Tender Mercies

“The simpleness, the sweetness, and the constancy of the tender mercies of the Lord will do much to fortify and protect us in the troubled times in which we do now and will yet live. 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).” 

Jeffrey R. Holland Oct. Conf. 2013

Tender mercies, thank goodness for them.  I experience tender mercies all day every day:

-the cute little birds at my bird feeder that I thought would never come, now every day lots of darling birds frequent the feeder

-slightly burned microwave popcorn, I perfected it the other night, it was epic

-Jimmy Fallon and the Tonight Show (laughter is the best medicine)

-Diet Coke by the bucket load

-watching my 3 year old escape out the front door in just undies, with husband chasing closely behind him, then the real chase ensues, Tommy is giggling and Steve is jumping around after him, this is happiness

-my friends, all of them, always knowing just the right thing to say, just the right thing to do, I’m so blessed

-doctors who really care about me and my family, same doctors who tell me to call and text whenever, doctors who drop off studies about premature labor, tell me everything is going to work out and we shouldn’t give up

-family, without my family I would be lost and broken

-a giant beast of a dog, she makes me laugh and smile, she comforts me

-sweet notes in the mail, on Facebook, texts, phone calls, emails, again always at the right time, saying just what I need

-watching Tommy sing Let it Go, so innocent and sweet

-a moon that was so glorious and majestic the other night that I stood and stared at it out my front door for several minutes, I felt so small but so connected to my Heavenly Father, I felt so strongly in that moment His love for me, and His knowledge of my struggles, and I felt so much hope and peace

-my future

This is by far the most difficult trial I have encountered.  Without the knowledge of the Gospel I would not know how to move forward, really even how to function during this time.  I have been so enormously blessed by tender mercies in my time of need.

“The Lord’s tender mercies do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence. Faithfulness, obedience, and humility invite tender mercies into our lives, and it is often the Lord’s timing that enables us to recognize and treasure these important blessings.”

David A. Bednar April Conf. 2005