5/14/03
"I hope that we will not underestimate the little gifts-the little gifts that we receive from God and the little gifts that we can give each other. God prizes little things too." — Chieko N. Okazaki, "Aloha!" [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1995], p. 197

9/15/05
"What is our Heavenly Father's work and glory? It is 'to bring to pass [our] immortality and eternal life.' (Moses 1:39.) The work of salvation goes on despite imperfect circumstances and imperfect faith. 'I am come that they might have life,' the Savior explained, 'and that they might have it more abundantly.' (John 10:10.) His task was not only to give life to the dead, miraculous though that was, but to give increased life to those living with less than flourishing faith, less than vibrant hope, less than burning charity.

"He accepts our imperfections even as he challenges us to rise above them. He loves us even when we are not very lovable. He rewards even a struggling faith with miracles." - Chieko N. Okazaki, "Aloha!" [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1995], p. 9

12/3/05
"Jesus Christ is our loving Savior. He is not some distant person in robes and sandals. He understands about the carburetor in our car, about ACT and SAT tests for our high-school senior, about a missionary cautiously trying tofu for the first time. We can share our whole lives with him. He doesn't want to see only the pretty, peaceful parts or the  sections  when we have a good day. Are there parts of our lives that we try to shove into the closet or sweep under the carpet when we pray or when we think we're trying to be righteous? I want to tell you that Jesus wants our whole hearts. He knows our whole lives. He's been through worse experiences than anything we have in our past. Do you remember when he told Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail: 'The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?' (D&C 122:5-8)" - Chieko N. Okazaki, "Disciples," p.93

12/21/06
"Think about the Savior. It takes a lot of confidence to tell a blind man to see, or to tell a crippled man to pick up his bed, or to set off walking across the surface of a stormy sea. Where did Jesus' confidence come from? I think it came from his relationship with his Heavenly Father. If we have faith in the Savior and follow his example, I think that we also can have the same kind of confidence. Jesus taught us how to pray, how to approach our Father in Heaven in great confidence and great love. I have read that the Aramaic word Jesus used doesn't mean just 'Father' but something much more intimate, like 'Daddy' or 'Papa,' the word a very small child would use in calling to his or her father. The apostle Paul told the Hebrews: 'Let us... come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.' (Hebrews 4:16.) Paul was reminding the Hebrews that they could have confidence in Christ because He was their Savior. He reminded the people that they were only mortals but they still were good enough to give bread and fish to their children, not stones or serpents. 'How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?' (Luke 11:13.)" - Chieko N. Okazaki, Aloha!, p.60