I had a really hard day Sunday. Actually, it’s been a hard month. (We all have them, right?) I went to church feeling rather numb and weary. I felt like I needed some strength and help with things pressing on my soul. But I wasn’t even sure what I needed.

But God knew.

Several things happened…just little things, but all together, they wove a pattern in my day that let me know that God was aware of my needs. He gave me answers and perspective as I listened to the Young Women General Meeting with my family. He filled my heart with peace and love as I curled up on the couch with my children. He addressed concerns I had as I read through a Church magazine. He gave me thoughts that brought clarity about questions and concerns I had been wrestling with for the past several weeks.

A few years ago, Elder David A. Bednar gave a talk entitled, “The Tender Mercies of the Lord.” It was a talk that impacted members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in a significant way. Why do I say this? Because “tender mercies” was not really part of our Mormon vocabulary before this talk (although the phrase is found in scripture). He helped validate what we have known and felt in our lives — that God really is there, He is aware of us, that His help and guidance and support is real. As we seek Him, we can find Him through tender mercies.

One of the things that struck me about his talk was the repeated emphasis on one way we can know that divine help has been given. He said that “the tender mercies of the Lord are real and that they do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence. Often, the Lord’s timing of His tender mercies helps us to both discern and acknowledge them.”

I am grateful that Elder Bednar gave this talk because I feel it has helped me try to be more aware of the tender mercies of the Lord in my life. It’s especially when the timing just seems too uncanny that I know to try to see with spiritual eyes how the Lord is helping me along.

Tender mercies come both at times of great joy and also during times of trial. I have found that sometimes they are subtle, and often there are, as I experienced Sunday, patterns in the small things that happen that leave a trail of light, helping me feel closer to heaven. Sometimes tender mercies come in one day, and sometimes they trickle into my life over days, weeks, months, even years. Sometimes they come only after significant struggle, prayer, pondering, and searching. But they come. Becoming more aware of tender mercies in my life has strengthened my conviction that God knows me personally and is aware of the details of my life.

I love this from Elder Bednar:

When words cannot provide the solace we need or express the joy we feel, when it is simply futile to attempt to explain that which is unexplainable, when logic and reason cannot yield adequate understanding about the injustices and inequities of life, when mortal experience and evaluation are insufficient to produce a desired outcome, and when it seems that perhaps we are so totally alone, truly we are blessed by the tender mercies of the Lord and made mighty even unto the power of deliverance (see 1 Ne. 1:20).

I know God is there and that through tender mercies, you and I can feel and know of His love and the love of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

The Church recently created a video with highlights from this wonderful talk. I wanted to share it here.

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Sometimes you hear stories of amazing miracles, and the video below is one of them. (And this is an amazing miracle, a blessing and answer to thousands of prayers. I’m moved by the gratitude of this Mormon family, recognizing God’s hand in their lives.)

But what of the stories of sadness, tragedy, loss, and grief — also after as many prayers have been offered and faith exercised? Does God love someone less because He allowed loss to happen? Does having faith always mean that we will get the answers we want?

Read a story of a tragic loss here —  and feel of the faith in this Mormon woman’s perspective, as she also recognizes God’s hand in her life and helps answer these questions.

Both of these stories, each with a completely different outcome, testify of the same truths: God is there. He hears and answers prayers. He is very aware of our lives. Life has a purpose.

And we testify that death is not the end.

Even though sometimes the miracles don’t come fully until the next life, they are still just as real.

Sometimes I think it’s all too easy to equate faith with being able to get what we want. But I sometimes see the strongest evidences of faith in those who don’t have their prayers answered as they would have liked. When I see their unbending hope, diligence, patience, and love — for God and others — as they move forward in spite of heartrending difficulties in the present time, I understand more the power of faith.

Who shall separate us from the ^alove of Christ? shall ^btribulation, or distress, or ^cpersecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things we are ^amore than ^bconquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to ^aseparate us from the ^blove of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35, 37-39)

How grateful I am for miracles — both those that come now, and those we know will also come later, through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. How grateful I am for the faith of others that strengthens my own.

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Part of being a Mormon is having the gift of the Holy Ghost. This gift has guided my life in many profound ways. I would like to share one particular example.

There have been times in my existence when I felt confused about where I should be going. I have received spiritual promptings hinting in a certain direction. Like when I was deciding what college I should attend after high school.

“Apply for Brigham Young University (BYU),” the voice whispered.

“I can’t. My grades are nowhere near good enough. I can’t afford to live on my own,” I stubbornly answered back.

After a week of indecision, I once again heard that voice.

“Apply for BYU,” the voice said, a little louder this time.

“Fine!” I snapped back.

I applied for BYU. In Hawaii. I thought I had my best chances in that direction.

I received the rejection letter a couple months later.

“Hah!” I scornfully replied to that voice. “I told you I would not get accepted.”

Again, I received the inspiration to apply for BYU. In Utah.

“No way, BYU Utah is the hardest to get accepted into!”

“Do it,” the voice commanded.

I relented. But, to make my point, I applied to all three BYU schools (Idaho, Utah, and Hawaii).

A month later, I received an acceptance letter for BYU Utah. I was astounded. All the evidence supported my theory that my grades were not to the caliber of their regular freshman acceptees. However, I had applied for Winter semester, not Fall. With admission requirements slightly lower for Winter applications, my chances were elevated.

I was also accepted into Idaho, and, once again, Hawaii rejected me. (My mother did not inform me of this until I was on my way to Provo. She is sweet like that.)

The voice that guided me was the Holy Ghost, sometimes called the Holy Spirit. I can recount numerous occasions, some big (like marrying my husband), and others small (help me find my wedding ring!), where I have been guided by the Spirit.

After being baptized, I received this gift–the gift of the Holy Ghost. Elder Dallin H. Oaks has talked about this gift in his General Conference talk, “Always Have His Spirit.”

The blessings available through the gift of the Holy Ghost are conditioned upon worthiness. “The Spirit of the Lord doth not dwell in unholy temples” (Hel. 4:24; see also Mosiah 2:36–37; 1 Cor. 3:16–17). Even though we have a right to his constant companionship, the Spirit of the Lord will dwell only with us when we keep the commandments. He will withdraw when we offend him by profanity, uncleanliness, disobedience, rebellion, or other serious sins.

Worthy men and women who have the gift of the Holy Ghost can be edified and guided by inspiration and revelation. The Lord has declared that “the mysteries of his kingdom … are only to be seen and understood by the power of the Holy Spirit, which God bestows on those who love him, and purify themselves before him” (D&C 76:114, 116).

Living worthily of the Holy Ghost is something that I find very important. I need the Spirit’s guidance. I feel this even more now that I am a mother. My decisions involve more than myself now, they involve my family. It is important for me to be in tune with the Holy Ghost.

Elder Oaks described the impact of the Holy Ghost on a family in the following paragraph:

If we are practicing our faith and seeking the companionship of the Holy Spirit, His presence can be felt in our hearts and in our homes. A family having daily family prayers and seeking to keep the commandments of God and honor his name and speak lovingly to one another will have a spiritual feeling in their home that will be discernible to all who enter it. I know this, because I have felt the presence or absence of that feeling in many  LDS homes.

The turbulent nature of our world necessitates the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. Feeling the Spirit’s powerful presence in my home can help me be a better wife, mother, and teacher.

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My name is Lecia. I am 37 years old. I’ve been married for 17 years and I have four children, ranging in age from 15 to 4. I’ve long regretted the fact that I have no interesting hobbies to reveal, but I do love to read and write. I’m currently serving as first counselor in the Primary, where my little charges insist on telling me a lot more about their families than their parents ever wanted me to know!

I was born into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but I believe I was converted around the age of 16. At the time, I was serving as a youth tour guide at the Arizona Temple Visitor’s Center. Because of this, I was spending a lot of extra time studying the gospel and trying to find answers to questions that people of other faiths often ask about the church. I spent quite a bit more time than usual on my knees during that period of my life, and I just remember one night when I felt a sweet, peaceful feeling that what I was learning and teaching others was true. I have often found that the experiences I’ve had with the Spirit came with the sacrifice of extra time and effort on my part.

Inside my own head, I often think of my life as a quiet crucible. I haven’t experienced any of the truly heart-rending sorrows this world seems to hand out so readily – my children are healthy and sound, I have a loving and supportive family, and have never suffered abuse or handicap. What I do have is a sweet spouse who has been dealing with chronic pain for the last fifteen years. This long and tedious trial has certainly been worse for him than for me, but letting go of my ideas about being a full-time mom, and learning to carry all of the responsibilities that two parents would generally share has had its difficult moments, to be sure. But I have seen in my own life the Lord blessing me with compensating blessings, and that is what helps me when I feel down. I know Heavenly Father loves me and is aware of my struggles because of the many little hand-holds he leaves for me as I climb this mountain. For every hardship, a compensating blessing is given. For me, these blessings are simple, but many – I almost never get sick, so I have been able to run our household and take care of my family every day, with very few exceptions. My children were blessed with sharp minds, so the time that I don’t have to struggle through their homework with them isn’t missed, because they don’t need it.

This past year has added yet another blessing. Like so many others, my hours of employment shrank, along with my salary, and even my strictest budget tells me that I have a $300 shortfall every month. But somehow, after a whole year of this, I have yet to dip into my savings. I simply can’t explain it, but I know that I am living out my own story of the woman with a little bit of oil in her cruse that lasted until the famine was over. I’m afraid to even discuss it too much, it’s such a wonder.

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It had been a bad day. I was dealing with disappointment over a hoped-for opportunity that had been withdrawn, and pain over a teacher’s unfair and damaging treatment of my young son. As I sat at my computer where so much of my life seems to happen these days, I was feeling lonely and discouraged. Just before I reached out to click the update button on my email, I bent over my keyboard and said a little prayer. “Oh, please, Heavenly Father, let some good news pop up for me!”

I clicked my mouse and emails flooded my inbox, many of them from friends I hadn’t heard from in a while. These emails brought a lot of love and comfort to my heart. One contained a link to a video and I was delighted to find that it was a clip entitled “Reflections of Christ,” featuring the work of an artist who uses live models to re-imagine scenes from well-known paintings. This particular clip featured scenes from the Book of Mormon, when Christ comes to the Americas after he was resurrected.

The first images started out a bit dark and gloomy, just like my mood, but as I watched, Christ appeared and the faces of the people curved with smiles, just my own was doing. As the people gathered, knelt, prayed, and worshiped, I could feel the pain and sorrow slip from my heart as the tears did from my face. When the images of Christ displaying his crucifixion wounds appeared, I was reminded that Christ died on the cross to bear the burden of sin for those who had wronged me as well as for my own sins. I was also reminded of this: there is no pain that is bigger than His love, bigger than His gospel, bigger than His truth. I watched eagerly as the beautiful images permeated my mind, the soaring music permeated my heart and the message permeated my soul. It was just what I needed to watch/see/hear/feel at that very moment.

As the clip came to a close, I was filled with gratitude for my Father in Heaven. What someone else might think is a mere want, He knows to be a true need. He answers prayers, even when murmured over the recumbent letters of the alphabet, the very same keys that brought this gift to me.

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Nearly fifteen years ago, I was a single, working professional living far from my family. My ward [congregation] became my family. At one point, I had a calling as the ward Activities Chair. It was one of the more daunting callings I have had, particularly because I have never fancied myself much of a party planner. I wasn’t much of a party person at all! But here I was, with the responsibility to plan parties for my congregation. (I should note that this was evidence that it very often is not natural talent that is the determining factor in what callings are extended to us in the Church.) I had no co-chair to help carry the load, and I had no husband with whom to brainstorm at home.

But I learned that I was not working alone.

My first assignment was to plan a Halloween party, one that could appeal to all age groups. (That’s never an easy task.)

I felt ideas come freely to my mind. As strange as it may sound — I mean, after all, it was only a Halloween party — it was clear the ideas were the fruits of inspiration because of how easily thoughts flowed and fit. We would have a carnival-like activity with different booths. The youth would be responsible for the booths, so they could feel needed and involved. The children would be encouraged to do service during the week to earn ‘Boo Bucks’ to spend at the event. (No one went without bucks to spend.) New members of the ward, recently baptized into the Church, would be given responsibilities to help and to feel a part of it all.

It all just worked. The party was a success, and I think everyone found it enjoyable.

Life is often pretty challenging and complex. God’s hand isn’t always as easy to see as it was during this time. But a lifetime of experiences, even moments, like this one help me hold on and have faith that God really is  there. He is aware of me. He is helping me. He cares about my life and my load.

What experience(s) have helped strengthen your faith in God’s awareness of you?

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My name is Rebecca. I am 38 years old and have been married for 13 years to my husband Steve. We have three children (ages 11, 9, and 6) and live in Arizona. My hobbies are reading, writing, drawing, and blogging. I went to Brigham Young University (BYU) and have both a BA and a MA in communications from there. I served a mission from 1991-1993 (England London South). I work part-time from home as a marketing research analyst. I have also started writing books.

One of those books is about family scripture study. My interest in the topic grew from feeling dissatisfied with the way my kids reacted and behaved during our family study time. I could tell by their actions and eyes they were not interested, but I really wanted them to be. So I started experimenting with different techniques to hold their attention and get them excited about scripture study time. The result was a book I wrote/illustrated called Adventures with the Word of God. When I have kids asking me when it is time for family scripture study then I know it is successful. I have followed up my first book with another called Home Evening Adventures with the Word of God [“Home Evening” refers to a weekly family night that most Mormons hold on Mondays, where we discuss gospel principles, have fun activities, eat together, and just enjoy each others’ company as a family]. And I am currently working on a third book about temples.

I am grateful for the gospel, and grateful to know that God is there and answers prayers. This past January my kids and I traveled to Denver to visit my younger brother and his family. While there, my brother’s family dog, Daisy, escaped the house and took off. Daisy had a bad track record doing this and then getting herself so lost she was unable to return home on her own. My brother and sister-in-law would have to comb the neighborhood for an hour or two on foot to find her. So the fact she escaped was bad news. An hour or so later they found her, but she escaped again shortly thereafter, sending stress levels up very high. To make a long story short, the kids (my own and my niece and nephews) and I knelt in prayer to ask that Daisy could be found. Shortly thereafter my brother walked in the front door carrying Daisy. I felt strongly this was an answer to prayer.

Being a Mormon Woman means expanded horizons to me. I feel my faith in Christ and His gospel/leaders has provided me with answers to some life questions in a way that helped me to make the best decisions possible. I followed counsel to get an education, which has tremendously blessed my life. I served a mission to London and had incredible opportunities there and continued blessings since. Getting married and having children has brought a rainbow of experiences that I would never give up. Sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if I had not followed His counsel and made these good choices–I don’t think it would be as full. My horizons are broader and greater than they ever would have been otherwise. And I am excited to see what life brings me in the future as I choose to follow Him.

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Sister Pinnock’s favorite calling, prior to being a full-time missionary, was her calling to be the Laurel President as a young woman in her ward. [Laurels are young women ages 16-18 who have not yet graduated from high school.] Because of the added responsibility for the care of each of the girls in her class, she felt the love of the Lord as she reached out to each young woman so they would all feel included.

When asked why she wanted to serve a mission Sister Pinnock responded, “While in London for study abroad, I was able to share the gospel for the very first time. I received so much joy from doing that. I also had had so many friends who came home from their missions a better person. They knew the gospel better, became stronger as individuals, and learned to serve others better.

“I have felt the same joy I felt in London while sharing my testimony on my mission. Even if the people I meet don’t accept the message, I feel strengthened by sharing my convictions with others. I also feel Heavenly Father’s love stronger than ever before. I know and have felt His love for all people.”

Sister Pinnock shared an experience on her mission where she learned that God was aware of her and her struggles:

“My first week on my mission I felt like I didn’t know anything. I felt that there was a lot expected of me. It broke my heart that something so dear to my heart, the gospel of Jesus Christ, was being rejected. Doors were being slammed in my face. It was hard, and heart breaking. I felt discouraged. I learned for the first time that I had to solely rely on the Lord. Previously, I had always relied on others like family members or friends in times of need. But through prayer, I found out how much I needed Heavenly Father and the Savior, and that missionary work cannot be done without Them. That night after feeling so discouraged, I turned out the lights in our apartment, my companion was already asleep and I cried and expressed everything that was in my heart to Heavenly Father. I prayed to know that I was called on my mission and how I was going to get through it.

“The next day, I was doing my personal scripture study and felt directed to read in Alma 8:15: ‘Blessed art thou, Alma; therefore, lift up thy head and rejoice, for thou hast great cause to rejoice; for thou hast been faithful in keeping the commandments of God from the time which thou receivedst thy first message from him. Behold, I am he that delivered it unto you.’

“It made me realize that despite others rejecting the message, it doesn’t matter because I still have a testimony and that testimony came directly from my Heavenly Father through the Holy Ghost. He will guide me and lead me through this mission.

“I learned that it is not just my name on my name tag. I am a representative of Jesus Christ.”

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