“How to See and Remember God’s Kindness,” New Era, Aug. 2011, 48
From Church Leaders
How to See and Remember God’s Kindness
From the October 2007 general conference address “O Remember, Remember” (Ensign, Nov. 2007, 66–69).
When our children were very small, I started to write down a few things about what happened every day. I never missed a day no matter how tired I was or how early I would have to start the next day. Before I would write, I would ponder this question: “Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?” As I kept at it, something began to happen. As I would cast my mind over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day. As that happened, and it happened often, I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done.
More than gratitude began to grow in my heart. Testimony grew. I became ever more certain that our Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers. I felt more gratitude for the softening and refining that come because of the Atonement of the Savior Jesus Christ. And I grew more confident that the Holy Ghost can bring all things to our remembrance—even things we did not notice or pay attention to when they happened.
Seek the Holy Ghost
I urge you to find ways to recognize and remember God’s kindness. It will build our testimonies. The key to the remembering that brings and maintains testimony is receiving the Holy Ghost as a companion. It is the Holy Ghost who helps us see what God has done for us. It is the Holy Ghost who can help those we serve to see what God has done for them.
Pray and Ponder
Tonight, and tomorrow night, you might pray and ponder, asking the questions: Did God send a message that was just for me? Did I see His hand in my life? I will do that. And then I will find a way to preserve that memory for the day. I testify that He loves us and blesses us, more than most of us have yet recognized.