A Heartfelt Note

By Carol C. Ingebretsen

My husband had been unemployed for seven months. Friends and neighbors offered support, and our ward poured out their love to us. But as time passed, our spirits continued to fall. Each rejection hurt a little more. We were particularly concerned about the sacrifices our three teenagers, our 10-year-old, and our preschooler were having to make.

Late one evening after a tender family home evening, our 13-year-old daughter quietly put a note on our dresser. We tearfully read it the next morning after she left for school:

Just a little reminder to say hang in there! And to tell you that I love you both beyond compare. Remember:

“Faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith. …

“For if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, he showed not himself until after their faith” (Ether 12:6, 12).

So have faith in the Lord, and He will take care of us! But He won’t give us any miracles without first testing our faith, so hang in there! Don’t give up! He loves us so much. He will make sure everything ends up for the best.

Not only did our daughter encourage us to be more faithful, but her act of love reminded us of our great love for her and all our children. It occurred to us that the same love we felt for her exists to a far greater degree in our eternal family. The idea that our Father in Heaven cares about us in the same way we care about our children still overwhelms us. Eventually we did find work, and we were reminded that we can and always should reach out to our Eternal Father and lean on our Savior. Together we can solve almost anything.

• Carol C. Ingebretsen is a member of the Brighton Second Ward, Salt Lake Brighton Stake.