These short and sweet stories are perfect examples of how well the Lord knows us. He knows exactly what we need because He suffered for each of us in a personal way. His grace brings us healing, comfort, and joy. I hope these touch your heart like they did mine. How has the Lord reached out to you recently?
The Soreness Was Gone.
On an average morning, or as average as anything during these unusual times, I opened my Gospel Library app and began to read my scriptures. My mind kept wandering but I felt the spirit and was intent on studying my scriptures. Two random scenes from my early life kept coming to mind as I read Alma chapter 5. They weren’t particularly traumatic, just snapshots of some times of sadness. I tried to focus but these thoughts kept surfacing, like bubbles rising through water. I decided to let them be there and kept reading. At the end of the chapter I found the memories had lost their sting. In its place were peace, resolution, understanding. They were healed. I checked several times for the feelings I expected to come but they weren’t there. It was like pushing on a bruise and expecting the soreness. The soreness was gone. It was a beautiful gift, wholly unlooked for, given to me by the Master Healer, Jesus Christ. As I thanked Heavenly Father in prayer for the blessing later that day, I had the feeling that eventually all our pain and the trials of mortality will feel like that. The sting will be gone and in its place we will have resolution, understanding, peace. How grateful I am that the Savior bowed beneath all things that we could rise above all things. How grateful I am for the healing power of the Atonement.
My experience is a smaller version of one experienced by a sister in Côte d’Ivoire, Africa mentioned in this conference talk from October 2019 by Elder Vinson.
-Jessica
P.S. I’m Having a Hard Time
Sometimes the tender mercies and the things that matter most are when it affects the people you love. My 10-year-old son is a strong, fierce, assertive, and ambitious little guy. If you met him you would have no idea that he gets anxious, overwhelmed and pretty stressed. He holds it in together well for other people but he’s vulnerable with me. I try to help him when I can but sometimes things are just too much and he has meltdowns. The other day he came up to me and said “Hey mom last night I said a prayer that dad would come and give me knuckles before bed, and he did!” I told him that was cool and that he should tell his dad that. Later that night I found this in his journal:
I know that we can partner with God and Jesus in our parenting. It brings me comfort to know that they care about my kids even more than I do and they are ready and willing to help.
-Julie
