Family, does God Care? YES!

I'm going to be home in five days--that's a happy thought. Brigham Young University is great, but I still miss my family (even though I have some family out here too). Might as well write about why family is so wonderful, right?

In my church, we believe that Heavenly Father (the title we usually give God) is exactly who He sounds like He is. We believe that God the Father is not only the Savior's Father--He's also our Father. We lived with Him and ALL of our brothers and sisters (who are all humanity) before we came to Earth during a time we often call the Pre-mortal Existence. Like a good father, He loves us, and He wants the best for us. He created the world to allow us to experience things that were not available in the spirit world, and the climax of His creation (which may or may not have been done through means scientists theorize about, but that's another discussion) of Heaven and Earth was a family. His first commandment to Adam and Eve--to multiply and replenish the Earth--had everything to do with families. Two of the ten commandments--Honor thy father and thy mother & thou shalt not commit adultery--show a very fervent Divine push for wholesome families. The fact that the Savior of the World, the Only Begotten Son of God came to Earth as part of a family further shows the importance of families.

I'm grateful for my family. We have our flaws, and we don't always see eye to eye, but I'm glad to be the brother/son/uncle/cousin/nephew/grandson... of every one of them (especially the brother and son part! I'm also looking forward to being a husband and father--maybe five years from now!). Life is hard. And it would be impossible were it not for loving relationships. I realize not everyone has a family close to them, but I promise you that you always have a Father and a Brother (Christ, like all of us, is Heavenly Father's Son) who are cheering for you and longing to help you if you give them a chance. The power of prayer is real, and unlike the cell phone I use to talk to my family on the other side of the country, it is not limited by battery life, fuzzy reception, limited minutes, or payment plans.

I'm going home to my immediate family in five days. A very large and glorious family awaits many years (probably) from now. And to make it all the better, my family in this life will still be together there! The family is indeed "ordained of God," and if you want to see where that quote comes from, just look at this last piece of evidence for how important families are to God:

Little Blessings/Tender Mercies

I've been having a tricky time staying on top of things lately, and I just wanted to make a quick post about something (Well, a few things really) that happened on Thursday.

1) It was 10:30, and I had a chemistry exam to prepare for and take, about 1.5 hours of reading to do before my psychology class, and three hours until said class. Part of the preparation for the exam included an online quiz that didn't technically have to be done until about midnight, but I figured it would hurt more to miss that preparation for the exam than it would to miss some of the questions on the in-class quiz in psychology. I got onto the quiz, and I was able to answer a few questions before I hit a wall. Being a Latter-day Saint, I reflexed with a prayer, and then I stopped, thought, and said another, more sincere prayer, thanking Heavenly Father for helping me through the day so far. I went back to the quiz and the answers flowed to me like ink from a pen. I was a little uncertain about a couple of them, but I had neither the time nor confidence to go back and do battle with them, so I offered another brief prayer of thanks and clicked 'submit.' I aced it. I was expecting to miss a few of them, but every question was marked 'correct.' I almost felt like there was someone patting me on the back, saying "You're okay James. Keep going. I've got you covered." I offered another prayer of thanks.

2) After a little more studying, I went to the testing center, feeling a little rushed by the rapidly-approaching class. I felt pretty good about most of the test, but there was one question that I literally had no clue about. After finishing the rest of the test, I went back to the question, which I had answered based on a clue I thought I had found. About ready to stand up and turn it in, I suddenly saw something I hadn't seen before and I had a guess I felt halfway-certain about. Figuring "halfway-certain" was better than "eh, I'm leaning-toward-this," I changed the answer and turned it in. I left the testing center, stunned that I had only missed two questions on an exam I had taken feeling unprepared and rushed. Feeling very elated, I more quickly than I thought I could, finishing about two minutes before class. The in-class quiz turned out very well, and I left psychology feeling very blessed.

3) I had another chemistry assignment that was mostly done but was still a little behind schedule. I had to finish by midnight, but when I went to work on it, the questions proved to be rather difficult. After feeling like I'd been beating my head against a wall for half an hour, I realized that I hadn't prayed for help yet. So I did. I went back to work, expecting guidance and hoping to finish by 11:59. As before, the answers started flowing to me, and I even finished fifteen minutes early. Again, I went to my knees and thanked Heavenly Father for His mercy. One more cool thing before I went to bed: I decided looked up the topic of the question I had struggled with on the exam. As you may have guessed, my final answer (which was not mine at all) was correct.

Blessed be the Most High God, and praise be unto Him forever for His love and the fact that He cares enough about His children to help them in their little times of need! I love these tender mercies.