Tender Mercies

John and I have been observing a number of tender mercies lately, and it helps to recall them when one of us is feeling down, or kids are vomiting, or whatever else is bringing us down. I was reading a talk last fast sunday for my BYU-Idaho certification course. It's a devotional titled "A steady, upward course." In it, Elder Henry B. Eyring makes a promise that if you will go to the scriptures and pick them up, just opening them wherever you are led, that you will see 'scriptures speaking to you as if it was the voice of God, as if He knew your needs and concerns; and He will tailor that to you, and it will be a witness to you that He knows you and that in that set of scriptures. . .is a means by which He can guide you and comfort you." Uncomfortable confession, but I haven't been great about reading them lately. It seems so much easier to hop onto blackboard, or facebook, or a discussion forum, or find one of the million things that need done, than to read and ponder a few verses. So, I was shocked with what happened next. We were on our way to church and I realized that I had a few minutes to read- why not? So I opened my scriptures and they opened to D & C 58:1-6. My eyes filled with tears as I read. Those verses spoke to my heart that day, and filled my spiritual cup more than the past 3 months of church have! I still need to work on daily individual study, and I still struggle daily with the emotional road of a pregnancy and unemployment, but those scriptures brought my heart a peace that I will be relying on for some time to help sustain me. That was such a brilliant tender mercy. There have been others- an unexpected check from a grandparent for a 'treat' allowing us to get SOMETHING for the upcoming birthdays; a kind woman at the library remarking on our beautiful family and saying God Bless You; and an older gentleman stopping John during his first shift at Chick Fil A, looking him in the eye, and saying, "It's a job" with a smile. He couldn't have possibly known his situation, but his words uplifted John. Then two individuals stopped me on Sunday to let me know I've been on their mind and they'd like to help somehow. These small things keep us going! John and I are still hopeful for the future, and hope we recall these simple blessings when we are back on our feet. I feel like the spirit is being poured out upon us, and our eyes are being opened to see more of the beauty in the world, despite our imperfections. It's such a beautiful thing to know that He (and She!) love us just as we are, and will walk with us through the challenging times. One foot in front of the other will get us where we need to go.