Why I Believe Wednesday: Tender Mercies

There is a great (and kinda famous) talk by Elder Bednar about the tender mercies of our Heavenly Father that has really stuck with me.  He defines tender mercies as "a most personal and timely message of comfort and reassurance through" some small act, something that many may only see as a coincidence or a generality but that in fact 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" and that mean the whole world to you.

Of course, if you're trying to live your life well, you have so many of these moments, even in your darkest hour, that it's hard to remember them all.  But I've had a few recently that I can share, and I hope that in so doing I add my witness to Elder Bednar's that the small happy moments that happen in our lives are not (at least, not always) mere coincidences. 

I remember one time, on a summer road trip with my family, I was sitting in the front seat on a particularly HOT day.  I mean, HOT.  And stagnantly so.  The kind of heat that adds to the irritability and contention inside of you.  And our air conditioner was broken.  We were on the verge of overheating.  And THEN, we got stuck in traffic on the interstate because of an accident.  Now, I should have been thinking more about the welfare of those in the accident, but in fact I was just struggling with all the hot frustration bubbling up inside of me.  Suddenly, just as I was literally about to punch the dashboard, a strong breeze blew through the car and it was like a cool, fresh shower.  Just instantly calmed me.  And I was smart enough then to thank God immediately.

Not too long ago (maybe a week?), I heard a terrible sound in our car.  We have been having car problems, anyway, and don't have the funds to fix it yet, but it's the only means of transportation Paul and Cerene have to work, not to mention me and running errands.  And Caida was in the car with me.  I was just praying SO HARD that the car wouldn't blow up!  I made Caida pray for me as I drove home that we would be safe, and that I'd know what to do, because I honestly couldn't handle losing the car at this moment.  Well, I know nothing about cars at all, and am used to assuming the worst, but I had the thought to look at something we had plugged in between the two seats (even though it SOUNDED like it was coming from the engine), and sure enough, when I unplugged it, the sound went away.  I cried, I was so happy.

There are things in my patriarchal blessing that sound SUPER generic.  I mean, SUPER, like anyone is entitled to the same blessings or has the same gifts.  But then something happens in my life, or in some quiet moment of reflection I realize just how personalized it is for me, and how inspired the patriarch was.  One of those moments just happened two Sundays ago; something that I had interpreted in one way and completely forgotten was suddenly called to my remembrance and had a whole new dimension of meaning to me.  I saw it in a different light, and it made me instantly feel liek Heavenly Father loved me and was trying to teach me about myself...and confirmed my testimony of my patriarchal blessing all over again.

I've already mentioned the apartment problems we've been having.  The air has just felt sick and stale and I've been feeling so very BEATEN.  And we've had some money problems and have been eating like poor college kids and I was just so sick of mac n cheese and rice!  Then, in the last few days, the weather has been SO COOL after a ridiculously hot summer, so we've been able to open the windows during the day and air out the apartment while they rip out the moldy ceiling/walls and re-drywall everything.  It's not perfect, but I don't feel sick all the time anymore.  And my mom went shopping and brought us back several grocery bags full of food--including fresh produce, meat, and yogurt/cheese--AND Paul's mom gave us some money to get gas and such.  We are feeling SO blessed, and so grateful that the Lord has remembered us.


I have so many stories like these.  "The simpleness, the sweetness, and the constancy of the tender mercies of the Lord will do much to fortify and protect us...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."


Sometimes, the Lord is speaking His love in a language that only you can understand.  I know that those "tender mercies" are what get us through the daily trudge, while we're waiting for the bigger moments to occur.  And maybe we just need the hindsight that comes in the Lord's timing for us to see that.  I've begun to catch a glimpse...and that is why I believe.