“The Scripture Hunt,” Friend, June 2024, 18–19.
The Scripture Hunt
Did Heavenly Father really love him?
This story happened in the USA.
“Good night, Mom.” Calan climbed into bed.
“Good night. I love you, and Heavenly Father loves you too.” Mom gave him a hug and turned off the light.
Calan stared up at the ceiling. Mom and Dad always told him that Heavenly Father loved him. But was that true? Calan wasn’t perfect, and sometimes he made mistakes. Did Heavenly Father really love him?
He rolled over in his bed. His parents showed him love in lots of ways, like giving him hugs. But he had never gotten a hug from Heavenly Father. So how could He feel Heavenly Father’s love?
The next day was Sunday. As Calan got dressed in his church clothes, he still wondered if Heavenly Father loved him. How could he know how Heavenly Father really felt about him?
At church, Calan and his brother and sisters tried to sit quietly and listen to the speakers. Mom passed some crayons and paper to Sierra, and Dad held Jonny in his lap.
But Calan was still thinking about his question. Then he got an idea.
He opened his scriptures. Mom and Dad said the Book of Mormon told about things Heavenly Father wants us to know. Maybe the Book of Mormon could answer Calan’s question.
Calan started to flip through the pages. He saw verses about Alma the Younger and Samuel the Lamanite. But he didn’t see any words about Heavenly Father’s love.
When it was time for Primary, Calan brought his Book of Mormon with him. He read more verses. At the back of the Book of Mormon he found a list of scriptures about love. He looked up some verses, but he still didn’t see anything about how Heavenly Father loved him.
Then it was time for class. Brother and Sister Walters gave the class time to find a verse in the Book of Mormon that felt important to each of them.
Calan opened his scriptures again.
Finally he saw a verse he hadn’t read yet. It was about Nephi when he saw a vision and spoke to an angel.
Calan felt warm as he read Nephi’s words about Heavenly Father. “I know that he loveth his children” (1 Nephi 11:17). Calan read the verse again. He felt a powerful feeling in his heart. It felt like a big hug. Heavenly Father did love him!
After Primary, Calan was excited to tell Mom what he learned. “Heavenly Father loves His children. It says it right here in the Book of Mormon,” Calan said. “And that means He loves me!”
Mom gave Calan a big hug. “That’s true. Heavenly Father loves you so much.”
Calan felt so happy. He might not be able to get a hug from Heavenly Father, but feeling the Holy Ghost was just as good.
Illustrations by Josh Talbot