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When Spring Turns to Storm: A Lesson in Opposition and Becoming

There is something sacred about the first breath of spring. After months of stillness, the earth awakens. The air softens. Light lingers longer in the sky. Buds begin to form where there was once only barrenness. It feels like life itself is returning—quietly, steadily, faithfully.

And with it, something awakens in us: hope, energy, and a desire to move, to grow, and become. We begin to feel aligned—closer to God, more aware of His hand, more intentional in our efforts to live Christlike lives. We serve more, we forgive more, we try again.

It feels like we have stepped into a new season.

That is what it has felt like these past two weeks. An early spring wafted in on the heels of winter–and then, without warning, a snowstorm came, ushering in high winds and extreme dips in temperature–all warmth was stripped away. Within hours, the joy that had been felt was gone.

How often is this the pattern of our spiritual lives? We step forward in faith… and resistance meets us. We choose light… and darkness presses in. We begin to heal… and old wounds resurface. It can feel confusing and so unfair.

Why, when we are trying to do good, does opposition seem to increase? Yet this pattern is not accidental. It is eternal.

“For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things.” — 2 Nephi 2:11

Spring does not cancel winter nor does light eliminate shadow. Growth does not come without resistance. Rather, opposition is often the very evidence that growth is taking place.

Storms Do Not Mean Failure

When the storm comes, it is easy to believe something has gone wrong.

We may think:

  • I was doing so well…
  • Why is this happening now?
  • Wasn’t I moving in the right direction?

But what if the storm is not a sign of failure—What if it is a sign of movement? Elder Jeffrey R. Holland once taught:

“So be kind regarding human frailty—your own as well as that of those who serve with you… Except in the case of His only perfect Begotten Son, imperfect people are all God has ever had to work with.”

And yet—He still works with us. Even in the storm–especially in the storm.

The Adversary and the Rising Wind

There is something else we must understand. When we begin to live more Christlike lives—when we forgive, when we serve, when we seek light—we become a threat to darkness, and darkness does not remain still. It pushes back.

President Russell M. Nelson has said:

“The Lord does not require perfect faith for us to have access to His perfect power.”

But the adversary knows this. He knows that even a small step toward Christ invites power into our lives, and so he seeks to disrupt it. Not always with dramatic destruction. But often with:

  • discouragement
  • fatigue
  • doubt
  • distraction

A sudden storm after the warmth of spring, and yet beneath the surface something else is happening. Storms, though harsh, serve a purpose. They strengthen roots, deepen resilience, and test what is truly anchored

A tree that has never felt the wind cannot withstand it just as a soul that has never faced opposition cannot fully understand faith. What feels like regression may actually be refinement.

A Wider View of the Season

If we step back, we begin to see spring was not lost or taken from us. It was only interrupted—briefly—by a necessary part of the process. Because true growth is not a straight line. It is a pattern:

Light → resistance → deeper light Each cycle strengthening us more than the last.

What We Can Do in the Storm

So what do we do when the storm comes? We do not abandon the path or retreat into fear. Instead we do what we were already doing in the light:

  • We pray
  • We serve
  • We forgive
  • We trust

Even when it feels harder, especially when it feels harder. Because that is where transformation happens.

We are promised that the storm will not last. It never does, and when it passes, something remarkable becomes visible. The roots are deeper, and the branches are stronger. The light feels even more precious than before, and we realize we are not the same as we were when spring first came. We have become something more.

If you find yourself in a storm today, after a season of light, do not lose heart. You have not done anything wrong. You may, in fact, be doing something very right. Because the path of becoming like Christ has always included both:

the warmth of spring

and the refining of the storm

Both are necessary to become what He sees in us.

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Beyond the Veil: What Our Loved Ones Continue to Build

This month marks the anniversary of my mother’s passing.

Anniversaries like this have a way of slowing the heart. They invite us to step back from the pace of life and reflect on the people who shaped us, taught us, and loved us into becoming who we are.

My mother was one of the first people who taught me about Jesus Christ and the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. Long before I understood theology or doctrine, she showed me what it looked like to trust the Savior, to pray, and to listen for quiet spiritual impressions.

When someone who shaped our faith leaves this life, the grief can feel deep and personal. Yet the scriptures invite us to see loss from a wider, eternal perspective.

Viewing Loss Through the Lens of Eternity

The scriptures remind us that death is not an end but a transition. Alma taught that when we leave this life we enter a different sphere of existence, continuing forward in God’s plan:

“The spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body… are taken home to that God who gave them life.”

— Book of Mormon, Alma 40:11

The Savior taught that God “is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” In other words, those who have gone before us are not lost to existence. They continue to live, to grow, and to participate in the great work of God.

In moments of grief, it can feel as though the story has stopped. But heaven tells us the story is still unfolding. From an eternal perspective, mortality is only a chapter in a much larger narrative. Our loved ones step into another sphere of learning, service, and preparation. The work of salvation does not pause when a life ends; it continues beyond the veil.

What Are Our Ancestors Doing?

Latter-day Saint doctrine offers a profound insight into what our loved ones may be doing after they leave mortality. The spirit world is described as a place of learning, teaching, and preparation. The gospel continues to be preached there. Many who passed through mortality without a full knowledge of Christ are taught the gospel, and the work of redemption continues.

Our ancestors are not idle. They are learning, growing, teaching, and preparing souls to receive sacred ordinances. In many ways, they are helping prepare the very people whose names we later bring to the temple.

President Russell M. Nelson has taught that the gathering of Israel occurs on both sides of the veil. This means that while we labor here on earth—sharing the gospel, researching family history, and performing temple ordinances—there are faithful spirits beyond the veil working with equal devotion.

It is a collaborative effort between heaven and earth.

What They Are Building

When we consider what our ancestors may be building, we begin to see a beautiful partnership. They are helping prepare hearts and guide descendants. They are participating in the unfolding work of redemption that connects generations together.

Scripture often speaks of hearts turning—children to fathers and fathers to children. That turning is not merely sentimental; it is deeply spiritual. It binds families across centuries and creates a chain of covenant relationships that stretch beyond time.

In this sense, our loved ones who have passed on are still helping to build the kingdom of God. They are helping build faith in us, building bridges between generations and in ways we often cannot see, they may even be helping guide us toward the work that still needs to be done.

Continuing Their Legacy

Grief often asks a question: What do I do now that they are gone?

The gospel gently answers that question. We continue their legacy. If they taught us faith, we deepen our faith. If they taught us kindness, we extend kindness further. If they taught us about Christ, we help others come to know Him.

Every act of discipleship becomes a continuation of the foundation they helped lay. When we pray, when we listen for the Holy Ghost, when we serve others, and when we help gather Israel, we are building upon the spiritual inheritance they passed to us. Their influence does not end with their life. It continues through the choices we make.

Participating in the Gathering of Israel

One of the most powerful ways we honor those who came before us is by participating in the work of gathering Israel. The gathering happens in many ways:

Sharing the message of Christ.

Helping others come unto Him.

Researching family history.

Performing temple ordinances for those who have passed on.

Every time a name is found, every time a story is remembered, every time a temple ordinance is performed, we strengthen the eternal link between generations. The work that happens on earth and the work that happens in the spirit world meet in sacred harmony. In that way, the separation we feel from those who have passed is not permanent. It is part of a much larger collaboration between heaven and earth.

A Personal Reflection

When I think of my mother, I do not first remember grand moments or dramatic experiences. I remember the quiet things. I remember her laugh, the softness of her voice when she spoke, her tone ever gentle. I remember the way she spoke about Jesus Christ as if He were someone she truly knew. I remember the way she taught me to pray and the way she listened for the gentle whisperings of the Holy Ghost. As a child, I did not fully understand how sacred those lessons were, but over time I have come to realize that those small, faithful moments shaped my life in profound ways. Even now, though she has stepped beyond the veil, the spiritual foundation she helped build in my heart continues to guide me. Her testimony did not end with her life; it lives on in the faith she planted within me

Though I cannot see her, I trust that she continues forward in God’s great work. And here on earth, I will continue the work she helped begin. Because the story of our families—the story of God’s children—is not a story that ends with death.

It is a story that continues on both sides of the veil.

If you enjoy these articles about faith, family history, and the Restoration, you can support this work and receive early access to my writing, videos, and other works on Patreon.

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When Hearts Are Aligned

Becoming One With the Savior

In recent years I have made a change in how I stay informed about the world. I have largely stopped watching the news and instead choose to read it. When events unfold on a screen in real time—especially when watched continually—it can create a dark and heavy cloud over the mind and heart. By reading the news instead, I am able to stay informed and understand what is happening in the world without exposing myself to the constant images of violence, tragedy, and suffering that often accompany televised coverage. The written reports provide the information I need without overwhelming the spirit.

Even so, for many people, simply reading the news can still bring feelings of anxiety and fear. The challenges we see unfolding in the world can feel heavy and uncertain. One of the ways I have learned to become stronger in the face of adversity is by striving to draw closer to the Savior. The scriptures teach us to become like Him in all things, and part of that process is strengthening our spirits. As our hearts become more aligned with Christ, we develop the capacity to endure trials that might otherwise feel unbearable. The burdens may still be heavy, but through Him we gain the strength to press forward, even when the path before us seems difficult or impossible.

In recent days, the news has been filled with reports of growing conflict and tension in the world, including the ongoing war with Iran. Events like these naturally stir concern and uncertainty. It is not difficult to feel anxiety about the future when we see instability among nations and hear constant discussion of what might come next. The scriptures warned that such times would come. Jesus taught that in the last days “men’s hearts [would fail] them for fear” as they looked upon the things happening in the earth (Luke 21:26). This phrase is deeper than it may appear at first glance. It is not merely a reference to physical weakness, but to spiritual and emotional collapse—hearts overwhelmed by fear, uncertainty, and despair. We are human, and if not spiritually in tune, we leave a crevice open for the adversary to step in.

The adversary understands the power of fear. When fear takes hold of the human heart, it weakens faith and clouds judgment. We begin to fall to pieces inside, becoming overwhelmed to the point that we feel incapable of functioning. It can cause people to bend under the slightest weight of trial or adversity. Yet the Lord never intended His people to live in constant dread of the future. The scriptures consistently remind us that while difficult times will come, the faithful are not left without strength or guidance. The Savior Himself declared, “Be not troubled” (Matthew 24:6). The difference between those whose hearts fail and those who endure is found in where their hearts are anchored.

To align our hearts with Jesus Christ is to anchor them in something eternal and unshakable. Christ Himself lived this pattern during His mortal life. Though He faced rejection, suffering, and ultimately the weight of the world’s sins, His heart remained perfectly aligned with His Father. Because of that unity, He received divine strength to endure what no other person could bear. The same principle applies to us. When we seek daily communion with Heavenly Father through prayer, scripture, and obedience, we open ourselves to divine help. The Lord promises that those who trust in Him will be strengthened beyond their natural capacity. This doesn’t mean things become easier, but it does strengthen us to be able to bear trials without falling into dysfunction and fear.

The Book of Mormon echoes this promise. Nephi taught that the Lord “shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them” (1 Nephi 3:7). That promise extends to every challenge we face—whether it be personal trials, trauma, abuse, or the heavy uncertainties of the world around us. Aligning our hearts with Christ does not remove hardship, but it changes how we experience it. Instead of being crushed by the weight of our trials, we are given strength to carry them.

In the Doctrine and Covenants the Lord warned that in the latter days “men’s hearts shall fail them” (D&C 45:26), yet He also offered reassurance to those who remain faithful. The Lord repeatedly promises peace to those who turn to Him. King Benjamin taught that when we yield our hearts to God and follow Christ, we become spiritually changed, having “no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually” (Mosiah 5:2). A heart that is changed in this way becomes resilient. It is not easily shaken by the storms of the world.

The times we live in—and the times that may yet come—will test faith in many ways. But the scriptures also promise that those who remain close to the Savior will be sustained. When our hearts are aligned with Him, fear loses its power to cripple us. Instead of collapsing under the pressures of the world, we find strength, hope, and even peace in the midst of uncertainty. The Savior invites us to draw near to Him now, to cultivate faith, love, and obedience. As we do, we will discover that the promise is true: when our hearts are united with Christ, they will not fail us.

If you enjoy these articles about faith, family history, and the Restoration, you can support this work and receive early access to my writing, videos, and other works on Patreon.