I’ve been thinking lately about my relationship with Heavenly Father. Not from my view point, but from His. When we make covenants with God and become disciples of Christ we become His. It carries a weight of responsibility to act in a manner that is pleasing to God. We try to build our lives around the teachings of Jesus Christ and live worthy of the blessings the Lord sends our way.
Sometimes I become so focused on how I feel about Heavenly Father, that I almost forget how He feels about me. Maybe that’s not quite right. I don’t completely forget, it is the central part of my faith and belief that God is a loving Father who wants what is best for me. I guess it’s more a feeling of being the middle child. That child does usually know that they are loved by their parents, but they sometimes feel lost in the shuffle of everyday life. They see the needs of those children on either side of them and watch while those needs are met by a loving parent. They spend so much time watching others that they forget that they have a place as well.
I think that this is sometimes the position I find myself in. It’s not so much forgetting I am loved as forgetting that love is personal. I see His love and His blessings in all the world around me, I strive to be an instrument in His hand to help and serve those in need. I share my love for the Savior and in my small way try to encourage others to reach their full potential and somewhere in the middle of all of that I forget myself. It’s not necessarily a bad thing. When I forget myself, my fears and worries are also forgotten. But sometimes, just sometimes, forgetting myself means that I also forget to ask for help when I need it, or loose sight of my own eternal worth.
That’s why I’m so grateful that even when I seem lost, Heavenly Father does not forget about me. I’ve been appreciating the stories of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son very much lately. No, I had not strayed from the fold by some great sin or rejection of the gospel; I simply got a little lost. I forgot that when I make covenants to the Lord to do my best, He promises to make my best good enough. I had forgotten how much my happiness and success mean to Him.
That’s why I’m grateful for these parables. They remind me that even when I become lost, I am not forgotten. When I get a little lost, a little discouraged, He is there and then while I’m looking around I might see Him beckoning to me to draw a little closer and feel His love. I might hear His voice in the words of another encouraging me on my path and opening ways before me. Then, I remember how personal His love for me is. I’m not just one of many; I hold a special place in His heart, a special purpose in His kingdom. He notices me, even when I may not be as close to Him as He’d like. If I don’t turn my back on Him, He’ll always find a way to remind me where I belong and how much I’m loved.
