Seeing the Lord's Hand in Our Life

February 14th of this year will mark two years of me being a member. I’m so thankful for the people that helped bring me to this church and the love the Lord shows me every single day. I’m very excited to be in the YSA ward at my university. Everyone seems very nice and I can't wait to make new friends. Also, I'm very excited to announce I have been called as the Assistant Ward Chorister! Man, I knew I should've tried out for drum major in high school. This past week I debuted as the Assistant Ward Chorister and I got to speak in sacrament meeting. First lesson of the day is...don't ever, ever, ever pray to have a calling and to speak in sacrament. Don't even think about it. 

In this post, I really wanted to talk about the topic I spoke about in church. My bishop asked me to speak about what we need to do to see the Lord's hand in our lives. I couldn't think of a more perfect topic for me to speak about. I love the Lord so much and finding the little ways He blesses me every single day. What I love to do is a thing I termed "consciously recognizing". This is where you consciously recognize something the Lord has done for you. I feel this not only makes your day a little brighter, but you get really good at seeing the Lord's hand. Also, it cultivates a spirit of gratitude for our Heavenly Father. 

2 Nephi 27:23 says, “For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith.” How amazing is this promise that the Lord will never change? He’s not going to desert you or stab you in the back. He’ll just be there…but, how can we not only feel His presence, but see his presence?

Okay, so I know what’s going through your head. Pray, read your scriptures, go to church. We all are aware of these fundamentals that are essential to a healthy spiritual life. Even kids in Primary know these key steps to building a strong foundation in Christ. Creating an unbreakable foundation allows us to build a unshakable faith in the Lord and in Christ. The foundation of Christ prepares our mind to see the Lord in our life. I mean, if we are doing these basics, shouldn't the Lord be blessing me? Why then can we sometimes be so blind to the blessings the Lord gives us?

The simple answer is it’s a delicate balance. Like, when you’re so focused on seeing the Lord in your life, your sight is extremely narrow. This narrows your vision into a mere fraction of what it could be like you're going through life as a prestigious racing horse with blinders on to ensure you focus on running ahead. The Lord is not always where we think He should be. He is where He needs to be. So, you can see what’s going on in front of you, and you’re thinking in your head like “THIS is where I’ll probably see the Lord.” But, the Lord does not bend to our will. Focusing solely on what's ahead creates a real-life “Where’s Waldo?” puzzle. The more you focus on trying to find Waldo, the more blind you feel. But, when you take a step back and remove the blinders, you’re like “Oh there’s Waldo”…Waldo being a metaphor for the Lord. 

I love doing this periodically in my life, especially when I start to become overwhelmed. I mentally and spiritually take a step back. This allows me to inventory what I have done, what I need to do, and most importantly ask the Lord for help. In these quiet moments, Heavenly Father reminds me that He is watching over me and He will help me through anything. This applies to all aspects of life. With the blinders removed, you can see things you never thought possible or an option.

 Thomas S. Monson said, “The Lord is in the details of our life.” While the seeing the big picture is often beneficial, it sometimes hides the details. Many successful people emphasize the importance of making goals. When a larger goal is set, to ensure success this larger goal is broken down into smaller, manageable goals. Taking a moment to notice the little things in life will offer insight and reveal the Lord's hand in our lives. This means that most of us will not be visited by a host of heavenly angels, singing in perfect harmony, "Please, we implore thee, read thy scriptures oft! The answer is in Alma 32!" Instead Heavenly Father communicates with us through a still, small voice known as the Holy Ghost. Boyd K. Packer stated, "The Gift of the Holy Ghost, if you consent, will guide and protect you and even correct your actions." The most important thing from this quote is the words "if you consent". We must be willing to take upon the name of Jesus Christ and act upon what the Lord instructs us to do. As we consistently listen to the Holy Ghost, we will grow closer to the Lord and be able to distinguish Heavenly Father's instructions better.  

I have personally experienced the blessings of listening to the Holy Ghost during my journey to the church. I listened to the Lord and bought a bible. I read and listened to it everyday. I sought the truth ferociously. I accepted a Book of Mormon from my friend. All of this led to meeting with the missionaries, taking the discussions, and finally being baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is continually affirmed by the Holy Ghost and I know in my heart that the Savior came to this earth to atone for our sins. We can return to our Heavenly Father if we listen attentively and actively for His voice!  

During my conversion, I remember distinctively a powerful prompting from the Holy Ghost. Like Joseph Smith, I was doing ask he did...I lacked wisdom so I asked God, hoping He would answer me. I didn't know if Joseph Smith was a true prophet. This was the last piece in the puzzle that I needed to figure out before I baptized. Coming from a pagan background, I was a little skeptical at first that a regular man in the 1800s could be a prophet. But, as soon as I started thinking that Joseph Smith wasn't a prophet, a resounding voice echoed in my head, "No!" That's when I knew that Joseph Smith was not just a regular man, but a prophet of the Lord that restored the fullness of the gospel and the priesthood to the earth. 

Listening to the Holy Ghost is a wonderful, but sometimes tricky way to see the Lord's hand in our lives. Another way that I see the Lord in my life (and I'm sure you would to) is writing in my journal. Often, in retrospect, we understand Heavenly Father's plan for us better than when we were experiencing it. For example, I had no idea why the Lord took the person who introduced me to the church out of my life at the time. However, now, I understand that it was in His plan for us to part. He had served his part in my life and now it was time for us to go down different roads. I was able to lean harder on Heavenly Father and gather a more complete understanding of the Savior's Atonement and love for us. 

I discovered all of this by writing in my journal. In Henry B. Erying's talk "O Remember, Remember", he says "[he] heard in [his] mind - not in [his] own voice - these wrods: 'I'm not giving you these experiences for yourself. Write them down.'" Despite his fatigue at the end of the day, he wrote his experiences down so his children and his children's children could learn to recognize the Lord, to understand how Heavenly Father blesses His faithful children. I hope one day my journal can serve as such a reminder to my own children and children's children and so forth. 

So, back to the whole idea of "consciously recognizing" the Lord. In Alma 30:44, it says "All things denote there is a God." All things. That means your phone, computer, tablet, whatever you're reading this on denotes there is a God. The chair you're sitting, the floor you're standing on, the shoes on your feet, the book on that table denotes there is a God. He created the atoms and molecules that comprise you, me, that table, those chairs, and the books on your shelf. He granted us the ability to cognitively think and critically reason so we could use our agency responsibly. He could of easily made us so that we blindly followed Him, but instead He has let come to know His love by ourselves. 

At one point in my life, the Lord's hand felt nearly nonexistent in my life. That's when I started to consciously remind myself that Heavenly Father has created all things. When I begun doing that, my entire outlook changed. When I ate fresh vegetables, I didn't just think of how good the vegetables were...I remembered with sweet gratitude that the Lord had blessed me with food and created the bountiful earth for His children. Now, this may sound a little strange, but it keeps the Holy Ghost close to me through the day. Every time I consciously recognize the Lord, the Holy Ghost burns within my heart. 

Those who are closest to me know that I go on and on about how amazing the Lord. Funny story, my boyfriend and I were preparing vegetable kabobs for his family's dinner. As I peeled the dry layer off the onion, I brought it up to my nose and smelled it. It was a sweet onion, so of course, it smelled amazing. Instantly, I was so thankful to the Lord for creating this onion. Then, in true "Ellis" fashion, I shoved it in my boyfriend's face, exclaiming, "Heavenly Father is awesome!" It may seem ridiculous, but when you view ordinary things with the awe of a child of God and a spirit of gratitude, the ordinary becomes extraordinary.

Another wonderful way to see the Lord's hand in your life is to recognize the blessings that come from keeping His commandments. My favorite to speak about is the Law of Tithing. I have recently noticed so many blessings from the Law of Tithing, probably because I'm a poor college student now. As a college student, you honestly have like 0 money, but somehow you still spend money. Occasionally (I swear), I go to Dunkin' Donuts before I drive home to the 'Ville. This one time I had my heart set on some hot chocolate and chocolate Munchkins. 

I went into the shop. Immediately, I realized they had no chocolate Munchkins. So, there were two guys working and I got one guy's attention, but he was busy making another person's order. The other guy was at the window taking orders. The guy taking orders didn't realize I was there for a good 10 minutes and got teased by the other guy. Why? Because I was so short, I was hidden behind the counter/cabinet duo that was in his line of sight. After he finally realized I was there (Guy 1:"There's no girl up front!" Guy 2:"Yes, there is." Me: "Uh, hi!" Guy 1: "OH MY GOSH!"),  he took my order. Come to find out there was no hot chocolate either. Side note: how does Dunkin' Donuts run out of hot chocolate? 

So, I asked for orange juice and a chocolate donut like a sensible person. I got my order and went to the car. Okay, Ellis, what does this have to do with the law of tithing? AHA! You see, when I opened the bag with my donut in it, I discovered with joy he had given me not one, but two chocolate donuts! How awesome is that?! #lawoftithing 

You're all probably tired of me rambling about how the Lord has been present in my life. But, I want to say that the gospel is everywhere. Heavenly Father is always there for us and will help us get through any challenges we may be facing. By consciously recognizing and be grateful for the Lord for everything, my life has changed dramatically. I've noticed that I'm more positive and more tolerable towards other. I try to see others as my brothers and sisters and be more gracious with my time as the Lord is so gracious with His. 

I want to invite everyone to try and recognize (consciously) the Lord's hand in their lives during the coming week. Remember that Heavenly Father loves you unconditionally and that you are a beautiful and strong child of God.