#StartingToday

You are a child of God. Because He lives in heaven, we often call God our Heavenly Father. In His eyes, we are all equal and are worthy of love and happiness. Since God is all-knowing, He understands each of us on an individual level. He knows our strengths, our weaknesses, our hopes, and our fears. Our loving Heavenly Father is patient and forgiving. No matter who we are or what we’ve done, God wants us to reach out to Him so He can help us. As we turn to Him, we will experience greater joy in our lives.

Our Heavenly Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to take upon Him the sins of everyone who would live on the earth so we could be forgiven (see John 3:16). Jesus also overcame death so we can live again. Jesus’s sacrifice on our behalf was possible because of His divinity and perfect life.

As we go through life, we will all make mistakes and do things we regret. But as long as we try to be better and pray to our Heavenly Father for forgiveness, we can become clean again. We are all in debt to the great love of our Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ.

The Bible is the word of God. It is a collection of sacred books written by ancient prophets and historians. These authors recorded the relationship between God and His people for over 4,000 years. Their inspired words are what we know today as the Holy Bible.

Following the teachings found in the Bible helps us to know who God is, learn from good people who loved Him, and better understand how He wants us to live.

The Book of Mormon is an ancient record that teaches about Jesus and highlights His visit to the ancient Americas. Just like God spoke to Moses and Noah in the Bible, He also instructed His prophets in the Americas to keep a record of His teachings and laws. The Book of Mormon’s words affirm Jesus’s life, ministry, and His act of saving us from sin and overcoming death.

The men, women, and families in the Book of Mormon struggled with life’s challenges, just like we do. We can see ourselves in their stories, and be inspired to be better and help others like Jesus did.

God sent us to earth to learn and grow through experiences, both pleasant and painful. He allows us to choose between right and wrong, but promises great blessings to those who follow Him. The challenge is to have faith in His plan, even though we don’t have all of the answers.

Because we all make mistakes, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, so we can be cleansed and forgiven. Jesus makes it possible for us to return home to live with God. When we accept Jesus and follow His example, we become less selfish and can enjoy greater love, peace, and happiness.

Families are a big part of our Heavenly Father’s plan for our happiness. We are born into a family. We aspire to build strong family relationships. Home can be a place where we feel support, safety, and love. God does not want family ties to end when we die. If we choose to follow Him, we can be reunited with our families in the next life. Learn how this is possible by meeting with missionaries.

God is your loving Father in Heaven, and He wants to hear from you. You can reach out to Him by praying to Him. As His child, you can ask your Heavenly Father for help and guidance in your life.

Praying can be done out loud, or in your mind. You can speak to God like you would any other person. Your words do not have to be eloquent or memorized. It is more important to open your heart and not hold back. Believe He is there and listening, because He is. Believe He will help you, because He will.

The basic steps to prayer are:

1. Address God
2. Express gratitude
3. Ask for blessings and help
4. End your prayer, “In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen”
5. Act on the answers you receive

When we sin or choose poorly, we distance ourselves from God. Jesus Christ suffered for our sins and mistakes so we can become clean and live with God again if we ask for forgiveness and try to do better.

Because God forgives us when we mess up, He expects us to do the same for others. That includes forgiving ourselves when we struggle and feel inadequate.

Baptism is a covenant—or a promise—that you make with God. When you get baptized, you promise to serve Him and follow His commandments to the best of your abilities. Jesus taught, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). This means that baptism, or being “born of water,” is a requirement to get into heaven.

Baptisms in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are performed by immersion, meaning a person is immersed all the way under water and brought back up. The Bible tells us that “when [Jesus] was baptized, [He] went up straightway out of the water” (Matthew 3:16). Baptism by immersion is beautifully symbolic, not only of the washing away of sins, but of death, burial, and resurrection. Baptism signifies the end of your old way of life and birth to a life committed to following the example of Jesus. Learn how you can be baptized by meeting with missionaries.

Throughout the Bible, God asked His people to abstain from certain foods. Today is no different. God has given wise counsel—called the Word of Wisdom—to help all His children be healthy. In it, we’re advised to eat nutritious food and avoid addictive substances.

We are also encouraged to get enough sleep, exercise regularly, and fast once a month—where we skip two consecutive meals—to help us stay healthy, practice discipline, and become more spiritually in tune.

Temples are literally houses of God built on earth. They are places where individuals can go and make sacred promises with God, feel the peace of the Spirit, and escape from the hectic demands of day-to-day life.

The temple is also where we can receive the greatest blessings God has to offer us. When couples get married in the temple, they are united for “time and all eternity” instead of “until death do us part.” Temples are also places to serve our ancestors and loved ones who have died. We do this by performing ceremonies (such as baptism) on their behalf if they never had that opportunity in life.

We lived with God before we came to the earth and because Jesus overcame death, we will continue to live after we die. Death is part of God’s plan. While we mourn for those loved ones we’ve lost, there is hope—death is not the end. To learn more about what happens after you die, meet with missionaries.