Since general conference, I’ve continued to ponder how Heavenly Father has a distinct plan for each of us. Through the experience of my own life’s journey, I know that the Lord will move us on that seeming chessboard to do His work. What may appear to be a random chance is, in fact, overseen by a loving Father in Heaven, who can number the hairs of every head. Not even a sparrow falls to the ground without our Father’s notice. The Lord is in the small details of our lives, and those incidents and opportunities are to prepare us to lift our families and others as we build the kingdom of God on earth.
On my Facebook and Twitter accounts, I asked you how you have seen the Lord’s hand in the small details of your life. I cherish each of your responses.
On Twitter, Kristi responded, “He allowed me the privilege of raising a special needs child, which requires me to depend on the Spirit daily.”
Another responder, Samuel, said, “He has helped me see that my failures were actually not failures at all, just stepping stones.”
Samuel is right. What we may often view as a failure or a roadblock can actually be the exact experience we need to lead us to a glorious future.
Donna, on Facebook, had a similar experience: “My husband and I cannot have children. We prayed for the opportunity to be parents but every time we were told to be still. And so we waited. Then, from the unlikeliest source, the opportunity came to adopt a baby. Nothing about it should have worked. Any logical person, including me at times, would have told us we were fools. And yet the Lord told us to proceed. Even after he was born it seemed impossible that he would be ours. And yet through many small miracles we have a beautiful son, a child who is only ours because of how the Lord orchestrated the details of our lives. I know He knows each of us and His hand is in the details of our lives.”
Susan shared her testimony as well: “I was not brought up in the Church, but I was a born again, spirit-filled Christian since I was 13. I was in need of housing and God opened up the door for my family and myself to move into HUD housing. After the Northridge Earthquake, I met my friend CJ. She fasted and prayed that I would join the Church. I was baptized 12/23/2006.
“I never would have converted if CJ never moved in, because I was dead set against even setting foot in an LDS meetinghouse. CJ would tell me stories from the Book of Mormon and piqued my interest. Long story short … Amazing things happen in God's timing.”
Another responder, Lonn, said, “After I received an advanced degree from an excellent foreign university, I expected and desired to work overseas for the rest of my life. I had many interviews, but never found that kind of job, so I just lived in my home city. Ten years later, my mother died of pancreatic cancer. The Lord blessed me to have those years close to my mother. If I would have known all the facts, I would have chosen for myself what he provided to me.”
Like you, there have been times that I have wondered if I was on the right path. I know that if we act in faith, one step at a time, we will be guided by the Lord’s hand. By “divine design,” He is in the small details of our lives as well as the major milestones.
