to see that we have never truly walked alone.

Living Apologetics: Walking with Christ—and Each Other

Elder Gong’s message doesn’t stop with recognizing Christ walking with us.

It extends outward:

“If you see someone walking alone and sad, will you please walk with them?”

This is the pattern: Christ walks with us and we walk with others. 

In a world where many feel unseen, burdened, or alone, we are invited to become part of the answer. Walking with someone may look like sitting beside them. Listening without fixing. Or offering quiet companionship. 

Often, the most Christlike thing we can do is simply not let someone walk alone.

Practical Apologetic Use 

• If someone says: “I feel like I’m completely alone.”

• You can respond: “Elder Gong teaches that Christ often walks with us even when we don’t recognize Him—and He invites us to walk with each other so no one has to feel alone.”

Ways to Apply Today

1️⃣ Look for someone who may be feeling alone and spend time with them.
2️⃣ Be more aware of how Christ may already be present in your life.
3️⃣ Slow down and listen when someone shares a burden.

Keep This Talk With You

Elder Gong reminds us that Easter is not only about the empty tomb.

It is about the living Christ who still walks beside His disciples. Even on dusty, uncertain roads. Even when we do not recognize Him.

This week:

• Look for Him. Notice how Christ may already be present in your life.

• Trust His presence. Even when you don’t feel it.

• Walk with others. Be the companion someone else needs.

As we do, we will notice loneliness soften as connection grows and faith deepens. 

And we begin to see more clearly what has always been true: we were never meant to walk alone.

And through Jesus Christ we never do.

Who is someone I can walk with this week? And how can I better recognize Christ walking with me?

The Consider Conference series by FAIR offers an in-depth look at recent General Conference talks to help members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints navigate common questions, misunderstandings, and criticisms. Each post provides doctrinal insights, historical context, and practical ways to apply gospel principles in everyday conversations. Through this series, we hope to equip readers with faith-promoting resources that encourage thoughtful reflection, respectful dialogue, and a stronger foundation in gospel truths, fostering both personal conviction and meaningful discussions with others.

The post No One Walks Alone  appeared first on FAIR.