The Tender Mercies Of The Lord

As Easter approaches I am reminded of the greatest blessing that touches my life each and every day. That great blessing is the love of my Savior and His atonement. Nothing is more beautiful and complete than this personal gift in my life.

No matter what life brings, my Savior provided the way for me to return back to my heavenly home.

I'm so thankful each and every day I have the opportunity to grow, to change, and to become new in all things. Easter and everything it stands for is a symbolic representation of RENEWAL! As I struggle to overcome the greatest obstacle I have to overcome in this life, namely "me". I am continually drawing upon the blessings of the atonement and that renewing process. I am so grateful to draw water from a living well that never dries, and to express that gratitude I should be actively engaged continually in in that renewal process.

Today I feel sorry for people who are content to never grow, people who cannot look within, people who are never willing to see anything about themselves that needs renewing, changing, people who are content to live life without goals, literally shrinking in the face of adversity and challenges; people who have no motivation to engage in real change and realize their God given potential. The older I get the more I realize the supreme need for change and what an unseen blessing it is to be able to do so daily.

No one knows the difficulty of change greater than I. Don't cry to me about how hard change is, I already know how hard it is. I've been struggling to overcome the parts of me that are debilitating for 53 years! Real life changes however bring growth and a great sense of accomplishment. There is nothing more satisfying than overcoming self!

The wonderful thing however about making difficult changes is, the harder I try the more I feel the Lord's loving help through His tender mercies. He understands my plight, He knows me, He is aware of the difficult struggle to improve myself, and continually He restores my faith through His tender mercies. His tender mercies are an extension of His complete belief in me.

There is nothing more beautiful than the tender mercies of the Lord. These tender mercies come to me so frequently. They come in moments when I'm ready to give up. They come during the day, and during the night. They come in moments of deep discouragement, and in the face of all opposition. They come continually to lift, encourage, and inspire. They come to give me hope.

Tender mercies are my Saviors loving arms encircling me. I feel them. His pure love is real and He extends that love in a powerful way.

This Easter season, aside from the powerful blessings of the atonement, I am so thankful for the tender mercies of my Savior. To me, they are the crowning jewel of everything Easter represents, a continuation of Christ's complete love bestowed upon me in the Garden.

Easter Blessings to you all!