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"Tender Mercies"

"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."
1 Nephi 1:20

I'm not going to lie, I think this is my newest favorite scripture.
I recently restarted the Book of Mormon (this is my sixth time). This scripture jumped out at me a little bit. I I knew I had learned something about the tender mercies of the Lord, but I couldn't remember what it was, exactly. I noted the scripture and moved on.

A couple of days later, in Seminary (an early-morning religious class for highschool students), we came across this scripture. Well, that's kind of an understatement; it was the focus of our lesson. We learned that tender mercies are gifts from God that He sends us, because of our faith, when we need strength beyond our own to do the things which we are called upon to do.


 
Okay, change of gears. Remember last post when I was complaining? (I'm sorry to have put you through that, by the way.) Let me tell you something I've learned since then.
Life is rough sometimes. (It seems like this is a lesson that Catherine has to learn over... and over... and over...) Even when it's not, like, super rough so that you feel oh-so-down all day every day (though there are those times, too, and they are the worst), it's still hard, to some degree. That's something I've never really noticed before: the perpetual hardness of life.
Which is what makes the perpetual power of Christ's Atonement both so vital and so astonishingly wonderful. (See how I brought that back around? :) Because life is hard  all the time, Christ's Atonement is there all the time. And when we need some strength to keep going, whether it's a normal day or one of those awful days/hours/weeks/months/years, His grace provides that strength, if we turn to Him. Even though he won't usually take the burden away, especially if it's something hard but necessary like job hunting, school, or just plain life, He can make our burdens light, like He did for Alma.
Thinking of all this during Seminary, I had kind of a mind-blown moment. Or rather, a mind-blown half-of-Seminary... because I caught a sudden glimpse of the very, very real fact that He was with me every step I took, supporting me and enabling me to do what I do day by day; and without His power, I would have shriveled up or blown up or given up or something long ago.

The point? Well, I have certainly seen His hand in my life this week, as I do all the time, when I'm looking for it. I got one job and was offered another this week, but possibly even more precious to me are the little things that I know were sent from Him: a certain song on the radio, a friend who said something to me at just the right time, a day with beautiful weather, etc.. I believe He sends these things to us for us to notice and thank Him for. Little things to lift our mood, give us strength, and remind us that He is aware of us; that He loves us, and He will always be there to help us; and that, if we have faith, these tender mercies will always be available to us.

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