A Year in Review

  At the end of last year just like always I look to see what can be improved on as well as what has been improved in my life. This year though I took a different route in doing so. Instead of just sitting back and looking back I prayed to see the changes in my life. It amazed me what I saw. I did not just see how my life has gotten better but I saw the love my Heavenly Father has for me. Through out this process I thought to myself  "How did I not see this love in the moment?". To answer that question I was not looking for them. Really it was sad but I am so glad I looked back to have this opportunity.

  After this experience I decided that I was not going to have another year go by without seeing these moments either while they were happening or at least by the end of the day. This became one of my New Years goals. To see the hand of my Father in Heaven in my life. I would take the time each day and right them down. I had one question in my head, how was I going to recognize them? As I looked back again about how I recognized it in the first place, pray and write them down.

  Prayer allowed me to ask my Heavenly Father to show me how I had changed. Now it was because of his hand in my life that I was able to change. One of my favorite scriptures is: "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." (Matt 7:7). It gives us such a wonderful promise. If we ask our Heavenly Father he will give it to us. So He can do the same thing for me seeing His hand in my life.

  Writing it down. I have noticed as I write these moments down the others start to come so much easier. It allows me to open my mind to other times when I have seen them in my life. It also gives me a new out look as well. I am noticing that it is not just only the good things that happen in my life but even things I would consider to be the bad things that happen to me.
 
  Over my hope with writing about these what I like to call Tender Mercies of the Lord is to show God's love to those around me. I also would encourage all to do the same. It is amazing to see how much it brightens your day. I know that as I have done this not only has my love increased for my Heavenly Father but I have come to gain a knowledge that he does truly care for me. I am not just another person on this earth. I am really important to him. I know that all of us are important to him, we just have to take the time to recognize it.