[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":990},["ShallowReactive",2],{"short-stories-short_story_en":3,"tags-content-content_en":926},[4,33,55,78,98,120,139,159,181,201,220,240,260,279,299,318,338,357,376,394,413,432,451,470,489,508,527,546,564,585,602,620,638,657,674,691,709,727,746,766,787,809,829,846,865,885,906],{"id":5,"title":6,"article":7,"body":8,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":15,"extension":16,"identity":17,"image":18,"imageAlt":19,"meta":20,"number":21,"stem":22,"tags":23,"__hash__":32},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-47.json","God Was Looking Out for Me",null,[9,10,11],"Years ago, I had a cool experience while visiting my aunt and uncle during the early part of my college years. If I remember right, I was going into my second semester as a student and thus was still unfamiliar and inexperienced with registering for classes. I’d say, in classic fashion, that I was very distracted with the social scene and not really focused on my studies, nor the scheduling\u002Fmanaging of them.","The last night before I flew back out, I remember lying on the futon and feeling restless. I just kept getting the feeling that I was missing something. I mentally ran through all the stuff that I had packed, and everything seemed alright. Then the thought came to “check your college schedule.” Kind of begrudgingly, I sat up, pulled out my laptop, and checked. To my panic, I saw that that day was the last day to register for classes, and I only had an hour or so before midnight. I hastily checked for generals that I needed and registered for anything that was still open.","I honestly don’t know what would have happened had I not gotten that feeling to check on things. I said a prayer of gratitude for sure. God was looking out for me, and I learned from then on to be more diligent and on top of things.",false,"darken","September 2026","The night before flying back to school, I lay on the futon with a restless feeling that I was missing something. God was looking out for me.","json","college student","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-47-young-man-on-laptop.webp","A young man sits on his bed at night, typing on a laptop.",{},47,"story-47",{"theme":24,"context":27,"tone":30},[25,26],"guidance","grace",[28,29],"work-school","at-night",[31],"warm-uplifting","NdXssKyoNMHdA_aHparHVJMHS-KVcmIoXmZwXHfufhE",{"id":34,"title":35,"article":7,"body":36,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":40,"extension":16,"identity":41,"image":42,"imageAlt":43,"meta":44,"number":45,"stem":46,"tags":47,"__hash__":54},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-46.json","An Embracing Feeling",[37,38,39],"I had a wonderful “follow-up” experience to one that I had already shared here a while back (Story #4). It happened again while playing VR actually, and at the time, I had been feeling a mixture of being alone in my faith and in my goals. I knew I wasn’t, but the feeling was nonetheless there. I had hoped that exercising would help me get some energy out and feel better.","While playing, a scenario came into my mind about being asked why I believe and what I would say in response. As I imagined myself bearing my testimony, I felt an embracing feeling of peace and companionship. It was so uplifting, joyful, and powerful that it felt like my heart would burst. The feeling so clearly carried the message that Jesus Christ was walking this path with me, that I was not alone in my faith, and that together we would accomplish the righteous goals of my heart. Together, we would accomplish the impossible.","In contrast to my last experience, where I relied on anger to give me strength and learned to rely on Christ, here I felt this was the next step, which was to be filled with love and unity with Him. The strength and confidence from it were in a league of their own, and I’ll never forget that feeling. Jesus’s love will always be stronger than the hate and anger in our lives.","I was feeling alone in my faith and my goals. While playing VR once again, I felt Jesus Christ let me know I was not walking this path alone.","digital artist","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-46-man-holding-vr-controller.webp","A man wears a VR headset and holds a controller.",{},46,"story-46",{"theme":48,"context":51,"tone":52},[49,50],"faith","peace",[],[53],"deeply-moving","DdPrZxYbsaCY8BAoAqeQlWZRmGmbt5qHXANH7i0hmZQ",{"id":56,"title":57,"article":7,"body":58,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":63,"extension":16,"identity":64,"image":65,"imageAlt":66,"meta":67,"number":68,"stem":69,"tags":70,"__hash__":77},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-45.json","My Heart Was Lifted",[59,60,61,62],"Long ago, when our family was young and our schedule was very full, I remember a particular day feeling very overwhelmed. I let my family know that I was going to a quiet place in our backyard. My heart was heavy, and I wanted to pray privately and pour my heart out to my Father in Heaven. So I went out and did just that.","In that private moment, while I was praying, I heard voices in the distance. I looked around, and I saw my “visiting teachers” in my driveway. My heart was lifted just seeing them. I started to walk over to them, and then I saw it. Dishes and bowls with food. They had decided to bring over some dinner. They just felt to do so.","In our sweet exchange, I realized they brought much more than dinner: they brought their love and sensitivity by seeing me where I was and lifting me. My overwhelmed heart felt loved. They were ministering to me—heart to heart, sister to sister.","I have never forgotten that day when my heart was healed through the kind act of two sisters in my congregation. How I needed that. How could something so simple feel so healing? They were on the Lord’s errand, and they brought healing through Him.","On an overwhelming day, I went to a quiet spot in the backyard to pour my heart out to my Father in Heaven. While I was still praying, I heard voices in the driveway.","mother of a young family","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-45-woman-outside-island-house.webp","A woman stands before a house among palm trees as two girls wait in the doorway.",{},45,"story-45",{"theme":71,"context":74,"tone":76},[26,72,73],"prayer","healing",[75],"home-family",[53],"OSv4r0sA3fmafjicXYnLFBBe3R_Eiu3svJxGhSk6MVQ",{"id":79,"title":80,"article":7,"body":81,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":84,"extension":16,"identity":85,"image":86,"imageAlt":87,"meta":88,"number":89,"stem":90,"tags":91,"__hash__":97},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-44.json","The Perfect Friend",[82,83],"Over my adult years, my social anxiety has heightened, making it difficult for me to get to know new people or to get involved in social activities at my local church congregation.","One of these occasions was especially difficult for me as I had been struggling to feel like I fit in with the congregation I was attending. Every Monday they met for a group activity, and the part of me that likes social activities and getting to know people wanted to force myself to attend. I got to the church parking lot—even through the front doors—before I stopped. My anxiety had been getting stronger with each step, and I was tired and exhausted from a long day at work. I wasn’t sure I had the energy to make the effort to be social, but I also knew that if I could get over my anxiety, I always enjoyed being around people. As I thought about turning around and leaving, I noticed a picture of Christ on the wall, and thought about how He is always there for us and the perfect friend. I prayed a simple prayer, asking if Christ could go with me. As I took a deep breath and walked into the gym where they were meeting, I felt as if the Savior walked beside me. I knew I wasn’t alone and that even if I didn’t meet anyone new, or if no one talked to me, I had a friend in Christ.","My social anxiety nearly turned me around at the church doors. Then I noticed a picture of Christ on the wall and said a simple prayer.","newcomer to a congregation","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-44-woman-viewing-christ-painting.webp","A woman looks at a painting of Jesus Christ on the wall.",{},44,"story-44",{"theme":92,"context":93,"tone":96},[72,50],[94,95],"church","socializing",[31],"Y2Ft96QPOavlZshWHVJcnLFz5W_PSGO-3rH90oWK4RQ",{"id":99,"title":100,"article":7,"body":101,"crisisLine":105,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":106,"extension":16,"identity":107,"image":108,"imageAlt":109,"meta":110,"number":111,"stem":112,"tags":113,"__hash__":119},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-43.json","Looking Forward to Each Day",[102,103,104],"Some 35 years ago a young man in our neighborhood had been struck by a car while walking home from school. Because the accident left him with some special needs, both mentally and physically, his mother chose to leave the family. His father tried his best to take care of him, but had to work during the day—leaving him alone at home. He would on occasion come to our house and ask for food which we would happily give.","We eventually moved to a different part of town and I lost track of him. A few weeks ago I saw him hitchhiking by the side of the road, so I pulled over and called him by name. I introduced myself and the first thing he said was, “I remember you….you and your family were nice to me and gave me food when I was hungry”. Once we got on the road, I was astonished when he then asked, by name, how our children were doing! After complimenting him on his memory, I asked him how things were. He said his father had moved away and left him with his grandparents. Then I said something like, “you have sure had a pretty tough life”. He then said, “no….there was a time when I wanted to kill myself, but I then realized that God wanted me to be happy….I now look forward to each day and just try to be happy.”","Driving home, I thought to myself, he has been abandoned by both parents, struggles mentally and physically, and probably doesn’t have many friends but here he is: looking forward to each day and what it can bring; grateful for small acts of kindness. I was reminded of the power to see the hand of God in our lives each day.",true,"Thirty-five years ago, our family gave food to a hungry young neighbor. A few weeks ago I saw him hitchhiking and pulled over, and he reminded me to see the hand of God each day.","longtime neighbor","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-43-two-people-driving.webp","Two people ride in the front seats of a car, seen from behind.",{},43,"story-43",{"theme":114,"context":116,"tone":118},[115],"hope",[117],"driving",[31],"3fob5-8oCRejumsVYVNLu9EKh_cME4BQ669UB9qIyIM",{"id":121,"title":122,"article":7,"body":123,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":127,"extension":16,"identity":17,"image":128,"imageAlt":129,"meta":130,"number":131,"stem":132,"tags":133,"__hash__":138},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-42.json","The Time Came to Sign",[124,125,126],"I get anxious fairly often, and for the longest time I believed that the anxiety I was feeling was the Holy Ghost sending me impressions to do (or not do) certain things. One experience that helped me begin to move past that idea was when I changed housing as a college student.","The place I was moving to I didn’t know much about and hadn’t even met all the roommates (which was a big deal for me since I was coming from a very toxic roommate situation). Yet, I felt peaceful about it. When I prayed I felt that it was what I should do. However, when the time came to sign, I felt an overwhelming feeling of anxiety and dread. It was more than I had ever felt before, and, honestly, any other day I would have completely backed away, believing God was telling me it was a terrible decision. Thing was, He had already told me it was good; so before me was the dilemma: do I trust the answer I had been given in peace, calm, and joy, or was this new feeling of anxiety and fear the “new” answer? Surprising myself (considering how I responded to anxiety at the time) I decided to trust the peace I had once felt, ignoring the anxiety, and signed the contract. In the end, living there was a life-changing experience. The roommates I had and the people I met became lifelong friends, and I’ve felt multiple times that the Lord guided me to those wonderful people.","From that experience, I believe, with all my heart, the scripture in Galatians 5:22 describing the fruits of the spirit as love, joy, peace, and other amazing feelings—not anxiety, fear, and dread.","I felt peaceful about moving in with roommates I barely knew. But when the time came to sign, an overwhelming dread hit me.","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-42-young-man-signing-paper.webp","A young man in a shirt and tie signs a paper at a table.",{},42,"story-42",{"theme":134,"context":135,"tone":136},[50,25],[],[137],"contemplative","ZCl0b46V_ZnJ6iur5gpYjoLNEm5A4vhP07qPsVl335M",{"id":140,"title":141,"article":7,"body":142,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":146,"extension":16,"identity":147,"image":148,"imageAlt":149,"meta":150,"number":151,"stem":152,"tags":153,"__hash__":158},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-41.json","Received a Promise",[143,144,145],"I had always felt the gentle guidance to stay close to my family. I care about them a lot, and want good things for them. I served a church mission and was told that it would bless my family. When I returned home, I felt like that wasn’t the case at the time. Not many of them were consistently attending church or wanted to attend. Illness and addictions had plagued my family. I felt they were worse off with me gone.","I was off at college and sitting in church one day. I felt the need to think about them. A friend invited me to sit outside the temple as we both had similar problems we were going through with work and needed to figure out what to do. We arrived and I sat down and he asked me to watch after his scriptures. I immediately felt like I needed to use them. So I asked if I could use them, and he said I could while he walked away. I picked them up and expected to find some simple small answer and instead received a promise about my family. The scripture the book opened up to was D&C 31 and my eyes immediately started reading verse 2: “Behold, you have had many afflictions because of your family; nevertheless, I will bless you and your family, yea, your little ones; and the day cometh that they will believe and know the truth and be one with you in my church.” I felt the Spirit confirm this promise to me.","This experience has brought a lot of peace in my life over the years. I anxiously await for the day for Christ’s promised words to me to be fulfilled.","Illness and addiction had taken a toll on my family, and I felt they were worse off while I was away. Then I opened a friend’s scriptures and received a promise.","returned missionary","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-41-missionary-reading-on-bench.webp","A young man in a white shirt and tie reads a book on a bench.",{},41,"story-41",{"theme":154,"context":156,"tone":157},[155,49],"restoration",[94,75],[53],"_G8ctvbSCbuSLMp3AtloH8psKcIwVrJGZhkZEWhEEjo",{"id":160,"title":161,"article":7,"body":162,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":167,"extension":16,"identity":168,"image":169,"imageAlt":170,"meta":171,"number":172,"stem":173,"tags":174,"__hash__":180},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-40.json","Just Drive All the Way",[163,164,165,166],"Once I needed to make a significant purchase, but it was really hard to find. The purchase was in order to help someone else, and I was worried because the longer it took to find the more my dear friend would struggle. I prayed for guidance on what to do.","One day in the morning, while getting ready, I got the random feeling to just drive all the way over to the place that sometimes carries them, not knowing if they’d have any, and just ask. It was a long drive so I was surprised by the feeling, yet, it just felt so clearly like what I needed to do. So, chuckling to myself that I was actually doing this, I headed out—the whole way having really no idea what was going to happen.","When I got to the place I walked in and asked an employee if they had any and, of course, they said no. I pleasantly thanked them and, not knowing what else to do, stood there and looked around at whatever was nearby. Only a few seconds later, the employee stopped me and, in surprise, shared that a truck had literally just arrived and they were checking in new items. He refreshed the stock on his computer, and one had arrived. I was floored. I made the purchase and was able to help my dear friend that very weekend.","If I had more time to write, I would love to share the other miracles of timing that happened that day—all in order to get my friend what they needed. But this experience itself was such a testimony to me that God knows exactly how to answer our prayers, even down to the seconds.","A dear friend needed something I couldn’t find anywhere, and I prayed for guidance. One morning I got the feeling to just drive all the way to a store that sometimes carried it.","devoted friend","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-40-man-helping-woman-at-counter.webp","A man at a store counter talks with a smiling woman.",{},40,"story-40",{"theme":175,"context":176,"tone":178},[25,49],[177,117],"errands",[179],"miraculous","isAR3SveWg02m_hNe6hd23JuIptEfb-iBRb2RiDDeek",{"id":182,"title":183,"article":7,"body":184,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":189,"extension":16,"identity":190,"image":191,"imageAlt":192,"meta":193,"number":194,"stem":195,"tags":196,"__hash__":200},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-39.json","A Little Warning",[185,186,187,188],"I had an experience that was super simple, but I think the message, at least what it meant to me, was huge. I was playing a game with some friends and, while we all care about each other, sometimes competitive spirits give way to some genuine frustrations and intensity, ya know?","Anyway, it was my turn, and I needed to avoid getting one number for my token's movement or I would land on a spot that would make me lose. With the movement counter spinning, something in me just said “You are going to get that number you don’t want”. For a split second I brushed it aside, but I knew that feeling. Even though I didn’t want to give into it or admit it, I just knew it was going to happen. I stopped the counter, and, lo and behold, there shone the number for my eventual loss.","Why this all mattered to me was because I genuinely believe that God gave me a little warning so I would react well. When I saw the number, instead of being shocked and upset, I was calm and expecting. It helped me not be mad about it. In fact, it helped me laugh! Like I couldn’t believe, of all the possibilities, I’d actually get it. In that moment we all couldn’t believe it actually, and instead of being caught up in trying to win, the moment dispelled frustrations and we all laughed at the sheer ridiculousness.","I walked away from that really feeling humbled. Not that playing or trying to win is bad, but it was more important for me and my friends to just be together and share the moment, win or lose. I’m gonna remember that lesson forever.","In a tense board game with friends, I needed to avoid one number. Just before the spinner stopped, I felt God giving me a little warning.","friend at game night","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-39-friends-playing-video-games.webp","Three friends sit together playing video games, smiling.",{},39,"story-39",{"theme":197,"context":198,"tone":199},[26,50],[95],[137],"xRY4hG_I7dkM3DdmVXhyCSYTQpCYyNpgXl4oz0FWehY",{"id":202,"title":203,"article":7,"body":204,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":208,"extension":16,"identity":209,"image":210,"imageAlt":211,"meta":212,"number":213,"stem":214,"tags":215,"__hash__":219},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-38.json","Feeling the Ground",[205,206,207],"I was feeling anxious at a church meeting one day and decided to stand outside the door listening and pacing a bit. While doing so, a friend from the congregation passed by me and turns out we were doing the same thing! It honestly was kind of funny to find both of our socially anxious selves now in a conversation, but it felt honest. Like I knew the friend wasn’t judging me at all because we were in the same boat.","Anyways, she shared this little tip of taking your shoes off and just feeling the ground with your feet. Like feeling the sensation of the floor and carpet would help me feel “grounded” and calm my anxieties. I had never heard of that life hack before, so I gave it a try and it actually helped! I’ve thought of that tool many times since and it’s been a blessing.","I guess I’m sharing this story because it felt like God was helping me through this friend so that I now have a coping technique I can use anytime! I know God knows we have anxiety and depression and I believe with all my heart He wants to help us!","Feeling anxious at a church meeting, I stepped out to pace by the door and found a friend doing the same thing. I believe God was helping me through her.","friend at church","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-38-feet-on-carpet.webp","Feet in socks, shoes off, stand on carpet.",{},38,"story-38",{"theme":216,"context":217,"tone":218},[26,50],[94,95],[31],"zKI7l3DxK6YPnTmVTAJN5KG8S6bTm8rFHl_jGqG4II0",{"id":221,"title":222,"article":7,"body":223,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":228,"extension":16,"identity":229,"image":230,"imageAlt":231,"meta":232,"number":233,"stem":234,"tags":235,"__hash__":239},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-37.json","I Surprised Myself",[224,225,226,227],"I get socially anxious sometimes and church is honestly a place where it happens frequently. I think it’s just sitting all close together. I sometimes feel trapped and my thoughts loop on what others are thinking of me.","One day I decided to walk around in the hallways to ease the anxiety. While walking I passed a young man, sitting alone, who looked down. In my thought process, I did as I usually do and simply kept walking, not looking around or making eye contact. When I rounded the corner, I got the feeling to go back and ask him if he was alright. I got really nervous at the thought, but I felt peace too. I knew I needed to follow that prompting.","I turned around and walked up to the young man and asked, respectfully, if he was alright. He looked up and began to express that he was not. I surprised myself by sitting down next to him and he talked. He told me of the worries and troubles that he was feeling and I found my own feelings begin to change. A genuine love and care for this young man replaced my anxious feelings, and I no longer was worried. I was just wanting to help him. When he was done he thanked me for asking—it meant a lot to him. We have become friends and I feel grateful every time we see each other.","If you feel socially anxious, don’t worry. I understand it, and I don’t think the Lord wants us to do anything we can’t handle. On that day though, I believe the Lord knew someone was in need, and He knew I could help, even if nervous. 🙂","My anxiety had me walking the church hallways, and I passed a young man sitting alone. I believe the Lord knew someone was in need, and that I could help.","churchgoer with social anxiety","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-37-young-men-on-bench.webp","Two young men in church clothes sit on a bench; one rests his head in his hand.",{},37,"story-37",{"theme":236,"context":237,"tone":238},[25,26],[94],[31],"IS3Yruo6thg_1V1UCE6Lc965K7bvd1osaFfd9IGuQgQ",{"id":241,"title":242,"article":7,"body":243,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":247,"extension":16,"identity":248,"image":249,"imageAlt":250,"meta":251,"number":252,"stem":253,"tags":254,"__hash__":259},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-36.json","Something to Hold Onto",[244,245,246],"I’d been out of work for about 8 months. I had a couple prospects that looked ok, but nothing was finalized. Financially, I had enough savings for another couple months, but that was it. Because of the conditions at my last job, I was too emotionally exhausted to freak out about the money running out soon, so I kind of just turned off and stopped caring\u002Ftrying.","One morning I was doing my hair and I had the distinct impression that I’d get paid again before the container of hair stuff ran out. I didn’t put a lot of stock in that feeling, but it gave me something to hold on to. About a month later I did accept a job offer. What I didn’t realize was the company didn’t process payroll bi-weekly—only once per month. And they run 1 pay cycle behind. So I ended up waiting a month and a half before I got my first paycheck. And the next day—the very next day—my hair stuff ran out.","The lesson I took away was that The Lord knows our lives down to the ultimate level of detail, and He told us not to be afraid. I’ve gone through several containers of hair stuff since then, but I kept that particular empty thing of hair stuff. So now when I worry about my career or the future in general, I just open the drawer and look at the empty hair stuff container and I keep moving forward, knowing that He’ll help.","After eight months out of work, I was too exhausted to even worry anymore. Then one morning, while doing my hair, I had a distinct impression I’ve held on to ever since.","business process consultant between jobs","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-36-man-at-mirror.webp","A man stands at a bathroom mirror holding a small jar.",{},36,"story-36",{"theme":255,"context":256,"tone":258},[115],[257],"chores",[179],"XLvt7xsLNjpd0YKOoVkz0OkoSSj-nrjaKR-Ybl1Ams4",{"id":261,"title":262,"article":7,"body":263,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":267,"extension":16,"identity":268,"image":269,"imageAlt":270,"meta":271,"number":272,"stem":273,"tags":274,"__hash__":278},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-35.json","Back to the Syllabus",[264,265,266],"I’m grateful that the Lord can sometimes send a gentle reminder for things that clearly we should be aware of.","Once during my freshman year in college I was wrapping up for the day and getting ready to walk home. It was evening, but not too dark yet. Mentally I went over what I had to get done for the next day (homework, studying for exams, all that great school stuff) and while I couldn’t think of any assignments\u002Ftasks that were missing, I kept getting the feeling that there was something I hadn’t done yet. The thought made me stop and double-check my notes, even going all the way back to the syllabus of some classes. And that’s when I found it: a semester paper that I had somehow completely missed that was due — you guessed it — the next day. While my body & mind went into a little shock at the realization that I had nearly missed the biggest assignment of the class, I felt this assurance that, while not nearly the best way to do research and write a paper (all in one sitting at the library) I would certainly be able to do it if I buckled down and focused. I walked home at midnight after spending the entire evening in the library, but the paper was done.","Sometimes I think of how I felt before I realized my mistake: so oblivious and unaware of what was about to transpire; just excited to head home. I know it can be nice to stay in such a place mentally, but really, without a doubt, I am grateful the Lord helps in moments like that.","Heading home after a long day, I couldn’t think of anything I had forgotten, but the feeling wouldn’t leave. I’m grateful the Lord sends gentle reminders.","college freshman","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-35-student-reading-on-campus.webp","A college student with a backpack reads papers as she walks across campus.",{},35,"story-35",{"theme":275,"context":276,"tone":277},[25,26],[28],[31],"Xzywt_y1VCAVvbGVNXrwrtPmTpge4j4ry473ph2rLZ0",{"id":280,"title":281,"article":7,"body":282,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":287,"extension":16,"identity":288,"image":289,"imageAlt":290,"meta":291,"number":292,"stem":293,"tags":294,"__hash__":298},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-34.json","It Oddly Locked",[283,284,285,286],"Had an interesting experience as a missionary that was surprisingly not about missionary work, but just a little thing that happened that might have saved a kid’s life.","My companion and I had just finished a lesson with a family who had a little kid with tons of energy. He loved to run around and go on adventures (I’m sure much to his parents’ exhaustion!) Anyways, it was night and snowing outside, so my companion and I were anxious to get in our car and get the heater going; however, when we got to the car, it oddly locked — like we heard the door handles lock. My comp and I looked at each other confused. He pressed the unlock button multiple times and after a few seconds we heard the doors unlock and we got in, making passing comments that that was odd.","We turned the car around and began to drive down the long driveway when we saw a little kid dart out a ways in front of us. We slammed the brakes and stopped just a few feet from hitting him. One of the parents rushed and scooped the little boy up while my companion and I sat in shock. Had we been just a few seconds sooner, we would have hit the boy as soon as he reached the road. On our way to our next appointment we pulled over and said a prayer of gratitude for the miracle we had just witnessed.","I believe that sometimes the Lord will slow us down, even delay us, when it’s just not the right time. Maybe not always down to the seconds like that night, but still, I believe that timing is a huge part of the miracles in our lives.","Leaving a lesson on a snowy night, our car doors oddly locked just as we reached them. I believe the Lord sometimes slows us down for a reason.","missionary","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-34-missionaries-in-snow.webp","Two men in dark coats walk past a car in falling snow.",{},34,"story-34",{"theme":295,"context":296,"tone":297},[26],[117,29],[179],"wk-zFB7dRKZ_lLsUpo5ZriiSfQ39YACwUt1KWu2pYHY",{"id":300,"title":301,"article":7,"body":302,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":306,"extension":16,"identity":307,"image":308,"imageAlt":309,"meta":310,"number":311,"stem":312,"tags":313,"__hash__":317},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-33.json","Peace Settled Over Me",[303,304,305],"Growing up, my dad’s military career had us moving every couple of years. The hardest of these moves for me was after my freshman year in high school. I had spent the last three years in what had become my favorite place. I had several good friends, a great church community, and cousins living nearby. I didn’t want to leave. When I found out we were moving to middle-of-nowhere Kansas, I cried. Hard. I maintained a pretty bad attitude about it the whole trip there.","Our first Sunday in Kansas, my parents saw a sign for a youth conference that was happening soon. Knowing I was depressed and angry about the move, they encouraged me to go, telling me it would be a great opportunity to make friends. Unfortunately, I have some social anxiety and the prospect of meeting new people terrified me. As I was pondering whether or not to go, and feeling overwhelmed with fear, the conference theme caught my eye. The theme centered around a verse of scripture, Isaiah 41:10. On the sign was the first line, “Fear not, I am with thee.” Peace settled over me. I felt like the Savior was speaking personally to me. I didn’t need fear. He would take care of me. I went, ready to test if it were true, and it was! The Savior comforted and strengthened me, giving me courage to get out of my shell and talk to people. I was able to talk to the girls I was staying with, and they became some of my best friends!","That verse will forever hold a special place in my heart as it reminds me that we don’t need to fear. Christ is with us. He will strengthen us to meet whatever challenges we face.","I was angry about moving to the middle of nowhere and scared of meeting new people. Then a verse of scripture on a church sign caught my eye.","military kid in a new town","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-33-girl-among-moving-boxes.webp","A girl stands in a room of stacked moving boxes, looking down.",{},33,"story-33",{"theme":314,"context":315,"tone":316},[50,49],[94,95],[31],"W1GE0Whh-0Fpcs7Ux09Foh7E2J32Eg7MNGgtTc8gOwM",{"id":319,"title":320,"article":7,"body":321,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":326,"extension":16,"identity":327,"image":328,"imageAlt":329,"meta":330,"number":331,"stem":332,"tags":333,"__hash__":337},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-32.json","Ask One of My Siblings",[322,323,324,325],"Once I was working on a coding lab for my class and, my goodness, it was just not working. Part of our labs is that we run it through a test script and if it passes then we are good to go and we can get it passed off. For this particular lab, whenever I ran the script, I kept getting the same error, over and over. Literally hours were spent, huddled in my room, lights off, bright screen in my face, blood-shot eyes, staring at a coding problem that for the life of me I couldn’t figure out.","I didn’t pray right away, but I slowly started to. I got the impression to ask one of my siblings for help. They did coding, but I honestly hadn’t reached out to them before because I knew how busy they were. And not only that, but I wanted to solve this on my own, so it was definitely a “defeated” mentality when I eventually called. I honestly didn’t expect what would happen next.","The first question they asked me was, “Did you put any ‘hooks’ in your code?” I had never heard that term before. They briefly told me how I could use simple lines of code to display info, like warnings, and I could see what was happening behind the scenes. It literally changed everything about my debugging process, and I found the issue within 20 minutes. The phone call probably took just about 10.","I should not have been as prideful as I was, and I think the Lord was helping me know that not only is it ok to reach out for help, but He specifically asks us to. He knows how to help us.","I spent hours staring at the same coding error, too proud to ask for help. When I finally prayed, the Lord pointed me somewhere I hadn’t wanted to look.","computer science student","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-32-student-on-phone-call.webp","A young man at a computer smiles as he talks on the phone.",{},32,"story-32",{"theme":334,"context":335,"tone":336},[25,26],[28],[31],"hPVa1ZNo_k8Ttat-J_WhUWx2KQ5KNRUTVbUu_cAKWwQ",{"id":339,"title":340,"article":7,"body":341,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":345,"extension":16,"identity":346,"image":347,"imageAlt":348,"meta":349,"number":350,"stem":351,"tags":352,"__hash__":356},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-31.json","Help Me Understand This",[342,343,344],"I’ve found that going on walks to meditate, ponder and pray has been a very fulfilling habit. Recently I had one outing that stood out to me because it, at the start, didn’t seem like it was going to be a good walk.","The day seemed to be a particularly sad one. Nothing out of the ordinary really happened, but I just felt discouraged and unsure what to do. I felt unsure of many things, honestly. I went on a walk hoping it would immediately clear up my mind, but it did not. Anxiety told me I should get back home and get back to work, but I really wanted to be out. I wanted so much for those clear answers on what to do. I prayed for guidance, but didn’t feel anything at first. I kept walking, deciding that I wasn’t going to listen to anxiety tonight. Slowly my prayers turned from “what should I do?” to “please, help me understand this…” (meaning my feelings and troubles). When my prayer changed to that, I felt close to God. I can’t really use any other words to describe it. It was like I could feel Him walking with me and the power & warmth of His presence. I let my mind wander, process, and pray, and I felt certain understandings come. The understanding led to me coming up with something I should look into that might help me. This new path to investigate felt good, and I believe that the Lord guided me to this by helping me understand and process my situation.","The whole experience was beautiful and emotionally powerful and I could not help but cry as I walked. I’m very grateful for Jesus Christ and His patience and love for me!","I went for a walk to clear my mind and pray, and at first I didn’t feel anything. Then my prayer began to change.","evening walker","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-31-man-walking-head-down.webp","A man in a jacket walks with his head down and hands in his pockets.",{},31,"story-31",{"theme":353,"context":354,"tone":355},[72,50],[],[137,53],"uN1ZKceE-pwwx1RjCEXYFYKQggOoSv5cRlHLC5ZDpZc",{"id":358,"title":359,"article":7,"body":360,"crisisLine":105,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":364,"extension":16,"identity":365,"image":366,"imageAlt":367,"meta":368,"number":369,"stem":370,"tags":371,"__hash__":375},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-30.json","Hold Onto Him",[361,362,363],"For the last several years, we have experienced a death in the family on every odd-numbered year. First it was my uncle, very unexpectedly. The next odd-numbered year, my cousin took his own life. Next, my grandpa passed away after several months of painful cancer. The next odd-numbered year, I found out at a pregnancy checkup that my baby had had a twin who didn’t survive past eight weeks.","Each of these experiences brought devastating heartache and unanswered questions. I prayed over and over for understanding and answers. Instead, I got peace. The Lord asked me to hold onto my questions with one hand and then hold onto Him with the other. He promised answers and understanding eventually, but in the meantime, He would give me peace and strength to keep moving. As I’ve held onto my Savior, He has given me some pieces of answers to my questions. Not all of them, but enough to help make my burden a little lighter. And He has given me His strength to carry heavy things. But most of all, I have found peace. He has calmed my heart time and time again.","I just started another odd-numbered year. I know I shouldn’t put much stock in the idea that odd-numbered years are cursed or something. But I still felt anxious. What will this year bring? Once again, peace. Peace has filled my heart as my Savior has gently reminded me of all the tender mercies and miracles that have happened even when things were difficult. He is once again asking me to hold His hand. So I’m going to hold on as tightly as I can and lean on His strength through whatever may come.","Every odd-numbered year brought another death in our family. I prayed over and over for answers, and the Lord gave me something else first.","grieving mother","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-30-woman-kneeling-at-grave.webp","A woman in a hooded jacket kneels beside a gravestone.",{},30,"story-30",{"theme":372,"context":373,"tone":374},[115,50,73],[75],[53],"eef12Z4TB9RwMca0nzpdmG-equkodPaTEfWf_Hd-D3A",{"id":377,"title":378,"article":7,"body":379,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":382,"extension":16,"identity":383,"image":384,"imageAlt":385,"meta":386,"number":387,"stem":388,"tags":389,"__hash__":393},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-29.json","The Fog Cleared",[380,381],"While serving in the USCG I was flying into Kodiak Island in Alaska on a foggy November night. The crew chief asked me to sit in the port search window to keep an eye out for any holes in the fog so we could see to land. I put on the communication head set and swung out in the bubble. It felt like I was flying through a cloud. The fog was so thick, I could just see the propellers of the C130 aircraft. All of a sudden the fog cleared and all I could see was a mountain right in front of us. I started saying, “Up, Up, Up” over and over as the pilot pulled back and tried to bank and climb away from the mountain. I couldn’t take my eyes off of the propellers. They were skimming the grass on the side of the mountain. I thought we were done. I knew it would be quick. Then we were plunged into the fog again. Soon we popped up out of the fog like a whale clearing the ocean’s surface.","As we headed for Anchorage, I knew that Jesus was there with us. He saved us. Whenever I think about that day, the feeling that He has for me comes back. I know He did it because I still have work to do for Him.","Flying into Kodiak Island on a foggy November night, I could barely see our own propellers. I know Jesus was there with us.","Coast Guard veteran","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-29-veteran-at-plane-window.webp","A man in uniform looks out a plane window at the clouds.",{},29,"story-29",{"theme":390,"context":391,"tone":392},[26],[28,29],[179,53],"RTMf8scmKZBV8xR2qB47pAq6GXd94X4Zm_IzCIgK2og",{"id":395,"title":396,"article":7,"body":397,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":401,"extension":16,"identity":402,"image":403,"imageAlt":404,"meta":405,"number":406,"stem":407,"tags":408,"__hash__":412},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-28.json","Twice in One Day",[398,399,400],"I went through a heart-wrenching divorce that left me feeling very alone and frightened of the unknown future ahead of me. I had four teenage children at home and I needed some help – a lot of help! As I was talking to my counselor about my fears and hopelessness, he looked me straight in the eyes, and as tears welled up he simply said, “Jesus loves you and is with you.” I immediately felt calm and peaceful that I was not alone in this journey.","I came home after my session with my dear counselor, and my niece, who was three years old at the time, was there with my sister. My sister told me that just minutes before I arrived home, out of the blue, my niece said, “Mommy, Jesus loves [my name]”. Twice in one day I felt the love and comfort of Jesus Christ.","That happened many years ago, and I look back and see how the Savior truly was with me and helped me to where I am today. I love Him and look forward to the day where I can wrap my arms around Him and thank Him personally for being with me during the hardest time of my life and also during the joyful times. I learned if we reach out to Him, He will reach back to us and help us individually with what we are in need of at that time.","After a heart-wrenching divorce, I felt alone and frightened, with four teenagers at home. That day, the love of Jesus Christ reached me twice.","single parent of four teens","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-28-woman-hand-on-heart.webp","A woman stands with her eyes lowered and her hand on her heart.",{},28,"story-28",{"theme":409,"context":410,"tone":411},[115,73],[75],[53],"JQwdGdDOxSmx7hnpfvrY2x_0leSPy6oWApfVJZWtnrg",{"id":414,"title":415,"article":7,"body":416,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":420,"extension":16,"identity":421,"image":422,"imageAlt":423,"meta":424,"number":425,"stem":426,"tags":427,"__hash__":431},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-27.json","I Felt a Companionship",[417,418,419],"Recently I’ve had a lot of moments where I’ve felt alone and troubled. Sometimes I can’t even put a finger on exactly why, but it lingers: this terrible feeling that I’m on my own.","The most recent time it happened, a simple, but very clear, feeling came to tell God all my troubles. Not to ask for anything, just to vent. I knew He was already aware of what I was feeling, but to simply say it all in prayer, to voice it like He was right next to me, relieved the heavy feelings. I could picture Him so clearly listening; just being there. Every so often there was a feeling of love. Something small, not overwhelming. Just enough to keep me going knowing I was unloading to someone who really cared.","When I was done, it felt like I had just finished talking to a good friend; one of those deep conversations that lasts. I was so relieved, and I felt a companionship with God. The problems didn’t go away, but I felt so different. I knew that not only was I walking with my Savior, trying to do all I could to be like Him, but He was also walking with me — doing all He could to bring peace.","I felt alone and troubled, and I couldn’t even say why. So I told God everything, as if He were right next to me.","artist","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-27-man-praying-on-bed.webp","A man sits on the edge of his bed in a sunlit room, head bowed over clasped hands.",{},27,"story-27",{"theme":428,"context":429,"tone":430},[72,50],[],[137,53],"3Ub8fE1p6CaFilaLYfbK4svgKMs7v4h6SvtpEqKjnvQ",{"id":433,"title":434,"article":7,"body":435,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":439,"extension":16,"identity":440,"image":441,"imageAlt":442,"meta":443,"number":444,"stem":445,"tags":446,"__hash__":450},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-26.json","I Know What You Need",[436,437,438],"Been trying to work on getting some self-employment\u002Fentrepreneur projects off the ground and thankfully the Lord has blessed me with tons of help — mostly in the form of people wanting to share their experiences to help me along. So grateful for it!","Anyway, one night my creativity coach wanted to meet and seriously at the time I was feeling so anxious and tired and just bleh, so I didn’t want to be talking to anyone. I got a feeling that I should meet with them, and I pushed it away. “I’m tired,” I told myself. “You just don’t want to offend anyone even though they’d totally understand.” But again the feeling came, and it was to meet with them now. Maybe I was feeling anxious about ignoring that feeling, but I ended up accepting and we got together.","It turned into the exact meeting I needed. The questions\u002Fconcerns that were causing me anxiety and feeling off were answered and I had a clear heading on what to do next. After the chat I said a prayer of thanks and started laughing because I knew that of course listening to the Lord was the best thing to do. It felt like the Lord was chuckling with me too. I could so clearly imagine His hand patting my shoulder as He smiled and said, “See? Trust me. I know what you need and I want to help”. He has helped so much on this journey!","I was anxious and tired and wanted to cancel a meeting, but the feeling to go came twice. The Lord knew exactly what I needed.","new business owner","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-26-woman-on-video-call.webp","A woman sits at a computer on a video call.",{},26,"story-26",{"theme":447,"context":448,"tone":449},[25,49],[28,29],[31],"Th4kkQfi95Zy5S9wqZ-Ydnr2DAeXiEMYgI614ZRu_pc",{"id":452,"title":453,"article":7,"body":454,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":458,"extension":16,"identity":459,"image":460,"imageAlt":461,"meta":462,"number":463,"stem":464,"tags":465,"__hash__":469},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-25.json","More Important to Support",[455,456,457],"We have this big variety show at our school that happens every year and it’s put on by volunteer talent and things. Each grade puts on a dance\u002Fact too, and this year I was in charge of some of our grade’s decorations. One of them involved having some people stand in the back and hold up a key prop that would shimmer as they moved it.","One of the people assigned to do that was one of my best friends. I asked him because I knew I could trust him, but I never asked how he felt about it. The night of the event came, and I found out from someone else that this friend of mine was really down and feeling anxious. When I asked why, they said it was because he had accepted to help, but deep down really just wanted to watch. The idea of being the person to hold this key prop up made him really anxious.","When I heard this, a simple feeling came over me and it was just this calm that not having the prop would be alright, and that it was more important to support my friend than force him. I found him sitting alone where the audience was going to be (before anyone had arrived) with his head down. I felt the feeling again, so I went and told him that he didn’t need to worry about the prop and that we’d be alright. I told him I couldn’t ask him to do it knowing how he felt. The joy and relief that filled his face warmed my heart. He gave me a huge hug and I felt this wonderful peace and understanding between us. I knew the Lord was teaching me something. Our relationships with people are always more important than things and events.","The night of our school show, I found out my best friend was dreading the job I had given him. I knew the Lord was teaching me something.","high school student","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-25-teen-watching-classmates.webp","A teenager looks across a room at boys in chairs, one with his head down.",{},25,"story-25",{"theme":466,"context":467,"tone":468},[25,26],[95],[31],"ksQVuFsqGHpagE7ovJ5plqS57lAR2fVmE_klPIVRAyE",{"id":471,"title":472,"article":7,"body":473,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":477,"extension":16,"identity":478,"image":479,"imageAlt":480,"meta":481,"number":482,"stem":483,"tags":484,"__hash__":488},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-24.json","Never Let Such Things Distract",[474,475,476],"I’m an IT “guy” of sorts, so I love it when the time comes to upgrade tech or revamp my workstation. I learned an important lesson on one such occasion.","I had just unpacked and setup a new computer and was now eagerly ready to turn it on for the first time. However, to my dismay, the computer wouldn’t turn on. Suppressing my rising panic, I went through the simple troubleshooting steps I had done for so many others. Still, the computer wouldn’t turn on. This machine was to be put to immediate use with my upcoming projects — so at this point I was incredibly frustrated and unhappy. This computer was a dud. I knew I could get it replaced as a DOA (Dead on Arrival) but it meant a delay.","That night there were gospel classes put on by the congregations in the area. At this moment, with how I was feeling, I didn’t want to go, but a quiet and notably calmer feeling came with a simple message: I needed to go. I fought the feeling, wanting to keep trying to fix the computer, but I decided to trust it. I went, and during the class the subject was on prophets who had unexpected challenges and the ways they kept trusting in God. As I listened, the Holy Spirit put peace into my troubled and frustrated heart. I felt happy again. I knew the Lord was telling me it would be alright; that He knew it was an unfortunate and inconvenient situation, but He wanted me to trust Him and never let such things distract from what is most important: staying close and learning of Him.","My brand-new computer wouldn’t turn on, and I wanted to keep fixing it. A quiet, calmer feeling told me I needed to go to class instead.","IT technician","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-24-student-in-classroom.webp","A student sits at a desk in a classroom of students writing.",{},24,"story-24",{"theme":485,"context":486,"tone":487},[25,50],[28,94],[137],"SSbgngZeZ5VzFmVJzs5oFR41tGZvl88q0oF2a6eu6Cg",{"id":490,"title":491,"article":7,"body":492,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":496,"extension":16,"identity":497,"image":498,"imageAlt":499,"meta":500,"number":501,"stem":502,"tags":503,"__hash__":507},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-23.json","Sense of Family Strength",[493,494,495],"Once my roommates and I were having a hard time with each other. I didn’t think anything malicious was intended; we were just all at very different points in our lives and had very different life styles, so there was definitely some friction.","At the peak of it all, I remember going into my room and weeping. It had been months of non-stop anxiety, depression, anger, frustration, and feeling hopeless. I didn’t know what to do or how to fix what was going on. I knew my roommates were not bad people. I cared very deeply for them, but things just weren’t working out. I prayed along those lines, and got a feeling of what to do…and it was going to be very, very hard. I wept some more because of the difficulty of the task, and then I got this very clear feeling from God that I was not alone, but that my family who had gone before me, my ancestors, were there with me. I felt this overwhelming sense of family strength; like I was surrounded by those who loved me and who were going to be with me every step of this journey and every journey afterwards. It changed everything for me and I can hardly explain how beautiful it felt. What happened in the following months was definitely very hard, but I followed through on the direction given and everything worked out. God and my family were there through it all.","I remember once being told that if we have guardian angels, who better than our family who already love us. I firmly believe that now.","After months of friction with my roommates, I went into my room and wept. When I prayed, God let me know I was not facing it alone.","roommate going through a hard time","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-23-young-woman-on-floor.webp","A young woman sits on the floor with her head in her hand.",{},23,"story-23",{"theme":504,"context":505,"tone":506},[73,50],[75],[53],"g72fOKTr4MVx_vWaBbHmfrmgHtMBH-593vhtK3T7A24",{"id":509,"title":510,"article":7,"body":511,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":515,"extension":16,"identity":516,"image":517,"imageAlt":518,"meta":519,"number":520,"stem":521,"tags":522,"__hash__":526},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-22.json","Be Friends With That Person",[512,513,514],"Sometimes friends come and go. And sometimes it’s even whole friend “groups”. That happened to me in college. I had a group of friends who I was really close to, but after a while we all kind of drifted.","I was feeling really lonely during this time. I prayed for friends, and one day something amazing happened. I was walking across campus and bumped into someone I had randomly been roommates with earlier that year. We weren’t really close then, but they were cool and always nice. We said hi for a few minutes and then went our separate ways, but when we did that this very clear thought came that simply said, “you should be friends with that person.” I was a little taken aback, since this person and I weren’t really close, but it was such a clear thought that I recognized it as something from God. I was a bit anxious about it honestly, but I figured I should at least message them and see if they wanted to do something. Later that week, I did, and what started as a simple hangout turned into one of the greatest friendships I have. It even led me to other great friendships that have changed my life.","I will forever be grateful for that message from God. I know the Lord can guide us to people who can become incredible friends!","After my group of friends drifted apart, I felt really lonely and prayed for friends. Then I bumped into an old roommate on campus.","lonely college student","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-22-students-greeting-on-campus.webp","One student reaches out to greet another who is walking toward him with books.",{},22,"story-22",{"theme":523,"context":524,"tone":525},[72,25],[95],[31],"W1lkqNYO0tkrpB5okNcZ2hQZlfzNCLDSuOYveRrACj8",{"id":528,"title":529,"article":7,"body":530,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":534,"extension":16,"identity":535,"image":536,"imageAlt":537,"meta":538,"number":539,"stem":540,"tags":541,"__hash__":545},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-21.json","This 'Calm' Was an Answer",[531,532,533],"Once at work, we were gearing up for an online event that was going to be the first of its kind that we had ever done. A lot of the big hurdles had been taken care of, but the day before we went live we decided that a portion of the event should be dedicated to a new service and website we were launching. Basically something just showing all the new features and possibilities.","Unfortunately, this meant scripting, narrating, recording, animating, and editing all needed to be done by the next day. I was the only one in a position to do it, so I volunteered. Even though I knew the monumental nature of the task, I felt this calm come over me. Usually I get stressed out very, very easily, so this was unexpected. I had been praying in the days leading up to the event that things would go well, and I felt this assurance that this calm was an answer to that. A clarity of mind came on exactly how to make this happen, so I went home and began to work, and honestly things just kept falling into place.","Amazingly, I was able to finish everything by the next morning, previewed the video to our execs, and got the thumbs up. To this day I can’t deny that the Lord helped make that all happen.","With one day to script, narrate, animate, and edit a video, I should have been a wreck. Instead a calm came over me, and I knew it was an answer to prayer.","video producer","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-21-woman-typing-at-computer.webp","A woman in glasses types at a computer, focused.",{},21,"story-21",{"theme":542,"context":543,"tone":544},[50,49],[28],[31],"VY9Cfe-6AivloF5w9EP7gPlMYpn7SOLy7h6TbuSRw7s",{"id":547,"title":548,"article":7,"body":549,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":552,"extension":16,"identity":553,"image":554,"imageAlt":555,"meta":556,"number":557,"stem":558,"tags":559,"__hash__":563},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-20.json","I Felt So Happy All of a Sudden",[550,551],"When I was a sophomore in high school, the girl I really liked started hanging around this other dude and they were getting close. It wasn’t bad or anything. In fact, the guy was really cool! It just kind of hurt and put me in a sad place I guess. It almost sounds silly typing it up now, but at the time it was rough.","I remember one day during recess feeling really down. An impression then came to open the scriptures and read. I randomly opened them up to Alma 38:5, which was the prophet Alma telling one of his sons that whoever trusts in God, they will be delivered from all their troubles. For some reason, when I read it, my mind switched the son’s name to my name. It suddenly felt like God was talking directly to me and I felt so happy all of a sudden. I knew He was telling me to keep trusting Him and we’d be able to get through this together. To this day it’s my favorite scripture.","The girl I liked was getting close to someone else, and I was really down. At recess I felt impressed to open my scriptures, and it felt like God was talking directly to me.","high school sophomore","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-20-teen-reading-against-wall.webp","A teenager sits against a wall reading a book, a backpack alongside.",{},20,"story-20",{"theme":560,"context":561,"tone":562},[115],[28],[31],"R6yu-99SmNV-O5bk-jzNV7oPHyJ7QeAe12JMfC-YxFk",{"id":565,"title":566,"article":7,"body":567,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":573,"extension":16,"identity":574,"image":575,"imageAlt":576,"meta":577,"number":578,"stem":579,"tags":580,"__hash__":584},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-19.json","It Began to Work",[568,569,570,571,572],"During the end of high school, I volunteered to film and edit a class video that was going to be our last “hurrah” before we graduated. All the lessons and things we learned were to be portrayed in a “parody” of sorts.","Filming day came and everything honestly went well. No issues with any of the equipment we brought or anything. The only bummer aspect was that we filmed on the weekend and I needed to have it ready by Monday, so there was a lot of crunch editing ahead.","That night, when I sat down to capture the footage and audio, my camera and computer kept freezing up and dropping frames which made the captured film choppy and unusable. I began to seriously panic. I tried again and again — Every time it came out the same. This was literally the last thing the entire class did together, needed to be ready the next day, and everything being captured was garbage.","I paced around frantically for what seemed like hours before I decided to say a prayer. I told God that I just needed the footage to be captured. It didn’t even have to be perfect. A few frames dropped was better than hundreds. I didn’t want to let my friends down.","I plugged the camera in again slowly, and started the process one more time and it began to work. There were some dropped frames, but it was working! I was speechless and overwhelmed with gratitude, but I felt to keep praying. I kept praying through all the hours of capturing that footage. When it was done, I knew I had seen a miracle. While the editing took forever, the short film remains one of my happiest memories with those friends and classmates.","Our class video was due Monday, and every time I captured the footage it came out choppy and unusable. After hours of panic, I finally said a prayer.","high school senior","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-19-man-at-video-desk.webp","A man sits at a desk with a computer and video camera, looking worried.",{},19,"story-19",{"theme":581,"context":582,"tone":583},[49,72],[28,29],[179],"nVcDtPdmfd9qjCx72nQWjp4AdLSUDYyR70e4iHYjfN4",{"id":586,"title":587,"article":7,"body":588,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":590,"extension":16,"identity":591,"image":592,"imageAlt":593,"meta":594,"number":595,"stem":596,"tags":597,"__hash__":601},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-18.json","An Angel Had Been Sent",[589],"Driving home with my wife from a wedding, we were half way through a 3 hour drive home. Knowing I had a bit of a drive home, I did not partake in any alcoholic beverages at the event. The section of the road we were on was dark; very few landmarks or places to stop. My wife was dozing next to me and my eyes started to get very heavy. Lights began flashing in my rear view mirror, the red and blue of a police cruiser. The officer asked for my ID and told me that I was swerving a bit and he was concerned for our safety. I explained the situation and he suggested that we might want to pull off somewhere safe and take a rest or check into a hotel for the night. I thanked him for his genuine concern and assured him we would be fine. As I put the car into drive, I looked into the rear view mirror to wait for the officer to pull out ahead of me and there was nothing there. No lights, no car, no nothing. An angel had been sent.","Driving home late from a wedding, my eyes grew heavy on a dark, empty stretch of road. I believe an angel was sent to watch over us that night.","husband driving home late","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-18-police-car-at-night.webp","A police officer walks past a police car stopped on a dark road.",{},18,"story-18",{"theme":598,"context":599,"tone":600},[26],[117,29],[179],"gnayXp1rxYQky8WLZ8a9-XpVHX-ko0Nho2nPinM7-uE",{"id":603,"title":604,"article":7,"body":605,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":608,"extension":16,"identity":609,"image":610,"imageAlt":611,"meta":612,"number":613,"stem":614,"tags":615,"__hash__":619},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-17.json","Son...Turn Your Head",[606,607],"Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, I always felt that there was life after death. The reality of this was reinforced in a powerful way to me several years ago. I was in the process of installing a dryer out in our shop. The circumstances of why I was doing this were such that my heart and mind were not in the work. The task required the installation of a new 220-volt receptacle. I had installed the receptacle and had only to connect the two 110 volt wires to the two circuit breakers. The load center was energized, so I made sure that the two circuit breakers were in the “off” position. In the process of trying to fit the first wire into the breaker, however, I somehow managed to bump the switch which energized the breaker. I was at that moment trying to fit a #10 copper wire into a live breaker with a pair of non-insulated steel needle-nose pliers. Just as I was about to stick the wire into the breaker, I hear my father’s voice telling me, “Son…turn your head”. I did as I was told, and saw that I was just a fraction of an inch away from possibly killing myself.","I stopped and had to sit down. I said a quick prayer thanking my dad, who had passed away some fifteen years before. Dad was an engineer and had taught me how to use tools correctly and safely. While I may have forgotten for a short moment some important safety tips Dad had taught me, I have never forgotten the love that he shared with me throughout his mortal life. I am forever grateful that Jesus Christ provided a way for my father to continue to be a part of my life.","Because of Jesus Christ, I have always believed in life after death. Years after my father passed, I heard his voice at the moment I needed it most.","son of an engineer","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-17-man-praying-on-step.webp","A man in work boots sits on a step, head bowed over clasped hands.",{},17,"story-17",{"theme":616,"context":617,"tone":618},[26],[257],[179],"A5jbN9ld0NqQwZAfmnJdx8M0J0YGXt1AB_r3XLn-wGc",{"id":621,"title":622,"article":7,"body":623,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":626,"extension":16,"identity":627,"image":628,"imageAlt":629,"meta":630,"number":631,"stem":632,"tags":633,"__hash__":637},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-16.json","We Can Say a Prayer",[624,625],"I was driving home from town one day, when our van started to ‘sound’ funny, and then it ‘felt’ funny and I knew I needed to pull over and stop. We were on a country highway, about 3 miles from home, and I had my 2 youngest sons with me. The boys were about 10 and 8 years old. I knew we could walk home, but I wasn’t terribly excited about doing that. I was tired and frustrated that I had some decisions to make and wasn’t sure what to do. My older son, feeling my frustration, said, “We can say a prayer.” I wasn’t feeling very humble, but of course knew that would be right to do. I let him say it and then went back to being frustrated.","Shortly after, a truck drove up behind us. I was scared and rolled up the windows of the van. My son was so happy and said, “Someone’s coming!” With some trepidation, I said, “Wait, we’ll see.” As this gentleman started to walk to our car, I recognized him as a good brother from Church. My fears disappeared. He said he was driving home in the opposite direction on the highway, saw us, and though he didn’t recognize who we were, he turned around and came to see if we needed help. A 10 year old’s sincere prayer was answered.","Our van broke down on a country highway, and I wasn’t feeling very humble. Then my ten-year-old said, “We can say a prayer.”","parent of two young boys","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-16-man-walking-to-van.webp","A man walks across a parking lot toward a van.",{},16,"story-16",{"theme":634,"context":635,"tone":636},[72],[177,117,75],[31],"EGj7Lru9aon5Wkn_MT6ZTim8PtXPjP4f_lDgf4Xddj8",{"id":639,"title":640,"article":7,"body":641,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":645,"extension":16,"identity":646,"image":647,"imageAlt":648,"meta":649,"number":650,"stem":651,"tags":652,"__hash__":656},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-15.json","It Was Just Too Simple",[642,643,644],"I once took a leave of absence from my job so my wife and I could travel around the country. We purchased a used camper van and just to ensure we had no serious mechanical problems, I rebuilt the engine. I was very comfortable working on engines and had rebuilt several. The van ran great for over 1,800 miles through Southern California, Nevada, and Utah. Along the barren plains of southern Wyoming, however, the engine seemed to lose power. We pulled into a campground so I could see what might be the problem. For reasons I couldn’t understand, the engine I had just rebuilt and which had run well through a third of the country, had lost compression on all six cylinders.","My wife, who had grown up in a religious home, suggested that we say a prayer. Shortly after that a total stranger walks by our van, sees the engine hood up, and asks me if there is a problem. After explaining everything to him, he says, “Sounds like you may have just glazed your cylinder walls. Try adding some STP and see what happens.” He then walked away.","At that point, I became a modern-day Naaman from the Old Testament. It was just too simple. My wife finally convinced me that we had nothing to lose, so I found a parts store in the next town and poured in a can of STP. After an hour or so the engine started running better and we were able to continue our cross-country adventure. That trip, with all that we experienced, was a pivotal moment in our marriage and has shaped our lives to this day. The Savior said in John 14:13, “whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do”.","In the middle of Wyoming, the engine I had just rebuilt lost all its compression. My wife suggested we say a prayer, and the answer was almost too simple to accept.","husband on a road trip","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-15-man-beside-broken-down-car.webp","A man stands beside a car with its hood up as another man walks toward him.",{},15,"story-15",{"theme":653,"context":654,"tone":655},[49,72],[117],[31],"vzNPgrb1CBYL5-2SMf5lda2tChOaxAwoJEiVvvvdfEg",{"id":658,"title":659,"article":7,"body":660,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":662,"extension":16,"identity":663,"image":664,"imageAlt":665,"meta":666,"number":667,"stem":668,"tags":669,"__hash__":673},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-14.json","The Savior is in the Details",[661],"I remember when our family was preparing for a special event. It was for our youngest son and all his siblings were there. We were excited. This event was of a sacred nature and we wanted to be organized and certainly on time. I remember going to sleep that night and setting the alarm on my cell phone. In the middle of the night, a question came clearly to my mind and woke me up. It was, “Did you set your alarm?” I remembered I did, and so I smiled and turned on my side to go back to sleep. Then came the second question to my mind, “PM or AM” ? My eyes popped open and I took my phone and checked. Sure enough, it was set for PM. I set it to the right time and then was so amazed at the communication I just had, I could not go back to sleep. However, we were on time and it was a wonderful time. We are told that the Savior is in the details, and that night was a testimony to me. He certainly was.","The night before a sacred family event, I set my alarm and went to sleep. In the middle of the night, a question came clearly to my mind. The Savior truly is in the details.","parent","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-14-bedside-clock-at-night.webp","A bedside clock glows 12:23 in a dark room.",{},14,"story-14",{"theme":670,"context":671,"tone":672},[25,26],[75,29],[31],"oVRXF7XxmTu8xLbEmtTR2-eQ19bLxh8lweQru4gzKOQ",{"id":675,"title":676,"article":7,"body":677,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":679,"extension":16,"identity":680,"image":681,"imageAlt":682,"meta":683,"number":684,"stem":685,"tags":686,"__hash__":690},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-13.json","Loving Counsel",[678],"When my children were younger, I had an experience that I will never forget. My oldest daughter was in a youth group and there were conflicts going on and feelings were being hurt. My heart sunk. One of the leaders was the mother of one of the girls in the group. It was hard as she showed, from my perspective, favoritism towards her daughter and some other girls. It wasn’t right, and I felt to take it to the Lord. I remember kneeling in a quiet room of our home, pleading with the Lord to make some changes because what I saw just didn’t feel right. I poured my heart out to Him. After that sincere prayer, I got up and went to the couch and fell asleep. It was a good rest and when I woke up, I heard and ‘felt’ this loving counsel, “You be sure that YOU are doing the right thing”. I never forgot that. I was reminded of Uzzah when he tried to steady the ark in the Old Testament (2 Samuel 6:6). I was firmly reminded that the Lord was in charge and He was aware of the situation. It was up to me to be sure I was choosing the right way and following Him. I will never forget that experience. It was pivotal for me and my learning.","I knelt and pleaded with the Lord to fix a situation that didn’t feel right. When I woke from a rest on the couch, His loving counsel was not what I expected.","parent and pianist","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-13-woman-resting-on-couch.webp","A woman rests on a couch with her eyes closed.",{},13,"story-13",{"theme":687,"context":688,"tone":689},[25,49],[75],[137],"Z7wibrGhKib4VtfBg2NOE4J_c3CS27_3v6tqY1xNKtw",{"id":692,"title":693,"article":7,"body":694,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":698,"extension":16,"identity":421,"image":699,"imageAlt":700,"meta":701,"number":702,"stem":703,"tags":704,"__hash__":708},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-12.json","Miracles on My Behalf",[695,696,697],"One day I was in the middle of needing to make a bunch of decisions that would affect, I thought, my standing with some friends. There was a lot going on in my life and I was so worried that I was going to hurt or offend people by not being able to do certain things. This fear of hurting friends made me think I might lose them entirely, which was totally anxiety, but I still couldn’t bear that thought.","With all the anxiety running through me, I knelt down to pray and asked God for peace and direction. Honestly, I just wanted Him to fix the issues — to make all the complexities of the decisions simple or even just to make the decisions for me so I wouldn’t have to bear that weight. The answer I felt was very different than what I was expecting. It was simply to decide what I genuinely wanted to do, unswayed by peer pressure, and then God would come take care of everything else, even perform miracles on my behalf. I honestly was shocked to have such a clear feeling that He would “perform miracles”.","Later that day I had a phone call with a friend and it went so well and with such love and understanding I felt lighter than I had all week. I really felt God’s love through my friend and that He was performing miracles.","I had decisions to make that I feared would cost me my friends. I asked God to make them for me, and His answer was very different than I expected.","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-12-man-looking-at-phone.webp","A young man with a shoulder bag looks down at his phone.",{},12,"story-12",{"theme":705,"context":706,"tone":707},[49,25],[95],[179],"W0t_eenEZcvSak1ebeCwy3SuBXrQLR_6OQ-PM3YiEqY",{"id":710,"title":711,"article":7,"body":712,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":716,"extension":16,"identity":459,"image":717,"imageAlt":718,"meta":719,"number":720,"stem":721,"tags":722,"__hash__":726},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-11.json","It Will Take Time",[713,714,715],"I had a friend once early in high school who I had a falling out with. My attempts to be friends again were ignored or actively rejected. We were all part of the same friend group too. It was really hard and I hated it, but whenever we were in the same area we just kind of ignored each other. I guess I was grateful that we could at least make that bit work, but I knew I didn’t want that to be the way it was forever.","Feeling really down about it one night I prayed to God for help. I just wanted our friendship back and I didn’t know what to do. I knew I couldn’t force them, and I knew God wouldn’t either. I honestly didn’t know what God could do. Maybe it just felt good talking to someone who I knew loved me. During that prayer though I felt peaceful, like my worries were gone. I got a clear feeling that it will get better, but it will take time. I felt like God was going to help me through this, and make a miracle happen. Shockingly, I felt like it would be one year from now. I thanked God and held on to that promise.","One year later, this person and I started talking again and our friendship healed. I won’t ever forget God’s help, even if it was just to give me comfort and strength until the healing He knew would happen came.","After a falling out, my friend wanted nothing to do with me, and I knew I couldn’t force it. So I prayed, and God gave me a promise to hold on to.","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-11-young-man-in-crowd.webp","A young man in a hoodie stands still as a crowd passes behind him.",{},11,"story-11",{"theme":723,"context":724,"tone":725},[155,115],[95,29],[31],"GMrviJwB6JM4YOTT1doHTgD76cWU_I5OIvk2MqVPnTs",{"id":728,"title":729,"article":7,"body":730,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":733,"extension":16,"identity":734,"image":735,"imageAlt":736,"meta":737,"number":738,"stem":739,"tags":740,"__hash__":745},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-10.json","You Won't Be Alone",[731,732],"Years ago I was helping my daughter with her newborn baby and her 5 older children. Everything was comfortable and moving along nicely. I would ride with her in the mornings when she brought the older children to school and her husband would pick them up on his way home from work. All was going well until she injured her shoulder in a small car accident about 2 weeks after I was there. A friend would bring the children to school in the morning after that, as I knew I could not drive the major highways. I lived in the country and country roads and country highways were all I was comfortable with. One day her husband called and said he had to work late and he could not pick the children up from school. She would need to ask someone else to do that. No problem, she had many friends. She called one friend, then another, and another — no one was able to do it. I couldn’t believe it. When she asked me if I could do it, I flat out said “I cannot!” I was terrified of driving on a major highway. When all options were exhausted I knew I had to step up. I prayed so hard and the encouraging words came: “You won’t be alone, you can do this.” I got into her car and my prayers never stopped. I knew the route and prayed constantly. Comfort and courage came. At one point the thought came ‘Can you believe you are driving an SUV on a major 4 lane highway??’ I panicked. I collected myself and said a prayer. Again the comforting and encouraging words came, ‘You are not alone, you are not alone.’ Peace and encouragement came. I was able to make the drive that day and knew I was never ever alone. Her husband met me at the school and I then followed him home.","I was never alone.","I told my daughter flat out that I could not drive the major highway. Then there was no one else to pick up the children, and I prayed so hard.","country grandma","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-10-grandmother-driving.webp","An older woman grips the steering wheel as she drives.",{},10,"story-10",{"theme":741,"context":742,"tone":744},[49,50],[743,117],"school-run",[31],"2dk7GOLoPr-5IAZYlV_H5rr-YY1A11V7g-QPwSdIPDY",{"id":747,"title":748,"article":7,"body":749,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":754,"extension":16,"identity":755,"image":756,"imageAlt":757,"meta":758,"number":759,"stem":760,"tags":761,"__hash__":765},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-9.json","I Just Wanted Anything",[750,751,752,753],"About midway through college I developed bad insomnia. Naturally, it made my mornings really rough, and my ability to focus even worse. My studies started to decline and I was falling behind in pretty much all my classes. I tried seeing doctors and getting medication, but nothing seemed to help. I genuinely felt hopeless.","One day, after failing again to make it to classes and complete certain assignments, I turned to God in prayer. I had prayed many times about this, but they were always simply prayers begging God to take my sleeping problems away. Now, though, I just wanted anything. Literally anything. I remember praying to God candidly that I knew my situation just wasn’t working and it wasn’t sustainable in order to complete my degree. I didn’t know what could be done, but I was at my wits’ end. I asked for help, and even if my sleeping issues didn’t go away, I wanted to know what to do, even if it meant dropping out.","After I said all that, I had a simple thought that tonight I would find the answer, and that specifically I should go to a get-together a friend of mine was having.","That night I found out about an online program through a sister college that not only would allow me to transfer my completed classes and finish my degree, but would also allow me to set my own schedule so I could rest when I was able to. It was the miracle I needed, and while I still struggle with sleep, I thank God to this day for leading me to a solution I didn’t know existed.","Insomnia had me falling behind in every class, and nothing was helping. I stopped asking God to just fix it and asked Him for anything at all. That night, He answered.","college student with insomnia","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-9-young-man-awake-in-bed.webp","A young man lies awake in bed, head propped on his hand.",{},9,"story-9",{"theme":762,"context":763,"tone":764},[115,72,25],[28],[179],"VjGur-7PUTK-ofY_Rj94nm3m0TLakakdWspd_yHwI0Q",{"id":767,"title":768,"article":7,"body":769,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":775,"extension":16,"identity":776,"image":777,"imageAlt":778,"meta":779,"number":780,"stem":781,"tags":782,"__hash__":786},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-8.json","I Felt To Answer",[770,771,772,773,774],"I remember a time when some family came to visit and while it was certainly fun, it was also really rough. Often I felt like an outsider among them, like I didn’t quite fit in. Their interests and things they wanted to talk about were so different than mine. Even when I tried to engage, it wouldn’t go far. I know they didn’t mean anything malicious, but nonetheless I just felt out of place.","After they left I prayed for comfort and I got rather emotional. I prayed for someone to talk to who would understand what I felt. I just didn’t want to feel alone.","The next day, late at night, I got a text from a friend asking if I was awake and if I’d be down to chat. I was tired, and honestly not really up for calling, but I kept getting the feeling that I should. Rationalizing that it would be fine either way, I was about to tell them no, but the feeling came again. Somewhat grudgingly, I decided to trust the feeling and called.","During our chat, I opened up about the rough experience and to my surprise they shared something similar. We talked for hours about the pain of wanting to have some kind of connection with family, but feeling like an outsider. At the end they told me that they felt to call, and I shared that I felt to answer. It was a beautiful moment between us, and we both shared our gratitude for the Lord who guided us.","These kinds of moments help me learn to trust the Savior. I know He wants to help us.","After a hard family visit, I prayed for someone to talk to who would understand. The next night a friend asked if I was awake, and I almost said no.","writer","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-8-young-man-reading-phone.webp","A young man at a desk looks down at his phone.",{},8,"story-8",{"theme":783,"context":784,"tone":785},[72,25],[95,29],[31],"HEwFdYj_9SyArvdIoT18AfoqirKcy926W23Cf5XAwqQ",{"id":788,"title":789,"article":7,"body":790,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":798,"extension":16,"identity":17,"image":799,"imageAlt":800,"meta":801,"number":802,"stem":803,"tags":804,"__hash__":808},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-7.json","I Will Always Love You",[791,792,793,794,795,796,797],"There was a day on campus when I went to say hi to a friend who I honestly had started to like. Seeing and visiting with them always made the day good.","Sadly the visit didn’t go well, and I got the impression that perhaps they were moving on from our friendship. We had been friends for many years and this hurt a lot. I started home, all the while praying in a panic to God for comfort. I was feeling so alone, depressed, and heartbroken.","Halfway home, and without any peace being felt, I slowed my pace and began to wonder: why was I not feeling His comfort? I had felt it before so many times – so why not with this?","Then the thought came “What will you do now?”","After a moment, I decided that since I knew the Savior was there, I would not give up, even if I did not feel it then. My prayer changed, and instead of praying for help, I testified of what I knew. I told God I knew He was there, and that even if I don’t feel peace now, I wouldn’t be angry with Him. I would continue to trust Him, no matter what, because I knew one day I would feel peace again.","It seemed like immediately after praying those words, I felt a warmth, like a hug, along with such comfort that it completely overpowered the pain. It was so strong I stopped in the middle of the road out of surprise and began to cry. The words that I felt were “I am here. I will always love you — even if you can’t feel it. Keep going. I am with you.”","It was a simple moment, but it changed me forever.","A friendship I cared about seemed to be slipping away, and I prayed the whole way home without feeling any comfort. Then my prayer changed.","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-7-young-man-walking-home.webp","A young man with a backpack walks along an empty road, head down, hands in his pockets.",{},7,"story-7",{"theme":805,"context":806,"tone":807},[49,50],[95],[53],"8XCqroY6FmBv7YvRPBaLwhBhP5Sy0_12jr6QXBLeBWg",{"id":810,"title":811,"article":7,"body":812,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":817,"extension":16,"identity":818,"image":819,"imageAlt":820,"meta":821,"number":822,"stem":823,"tags":824,"__hash__":828},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-6.json","I Felt Lighter",[813,814,815,816],"Several years ago, I thought I had reached the end of my rope. My heart had been broken for the first time — to the point that I was throwing up with anxiety and depression. I was also doing my student teaching which added a whole other level to my growing stress. To top it all off, I came down with a cold that left me feeling lethargic and unmotivated.","I remember sitting in my pajamas in my apartment on a Sunday evening, bawling and literally feeling like I couldn’t go on — that I wouldn’t survive another day. I called a friend to ask for a prayer and a blessing. It was good, and helped a little, but the intense anxiety and sorrow I was feeling still lingered heavily.","I crawled into my bed that night, and as I was crying and saying my night prayers, I remembered the lyrics to one of my favorite Christian songs: “Cast all your cares on Him for He cares for you.” I remembered the verse of scripture it was based on, 1 Peter 5:7.","Desperately, I pleaded with the Lord that, if those things were true, then would He please take the burdens from me. I imagined “casting” my cares on Him — giving Him all of my worries, fears, heartbreak, pain, etc, and imagined Him taking them. Immediately, I felt everything lift from my shoulders. My problems didn’t magically go away — I still had to go in and student teach the next day, I still had a cold, and the boy I had fallen for wasn’t suddenly going to date me — but I felt an astounding peace and comfort. I felt lighter. I knew I could go on, and that the Savior was with me.","My heart was broken, I was student teaching, and I felt like I couldn’t go on. That night, crying through my prayers, I remembered a verse: “Cast all your cares on Him.”","student teacher","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-6-young-woman-on-bed.webp","A young woman sits on her bed hugging her knees, looking sad.",{},6,"story-6",{"theme":825,"context":826,"tone":827},[49,73,50],[29],[53],"apHvk14CLc1ziHQ8Y5QIsHb7alSvnNFvycOKxS31a1I",{"id":830,"title":831,"article":7,"body":832,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":834,"extension":16,"identity":835,"image":836,"imageAlt":837,"meta":838,"number":839,"stem":840,"tags":841,"__hash__":845},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-5.json","Peace Beyond Understanding",[833],"There was a time when I was with a dear friend and some things were said that hurt me. I didn’t even know if they were aware. It did not seem so. After they left the hurt sank deeper into my heart and I began to pray. I wanted to say something to them, but wasn’t sure how or if it would be the right thing to do. I prayed and asked specifically, ‘If it is right to say something, please can You provide an opportunity that I can see, to do it and please give me the words’. I knew I would see that dear friend later that day. I prayed again before being with them for strength and guidance. Later when I came to the place where I knew I would see them, I said a prayer again in my car. I was hurting but didn’t want to say anything if it would make matters worse. I went into the building and as they saw me they approached immediately. They said, “I think I owe you an apology”. Wow…. I was stunned. That was a ‘golden opportunity’. I was able to share my earnest feelings in such an easy and sincere way. It was well received and I felt a ‘peace beyond understanding’. After talking to them, I found a quiet place and quickly knelt down and gave thanks for what I felt was a miracle of the tenderest kind.","Something a dear friend said had hurt me, and I didn’t know whether to say anything. I prayed for an opening and for the words, and what followed was a miracle of the tenderest kind.","friend with hurt feelings","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-5-two-women-on-bench.webp","Two older women sit on a bench with their bags, talking.",{},5,"story-5",{"theme":842,"context":843,"tone":844},[72,50],[95],[179],"p2lVl3kikEXFFlYgPwhUyG_gZZRQWaOdZDWxtyV_B54",{"id":847,"title":848,"article":7,"body":849,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":854,"extension":16,"identity":41,"image":855,"imageAlt":856,"meta":857,"number":858,"stem":859,"tags":860,"__hash__":864},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-4.json","Let Me Carry You",[850,851,852,853],"One day I remember feeling particularly down. I was struggling to complete some goals I had set for myself, and this led to feelings of being a failure. When the time came to exercise, I didn’t want to; however, getting a clear feeling like I should just do it anyway, I reluctantly got changed and began my exercise (which usually is playing a rhythm game in VR).","While playing, the memories of all the times I’ve been rejected, thought little of, viewed as hopeless, or simply looked down on (often times by my own self) kept looping in my mind. As my anger and frustration grew, I found myself giving into the emotion, and letting it push me to exercise harder. I admit it felt good, especially to see how it did seem to make me better in the game.","After a while I kept feeling like something was off, and realized that I had turned to my anger and kept it alive by continually feeding it those horrible thoughts. Deep down I knew that Jesus Christ wouldn’t want anger to carry me through my pain. That’s when I got this feeling that was simply, “Let ME carry you”. My anger slowly faded as I focused on that phrase, and peace began to grow. I knew I wasn’t a failure. I was just learning and growing. Most of all, I knew that Jesus Christ was with me.","Was getting my anger and frustrations out like that a bad thing? Honestly I don’t know, but regardless I believe Jesus Christ had a more important lesson to teach me, and that was to not let anger carry me, but Him.","Feeling like a failure, I let my anger push me through a workout. Then Jesus Christ taught me a better way to keep going.","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-4-man-in-vr-headset.webp","A man in a T-shirt wears a VR headset and holds a controller.",{},4,"story-4",{"theme":861,"context":862,"tone":863},[26,50],[],[137,53],"5hRNY60VDqLtDrjOwlman2Of7jWxfb6pAqmycQpHkww",{"id":866,"title":867,"article":7,"body":868,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":873,"extension":16,"identity":874,"image":875,"imageAlt":876,"meta":877,"number":878,"stem":879,"tags":880,"__hash__":884},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-3.json","I Had Been Embraced",[869,870,871,872],"I remember years ago when I retired to bed one night. I was frustrated and angry over a situation. I felt my chest tightening and my heart feeling ‘hard’. I did not like it at all. I knew it was not a place to be spiritually or physically. I knelt and prayed. I climbed into bed and continued to pray… I prayed and cried a long while.","I shall never forget the peaceful calm that gently, but suddenly, came over me. My eyes opened and I remember thinking, “Who’s here? What just happened?” The physical pain was gone… My body felt relaxed and my heart and spirit felt love.","I felt I had been embraced.","I knew He heard and answered my prayer. I knew I had a new heart and I would be able to do what was needed with Heaven’s help.","I went to bed frustrated and angry, my chest tight and my heart feeling ‘hard.’ So I knelt and prayed, and I knew He heard me.","temple worker","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-3-woman-kneeling-by-bed.webp","A woman in a nightgown kneels in prayer beside her bed.",{},3,"story-3",{"theme":881,"context":882,"tone":883},[72,50,73],[29],[31],"pVMg0_Xu0Ad2LLZ-V-atvhrSWu_A-e1zo7HF9YhwqWo",{"id":886,"title":887,"article":7,"body":888,"crisisLine":105,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":894,"extension":16,"identity":895,"image":896,"imageAlt":897,"meta":898,"number":899,"stem":900,"tags":901,"__hash__":905},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-2.json","Take Away My Pain",[889,890,891,892,893],"There was a time in my life where so many things seemed to go wrong. I could not go to school because I did not have the money. I lost a few things, and I felt like I couldn’t do much of anything worthwhile. One of the few good things in my life was a girl I was dating.","When we broke up, that was the last straw. I felt like I was abandoned by God. I was trying to do all I could to make my life good, but I felt like I had nothing. I hurt a lot, and got to the point where I was looking for any way to escape the pain. Running away, giving up entirely. Even a thought of suicide crossed my mind. But I knew not even that would be an escape from pain if I took my own life.","That night, I was physically shaking, because my mind was in such a torment of pain. I really didn’t know what to do, and for several hours I was like that: thinking of anything I could do to get out of what I had gotten into. After going through so much heart-breaking torture, my eye looked over at my wall where a picture of the Savior was hanging. As my mind was thinking of Christ, I came to a conclusion: There really is no other way. I cried out in my mind, “Jesus, take away my pain.” Not another 5 seconds passed, when my pain immediately disappeared. The anguish of pain my mind was causing me completely disappeared. Nothing replaced those feelings, but the pain was gone.","I lay there amazed at what had just taken place. I thanked God as I turned over to try and get sleep. After a few minutes, as I lay there, suddenly, what seemed to be a container burst over me, and enveloped me. The Spirit was not just in my heart, but I felt like I was wrapped in a cocoon of spirit and goodness. And all I could feel was love…God’s love for me.","I know God does not leave us alone.","So much had gone wrong that I was looking for any way to escape the pain. Then my eyes fell on a picture of the Savior on my wall, and I cried out to Him.","brokenhearted and out of funds","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-2-young-man-lying-in-bed.webp","A young man lies on his bed with his head on his arm, looking worn out.",{},2,"story-2",{"theme":902,"context":903,"tone":904},[73,50],[29],[53,179],"C3SvuI7jzqLmtgASHCtjh953_NdWLzGGbQc6H1fQQBc",{"id":907,"title":908,"article":7,"body":909,"crisisLine":12,"darkTreatment":13,"date":14,"excerpt":914,"extension":16,"identity":915,"image":916,"imageAlt":917,"meta":918,"number":919,"stem":920,"tags":921,"__hash__":925},"short_story_en\u002Fstory-1.json","For Five Minutes",[910,911,912,913],"While I was serving a mission for my church in Los Angeles, my depression was fairly intense. One morning in particular, I seemed to be in a strange tunnel of distortion: walking across my bedroom felt like it took all my energy out of me. I knew I needed to shower and get ready for the day, but I couldn’t even imagine lifting my feet up over the side of the tub or turning the water spigot. I felt physically drained.","In prayer, I asked, “Please, Lord, can I just feel the weight lift off of me for five minutes? Then I’ll have the strength to face what’s next.”","Immediately, a picture formed in my mind of my older sister. My sister is a vivacious, energetic person. I could almost hear her say, “Pick out an outfit, sister! Find something colorful to wear. Get showered and put it on.” I followed these instructions. For about five minutes, I felt an amazing clarity and springiness. It was like she had waved a magic wand over my head and completely dispelled the awful fog.","Although the sadness and weight did come back, I was amazed at the powerful feeling of wellbeing that lasted—as I had asked—for five minutes. In all my time with depression, I have never felt such immediate and precise relief. This moment felt like a little package of love from Jesus Christ. I felt that He knew me personally and understood my pain, and this is why He could help me in such a powerful way. He later led me to get more extensive help through medication and therapy, but I’ll never forget that He was also there with me in the worst of it.","My depression was so heavy that morning I could hardly get ready for the day. I prayed for just five minutes of relief, and the Lord answered in a way I’ll never forget.","missionary in Los Angeles","\u002Fimages\u002Fstories\u002Fstory-1-woman-sitting-in-pajamas.webp","A young woman in pajamas sits on a wooden chair, head bowed, a blanket in her hands.",{},1,"story-1",{"theme":922,"context":923,"tone":924},[73,72],[257],[53],"jpsf5HERG25DYUP2XvrBqrIFCHbdDwXdxm9YN6vOqWY",{"id":927,"title":928,"body":7,"chapters":7,"closing":7,"closingEyebrow":7,"closingHeading":7,"closingLeadOne":7,"closingLeadTwo":7,"description":929,"extension":16,"eyebrow":7,"galleryEyebrow":7,"galleryHeading":7,"galleryHints":7,"galleryLead":7,"groups":930,"heading":7,"headingLines":7,"lead":7,"meta":985,"navigation":105,"originEyebrow":7,"originHeading":7,"originLead":7,"path":986,"portraitAlt":7,"prints":7,"rules":7,"sections":7,"seo":987,"signoff":7,"stem":988,"storeEyebrow":7,"storeHeading":7,"storeLeadOne":7,"storeLeadTwo":7,"storeNote":7,"terms":7,"thankYouHeading":7,"thankYouLead":7,"updated":7,"__hash__":989},"content_en\u002Ftags.json","Story tags","Subject taxonomy used by the Story Gallery filter rail.",[931,951,973],{"id":932,"title":933,"tags":934},"theme","Theme",[935,937,939,941,943,945,947,949],{"id":26,"label":936},"Grace",{"id":115,"label":938},"Hope",{"id":49,"label":940},"Faith",{"id":72,"label":942},"Prayer",{"id":73,"label":944},"Healing",{"id":155,"label":946},"Restoration",{"id":25,"label":948},"Guidance",{"id":50,"label":950},"Peace",{"id":952,"title":953,"tags":954},"context","Context",[955,957,959,961,963,965,967,969,971],{"id":177,"label":956},"Errands",{"id":28,"label":958},"Work & School",{"id":257,"label":960},"Chores",{"id":743,"label":962},"School Run",{"id":95,"label":964},"Socializing",{"id":94,"label":966},"Church",{"id":75,"label":968},"Home & Family",{"id":117,"label":970},"Driving",{"id":29,"label":972},"At Night",{"id":974,"title":975,"tags":976},"tone","Tone",[977,979,981,983],{"id":137,"label":978},"Contemplative",{"id":31,"label":980},"Warm\u002FUplifting",{"id":53,"label":982},"Deeply Moving",{"id":179,"label":984},"Miraculous",{},"\u002Ftags",{"title":928,"description":929},"tags","1rDS4XLkZDc-pzdbCgeR5-lAzvvPsBWyyBQ53NmHpYA",1791613846736]