I have been pondering "tender mercies" and a talk given by David Bednar in a conference talk he gave in April of 2005. His definition of tender mercies states that "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."
At the time he gave this talk, I interpreted tender mercies to come to only those who were called to be apostles, stake presidents, and maybe a bishop or two. Since then, the LDS culture has refined the definition and I have written my own definition: Miracles, great or small, that remind me and others that Heavenly Father is mindful of us and our needs.
Very often, these tender mercies are interpreted as coincidences by me. It is only during my personal prayers as I am reflecting on the day do I realize they are more than mere coincidence but a reminder that God was answering a need I had.
This week there are two tender mercies in my family that were pointed out to me because I am too dense to recognize them.
1. One day when I dropped my 9 year old off at school, he got out and frantically told me that he really wanted to bring his scooter today. Could I bring it to him sometime during the day? I told him I would try and went about my day. A half hour before school was to end, I remembered his request and took his scooter to him. He later told me that he had just finished saying a prayer in his mind that I would come and I walked in. It seemed like a small favor to him but it really is a great faith promoter for a little boy. Tender mercy.
2. When the fence was installed and the posts put in, sprinkler pipes were broken. My husband has spent a lot of time repairing the pipes this week. After all was repaired, he ran the sprinklers and realized the sprinklers to the garden weren't working. He dug and probed but to no avail. He was at a loss. He prayed for guidance and felt prompted to dig right HERE. Strange place to dig but he trusted the impression and dug. He broke a pipe. He cursed (disclaimer: husband does not know how to properly curse. He uses words like "darnit" and "shoot." Sometimes he might even let out a "heck" which is completely contrary to midwestern boy). Anyway, in order to fix it, he had to dig more and found a trickle of water which led him to the discovery of a broken pipe that was plugged with cement from the fence post. He never would have found that himself.
All this leads to my goal for the next three weeks; finding at least one tender mercy every day and reporting about it in my blog. My goal is to recognize how God is in my life watching over me and my loved ones every day.
Stay posted.
At the time he gave this talk, I interpreted tender mercies to come to only those who were called to be apostles, stake presidents, and maybe a bishop or two. Since then, the LDS culture has refined the definition and I have written my own definition: Miracles, great or small, that remind me and others that Heavenly Father is mindful of us and our needs.
Very often, these tender mercies are interpreted as coincidences by me. It is only during my personal prayers as I am reflecting on the day do I realize they are more than mere coincidence but a reminder that God was answering a need I had.
This week there are two tender mercies in my family that were pointed out to me because I am too dense to recognize them.
1. One day when I dropped my 9 year old off at school, he got out and frantically told me that he really wanted to bring his scooter today. Could I bring it to him sometime during the day? I told him I would try and went about my day. A half hour before school was to end, I remembered his request and took his scooter to him. He later told me that he had just finished saying a prayer in his mind that I would come and I walked in. It seemed like a small favor to him but it really is a great faith promoter for a little boy. Tender mercy.
2. When the fence was installed and the posts put in, sprinkler pipes were broken. My husband has spent a lot of time repairing the pipes this week. After all was repaired, he ran the sprinklers and realized the sprinklers to the garden weren't working. He dug and probed but to no avail. He was at a loss. He prayed for guidance and felt prompted to dig right HERE. Strange place to dig but he trusted the impression and dug. He broke a pipe. He cursed (disclaimer: husband does not know how to properly curse. He uses words like "darnit" and "shoot." Sometimes he might even let out a "heck" which is completely contrary to midwestern boy). Anyway, in order to fix it, he had to dig more and found a trickle of water which led him to the discovery of a broken pipe that was plugged with cement from the fence post. He never would have found that himself.
All this leads to my goal for the next three weeks; finding at least one tender mercy every day and reporting about it in my blog. My goal is to recognize how God is in my life watching over me and my loved ones every day.
Stay posted.
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