a child at prayer

Why are our days of despair labeled by one as “vanity of vanities”? How is it that “vain imaginations and the pride of the children of men” are the words that characterize the great and spacious building, so spiritually dead in Lehi’s vision? And the Zoramites, that group who prayed so self-servingly? Of them Alma said, “O God, they [pray] unto thee with their mouths, while they are puffed up … with the vain things of the world.”

By contrast, is there anything sweeter, more pure, or more humble than a child at prayer? It is as if heaven is in the room. God and Christ are so real, but for others later on, the experience can become more superficial.

Jeffrey R. Holland

"As A Little Child", General Conference April 2025

1. Ecclesiastes 1:2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
2. 1 Nephi 12:18 And the large and spacious building, which thy father saw, is vain imaginations and the pride of the children of men. And a great and a terrible gulf divideth them; yea, even the word of the justice of the Eternal God, and the Messiah who is the Lamb of God, of whom the Holy Ghost beareth record, from the beginning of the world until this time, and from this time henceforth and forever.

we celebrate our differences

Have you ever pondered on how the principle of respect for human dignity and equality is demonstrated through the simple way we dress in the house of the Lord? We all come to the temple united in one purpose and filled with the desire to be pure and holy in His holy presence. Dressed in white, all of us are received by the Lord Himself as His beloved children, men and women of God, progeny of Christ. We are privileged to perform the same ordinances, make the same covenants, commit ourselves to live higher and holier lives, and receive the same eternal promises. United in purpose, we see one another with new eyes, and in our oneness, we celebrate our differences as divine children of God.

Ulisses Soares

"Brothers and Sisters in Christ," General Conference October 2023

repentance is the key to avoiding misery

Repentance is the key to avoiding misery inflicted by traps of the adversary. The Lord does not expect perfection from us at this point in our eternal progression. But He does expect us to become increasingly pure. Daily repentance is the pathway to purity, and purity brings power. Personal purity can make us powerful tools in the hands of God. Our repentance—our purity—will empower us to help in the gathering of Israel.

President Russell M. Nelson

"We Can Do Better and Be Better" General Conference April 2019

violations of moral purity

Many of the adversary’s most relentless temptations involve violations of moral purity. The power to create life is the one privilege of godhood that Heavenly Father allows His mortal children to exercise. Thus, God set clear guidelines for the use of this living, divine power. Physical intimacy is only for a man and a woman who are married to each other.

Much of the world does not believe this, but public opinion is not the arbiter of truth. The Lord has declared that no unchaste person will attain the celestial kingdom. So when you make decisions regarding morality, please think celestial. And if you have been unchaste, I plead with you to repent. Come unto Christ and receive His promise of complete forgiveness as you fully repent of your sins.

President Russell M. Nelson

"Think Celestial" October 2023 General Conference

heaven is at the feet of your mother

When she tried to explain it to friends and family, Kathy fumbled. But she knew that in Islam she had found calm. The doubt sewn into the faith gave her room to think, to question. The answers the Qur’an provided have her a way forward. Even her view of her family softened through the lens of Islam. She was less aggressive. She had always fought with her mother, but Islam taught her that “heaven is at the feet of your mother,” and this reined her in. She stopped talking back and learned to be more patient and forgiving. It brought back a purity in me, she would say.

Zeitoun by Dave Eggers. Random House, Inc. 2010.

pure in heart

It is the state of the heart, not outward circumstances, that makes us “blessed” or happy. “Pure in heart” means pure in affections, unselfish in one’s love of fellowmen. Purity of doctrine is not sufficient; nor the most faithful observance of ceremonies. It is the “pure in heart” that shall see God (Matt. 5:8). They are happy because they can see Him in the wonderful works of His hands; in the events of history; in their own experiences, and in their fellowmen; and they will, finally, be admitted to His presence; not because they are poor but pure. To be poor, says Søren Kierkegaard, is not to be a Christian, but it is a good introduction to it.


Doctrine and Covenants Commentary by Hyrum M. Smith and Janne M. Sjodahl. Deseret Book. 1965. p.325

the purity of heart

Success is measured by the purity of heart.


David Tait. 12 Oaks 2nd Ward Elders Quorum Instructor, 2/28/09. This quote is displayed on his mobile phone.

virtue

Virtue is a prerequisite to entering the Lord’s holy temples and to receiving the Spirit’s guidance. Virtue “is a pattern of thought and behavior based on high moral standards.” It encompasses chastity and moral purity. Virtue begins in the heart and in the mind. It is nurtured in the home. It is the accumulation of thousands of small decisions and actions. Virtue is a word we don’t hear often in today’s society, but the Latin root word virtus means strength. Virtuous women and men possess a quiet dignity and inner strength. They are confident because they are worthy to receive and be guided by the Holy Ghost.


Elaine S. Dalton, “A Return to Virtue,” Ensign, Nov 2008, 78–80

What stronger breastplate than a heart untainted?
Thrice is he armed that hath his quarrel just;
And he but naked, though locked up in steel,
Whose conscience with injustice is corrupted.


William Shakespeare, King Henry, in King Henry VI, pt. 2, act 3, sc. 2.

At First She Came To Me Pure

At first she came to me pure,
dressed only in her innocence;
and my love was like a child's

Then she began putting on
clothes she picked up somewhere;
and I hated her, without knowing it.

She gradually became a queen,
her jewelry was blinding . . .
What bitterness and rage!

. . . She started going back toward nakedness.
And I smiled.

Soon she took off the cloth
and was entirely naked . . .
Naked poetry, always mine,
that I have loved my whole life!


~Juan Ramón Jiménez (Translated by Robert Bly. Roots & Wings: Poetry from Spain 1900-1975. Hardie St. Martin, Editor. Harper & Row. 1976. p.61)

Suffering in behalf of another seems to have its major impact for good when at least four elements are present. First, the sufferer is pure and worthy. In this sense there was only one completely without blemish, one worthy of suffering spiritually for all others. Second, the cause for which he suffers is just. There is no worthier cause than that for which the Savior suffered, namely, bringing to pass "the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39). Third, the recipient knows and loves the sufferer. And fourth, the recipient appreciates the cause for which the suffering occurs. When these four elements simultaneously exist, the chemistry for human behavioral change is explosive.

Tad R. Callister, The Infinite Atonement. 2000. p.217