Tender Mercy...

On the Sunday mornings that I am in my home ward (congregation), I go into the meetinghouse early when Claude goes for his meetings before sacrament meeting begins. I love this quiet time. I sit in the chapel, no one else is there, and I quietly read my scriptures or the current Ensign. I'm reading my Old Testament and just finished Esther and began reading Job this week. As I was reading in Job this morning I got to the 5th Chapter and the 17th & 18th verses. In these verses Job's friend, Eliphaz is counseling Job. He say, "Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole." I had already underlined this in a previous time reading the Old Testament. Again this time the words stood out brightly in my reading. I pondered, "Am I humble enough to take correction and then have the wounded parts of me be healed? Am I humble enough to learn from those things I have done wrong, then to change and become a better person?" Then I reflected on the book I am currently reading by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. It seems that in each chapter he says something like, "...when the trials (troubles, difficulties, etc.) come, AND THEY WILL,..." Elder Holland always says we can expect there will be difficulties and trials in this life. It seems his 'and they will' phrase is always there set in between commas to be sure we understand that this is a part of life on earth. We are hear to be tested and to prove ourselves worthy of all the blessing the Father already has for each of us. The real 'living' part of life is how we deal with the trials and the tests, not how we live when life is easy. As I sat there, quiet and still, I felt the most peaceful warm feeling. It was as if someone came up behind me and gave me a big, warm, loving hug. I'm always grateful when I get that peaceful feeling. I felt my eyes and heart begin to fill with gratitude. My life is far from perfect but I felt that what I'm doing at this point and time is acceptable. It was a 'tender mercy' from my Heavenly Father. I thank Him for caring enough to touch my heart at that moment in time. I am thankful that when things are difficult, and they will be from time to time, I can recall sitting in a chapel and feeling his love and tender mercy.