God is in the Details

Dear Reader,

This week it has been made very clear to me that God is in the details of our lives.  By this I mean that He knows every thought, every action, every hope, every disappointment.  He knows the trials we face every day and the things we want to accomplish.  And He knows exactly what we need.

I learned this on Thursday morning when I woke up with extreme pain in my stomach; it was like fire in my tummy!  I was unable to move or even sit up.  This presented a problem not only because it was uncomfortable, but because it would prevent me from going to work.  Calling in sick was not a good option -- I knew that it would be a busy day and they would need my help.  Turning to my brother, I asked if he would give me a Priesthood blessing.  After he did so I felt the pain begin to subside and soon I was walking around and getting ready for work.

The miracle was in the healing.  But the miracle was also in the words and feelings I received during the blessing: Heavenly Father is acutely aware of me and my needs and the needs of those I can serve.  I have pondered on the feelings and it has deeply impacted the way I view my Heavenly Father.  He is an active and involved God.  He does not spin the clock and then sit back to watch it tick.  If He did, there would be no reason to pray for Grace, strength, or any other blessing.  But the truth is that God does listen, He does answer.  

Some may question, "well if God loves me and cares, then why do I suffer with such and such?"  I do not know the answer why some battle cancer, or why some are widowed, or why some lose their jobs.  But I do know that each person receives their own set of unique experiences which are very challenging.  And I also know that God loves His children.  We are His children.

Elder Neil A. Maxwell said: "Regarding trials, including of our faith and patience, there are no exemptions -- only variations.  These calisthenics are designed to increase our capacity for happiness and service.  Yet the faithful will not be totally immune from the events on this planet...  Therefore, we can be troubled on every side, but nothing can really separate us from the love of Christ; worldly anxieties are not part of being 'anxiously engaged'.  Even so, as Peter urged, we can and should cast our cares upon the Lord, because He surely cares for us!"

I've been thinking a lot about the LDS Pioneers this week, as Pioneer day was Thursday.  Of all the stories I've heard, the trials of the Pioneers are some of the most heartrending and heartwarming that I know.  They of all people knew that God loves us.

Said Francis Webster of his trials on the Pioneer trail (who traveled with the Martin Company): "Mistake to send the Hand Cart Company out so late in the season?  Yes.  But I was in that Company and my wife was in it...I have looked back many times to see who was pushing my cart but my eyes saw no one.  I knew then that the Angles of God were there.  Was I sorry that I chose to come by hand cart?  No.  Neither then nor any minute of my life since.  The price we paid to become acquainted with God was a privilege to pay and I am thankful that I was privileged to come in the martin Hand Cart Company."

So whether the trials we experience are taken away from us, or whether we face them for many years to come, know that God is there.  He will help.  He knows who you are and He is in the details.  From the smallest of tummy aches to the greatest of tragedies, He offers His help in all things.  This I know.

Love, 

Samantha

Prayer: A Letter to All

Dear Reader,

Many of you are my friends or family.  I am grateful for each of you and love you very much.

I would like to share with you how prayer has been a great blessing in my life.  I have turned to it countless times, during my happiest and most sorrowful moments.

That reminds me of a great book I once read: A Tale of Two Cities.  Charles Dickens began his beloved tale with the now famous paradox: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."  And somehow such conflicting syntax resonates with us.  In our lives we are capable of feeling both the greatest of joys and the deepest of sorrows. No one is immune, and sometimes it is a dark and hard place where we find ourselves.  But whether we are burdened by the heaviest of weights or we feel we are floating by on clouds, every person on this earth has the potential to receive great strength from their loving Heavenly Father.  God has given each of us the power to call upon Him and seek His help through prayer.  

When we call upon God, we are talking to the most powerful, the most important, the most loving, and the most compassionate person in the universe.  Not to mention, He is our Father.  Heavenly Father is very personally invested in the lives of each of His children.  He wants to hear from us.  He wants to hear from you.  Yes, you.  No matter how important you feel or don't feel, how intelligent, how beautiful, how imperfect, how confused, how lonely, how unworthy...He loves you and wants you to talk to Him.  

I have found a few ways that we can make our prayers more powerful:

First: find a quiet place where you can talk to Him aloud.

Second: "learn to ask the right questions.  Consider changing from asking for the things you want to honestly seeking what He wants for you." (Richard G. Scott - Using the Supernal Gift of Prayer)

Third: pray in gratitude.

Fourth: seek for answers from your prayers by actively pursuing and listening for the answer.
If the answer seems to be withheld, continue in faith -- thankful that God trusts you enough to make a righteous decision.

I know that as we seek to come closer to our Heavenly Father through prayer, we will be blessed with increased strength in our moments of weakness as well as in moments of ease.  God can grant us peace during anxiety, mourning, and confusion.  He can help us find answers to difficult questions, and calm a heart that has been broken.  He loves us.  He loves you.  "Ask and ye shall receive.  Knock and it shall be opened unto you" (D&C 4:7).

Love,

Samantha