Confidence and Tender Mercies

My daughter has a cute little sign posted in her kitchen that makes me smile every time I see it. It says "I know the Lord will not give me more than I can handle. I just wish He didn't have so much confidence in me."

Don't we all feel that way! When the next crisis comes before the last one has been completely dealt with, and when they just seem to pile up faster than we can handle them, it's no wonder we want to scream "Stop the world! I want to get off!"

When everyone around us seems to be drowning with problems, dealing with tragedies on every hand, and simply having more on their plate than they can handle, what can we do? We want to help, but more often than not, there is no way we can aid. We don't have the power.

Except to pray for them. That we can always do. A sweet sister I visit has been tending her granddaughter since she was born. The granddaughter is now 8 years old and was just diagnosed with leukemia and cycstic fibrosis. All of that is hard enough to deal with, but this sweet sister has been forbidden by her daughter-in-law to visit her granddaughter at the hospital. It's so heartbreaking, but what can I do? I cried with her, hugged her, and put their names on the temple roll. But in the end, only the Lord can really help her.

Thank heaven for the tender mercies that slip into our lives when they are most needed. Sometimes they are so subtle, we don't even notice them. One sister bore her testimony last Sunday and told about being late and needing a light to stay green (one that was notoriously long every day) so she could arrive on time. She just kept praying as she approached it, and lo and behold - she made it through. She immediately said Thank You, acknowledging another tender mercy. Then she listed a bunch of little things, small blessings, that had come to her when she needed them and said that she didn't used to realize that's what they were - the Lord answering her prayers (those that we toss to heaven when we are so desperate we don't know where to turn!)

This week it has been interesting to see those tender mercies turn up in your lives. When things seem at their darkest, that's when the Lord reminds us that He is near, that He knows our needs, and that He is, indeed, in charge. If we can remember to lay our burdens at His feet every night, it's amazing how much lighter they are the next morning.

I'm always amazed at the confidence He has in me, but then, I guess He knows me better than I know myself. He did tell me there is nothing that we can't do together. I just need to remember that, and hope I can convince my friend of that, so she can get through her latest crisis.