Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Tender Mercies

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Can I just tell you that I'm having a rough day today?
I could sit here and list all the reasons
and the things that are going on,
but it all boils down to one thing:
Sometimes Life just gets to be hard.
I've just been sitting here contemplating this.
If it wasn't hard somtimes, we really wouldn't be grateful for all the good times in our lives.
 
One thing that I've learned to do when I feel this way is to look for the good things in my life.
The tender mercies that I am blessed with every day.
Today I remembered this amazing scripture: 1 Ne 1:20,
 
"...But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance."
 
Isn't that an amazing thought! The Lord is sending tender mercies into our lives. ALL. THE. TIME.
All we need is to have faith in Him and His plan for us, and
he will "make [us] mighty even unto the power of deliverance."
What do you desire to be delivered from?
A challenge or trial?  An addiction? A bad mood?
 
What is a tender mercy?
One of my favorite talks of all time is by David A. Bednar.
In it he says this,
 
"...the Lord's tender mercies are the very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ. Truly, the Lord suits “his mercies according to the conditions of the children of men” (D&C 46:15)."
 
Throughout my life I have seen these things helping me through hard times
and giving me strength, guidance and support.
They don't come in big bright packages,
and only those who are paying attention can see
the amazingly simple things that make up these tender mercies.
A quick note on your door. 
A kind word from a family member or co-worker.
A memory brought back at just the right moment.
An silent answer to a prayer.
Feeling the enabling power of the Atonement.
Repentance.
Forgiveness.
Peace of Conscience.
 
I am so truly thankful for the tender mercy of
remembering all of these important things today!
I was able to put my anger and impatience aside
and be more grateful for the little blessings
that I am surrounded with each day!
 
REMEMBER:
 
We should not underestimate or overlook the power of the Lord’s 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).
 
We are never truly alone!  The Lord is constantly sending us little "notes" to remind us of His love and His faith in us and our greatness. 
 
My challenge to you today is to sit and write a list of what tender mercies you have seen in your life today.  My guess is that if you look closely you will truly see all the simple little things that make up the amazing blessings that you have!
 
Luvz,
Meg :0)

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