Letters and Love Notes

Heavenly Father loves you. He loves all of us. He loves us so much that He sends miracles and tender mercies your way. I have such a testimony of this. These tender mercies are kind of like Heavenly Father's love notes to us. They are His way of reminding us that He is aware of us and our situations. He knows what makes us happy and He desires us to be so.

In 2nd Nephi 2:25 (The Book of Mormon) states, "Adam fell that men might be; and men are that they might have joy."

Yes, I am going to talk about being happy again. But more about how we become happy. This is why I want to talk about tender mercies.

A few days ago, I was just having a hard time. I was stuck in a rut and was having a hard time getting out. I just needed an extra boost. Well, I received a letter from one of my best friends that day. It was exactly what I needed to get myself out of the rut. In it, this friend bore their testimony to me. This reminded me why I decided to serve a mission in the first place. I decided to serve because of the love I see that God has for me and each and every one of His children. I decided to serve because every single person deserves to come to a knowledge that they have a loving Heavenly Father.

Now, there are two different points of view I could have taken with this perfectly timed letter. The first is that is was just a coincidence and I got lucky with the timing of the mail. The other, which I know is the truth, is that Heavenly Father was looking out for me that day. He showed me how much He loved me and I so grateful for it. It was His way of telling me He loved me. It was Heavenly Father's love note to me that day. I needed someone else to bear their testimony to me to be reminded why I came out to Arizona in the first place.

Here's the deal: How many times have you been needing something to work and it does, or you need the rain to stop and it does, you need 15 extra minutes and something happens to make this possible, or you need a hug and He sends a warm breeze? How many moments have you needed a friend and someone happens to drop by, text or call you? Have you ever just needed to be reminded that you are appreciated and someone says something that is perfect? This is a common, everyday occurrence if we just look for it. When we seek out the tender mercies of the Lord, He will send more. As we express our gratitude for the blessings He sends us, no matter how small, He will help us to endure to the end! He will give us the strength we need to keep going. Just keep your eyes peeled for these signs. This will help us feel loved, recognized, accepted, and happy.  

I pray each and every one of you will search deeper for the tender mercies in your life!

I love you all!

Love,

Sister Mackenzie Esmond