God is Our Loving Heavenly Father

Many experiences this week have me reflecting on the basic and fundamental doctrine that God is our loving Heavenly Father.  I know without a doubt that He is our Father.  That He knows us and loves us.  And that knowledge sees me through everything.  Gives me strength on the hard days, and joy on the good days.  I know that we are His children and that everything He does is for our benefit.  Of course, the good things and the blessings are proof that He loves us.  But also, the challenges, struggles and trials, are one way in which He expresses His love for us.  How much He must love us to bless with opportunities to grow.  To let us experience the hard so that we can improve, become stronger and better.  His ultimate plan is for us to become like Him, and therefore, we must experience difficulty.  For our Father is perfect.  And we, as imperfect beings, must be refined and purified.  I cannot even fathom how much He must love us to allow us to go through that refining process, to become more than we are, more than we could be without His divine help.

My thoughts are stated perfectly in the popular LDS hymn, "I Am a Child of God".  It is simple yet powerful.  And I know it is true.  And these words, this testimony, means more to me each day.

I am a child of God,
And He has sent me here,
Has given me and earthly home
with parents kind and dear.

Heavenly Father has a perfect plan for each of us.  He sent us to earth to learn and to grow.  And He has given us so many blessings to help us along the way.

I am a child of God,
And so my needs are great;
Help me to understand His words
before it grows too late.

He is our Father.  Therefore He knows our needs and what is best for us.  He also wants to help understand His plan and His words.  Therefore He has blessed us with the gospel and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  Through the teachings of the Savior Jesus Christ, we can find the help and strength for all of our needs and the understanding for all things.

I am a child of God,
Rich blessings are in store;
If I but learn to do His will,
I'll live with Him once more.

Our Heavenly Father loves us SO much. More than we can ever imagine.  And He wants to bless our lives.  And such rich blessings are in store for us if we but obey.  Through our obedience is how we show Heavenly Father that we love Him.  Through our obedience, we do His will.  His will is for us to live His Gospel, the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Living the gospel means that we must develop faith, exercise repentance and strive to improve ourselves each day, be baptized and keep covenants with God, receive the Holy Ghost and follow his promptings, and endure to the end or be obedient for the rest of our lives.  If we live the gospel, we qualify ourselves to live with our Heavenly Father again.

And the Chorus:
Lead me, guide me, walk beside me,
Help me find the way.
Teach me all that I must do,
To live with Him someday.

I know that He leads us and guides us.  I know that Heavenly Father is ever aware of us and our needs.  That is truly always there right beside us.  Not just in the good times, but through all times.  Every step of the way.  And He is there helping us to the find the way.  Sometimes the road may seem dark, the path unsure, but He is there and He will teach us what we must do.  His Gospel is one of truth and light and leads us in the right way.  As we live it and obey it, we will be able to return to live with Him someday and that is the happiest knowledge we could ever have.

My hope and prayer is that we all understand that we truly are children of God.  That He loves us and cares for us and He wants to talk with us.  And we can talk to Him through prayer.  My challenge to everyone is to seek Heavenly Father in prayer.  If you are already praying, do it more fervently.  If you are not praying, start today.  Wherever you are at in life, just open your heart and talk to you Father.  He is waiting and He wants to hear from you.  I promise you that as you seek Him in prayer, you will find Him.  You will feel of His love and He will teach you all that you must do to live with Him again someday :)  just do it.  Just try it, please.  Pray to Him, just talk to Him.  I know He will listen and answer.  For He is our loving Heavenly Father.