Spiritual Sundays: He Is Here To Help Us

Editor’s Note: The Power of Moms is a website for mothers of all religions (and for mothers who are not necessarily religious).  Each Sunday, we post a spiritual essay, and we would love to gather a wide variety of perspectives and ideas.  Our goal is to be respectful of all beliefs while simultaneously offering opportunities to share meaningful, spiritual thoughts with one another.  The following essay was written in 2007, when this website was initially launched.

There are many days as mothers when it feels like we are on our own.  Some mothers I know basically are on their own as they take care of the needs of their families—often working long hours every day to keep the home running.  As I have been thinking about the plight of courageous, sometimes-overwhelmed mothers around the globe, one thought keeps returning to my mind: He is here to help us.

According to my beliefs, “He” is our Savior, Jesus Christ, and because He knows how important our work is within our families, He has provided the means for us to accomplish everything that needs to be done.  Even though most of us believe in God and know He has power to take care of us, we frequently hesitate to draw on that power.  It is my prayer that the thoughts in this article will help you to feel the love the Lord has for you and remind you that you are His cherished daughter.

One of the first actions that invite the Lord’s power into our lives is to plead to Him.  I was blessed to grow up in a home with parents who trusted in prayer.  I remember watching my mother as she went about her daily tasks and often hearing her whisper intensely the word, “Father!”  I never knew what she was concerned about or why she felt she needed His added support, but now that I am a mother (who is often in the middle of challenging situations), I find myself supplicating the Lord with the same sincere appeal: “Father!”  Every time I call on His name, I immediately feel Him close to me, and I know that He is hearing my cries.

Shortly after my third child was born, I loaded all of the children (ages 3, 1, and 3 months) into our Camry and got on the 405 freeway in Los Angeles for our first official outing.  My parents had returned from a mission for our church, and I was so excited to see them after the 18 months they had been away.  For some reason that morning, my mind continued to replay the song “Love is Spoken Here.”  The words, “Her plea to the Father quiets all my fears,” especially struck me as I buckled each child securely and then offered a prayer to ask the Lord for safety on our 90-minute drive.

Twenty miles from our home, we became involved in a hit-and-run accident that left me stalled in the fast lane with a smashed hood and three crying children. Fortunately, no one received any injuries, and within the hour, all of us had been safely taken to the auto repair shop by a police officer who could not believe how many car seats I was able to fit into the backseat of our four-door sedan.

As I sat in the waiting room of the repair shop with my little ones, a distinct voice came into my mind that said, “The prayer you offered was acknowledged.”  Tears came to my eyes as I remembered my request for safety and realized that all of us had, indeed, been kept safe.  Had the collision happened three seconds later, my newborn baby would have been smashed into his sisters. 

I know that car accidents and serious injuries happen—even to those who love God, and I know that in such cases, all things work together for our good.  However, I also know that in this circumstance, the pleading of a young mother was acknowledged by the Lord.  He always hears us and responds with His perfect understanding of what we need in that situation.

A scripture in the Bible, 1 John 5:14, speaks clearly of this: “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us.”  As we drive and clean and work and discipline throughout each day, I hope we will not hesitate to plead to the Father, who quiets all our fears.

A second action that we can take, which is inherently linked with the first, is to believe in Him.  One morning as I unloaded our groceries for the week, I started to think about my husband’s job situation.  Some challenges and opportunities had come up, and we just did not know which choice was the right one for his career and for our family.  I felt impressed to read the copy of a document that means a lot to me called “The Living Christ.”  We have one posted on our kitchen wall, and one thing it has taught me is that Jesus Christ is our advocate to the Father.   As I contemplated the decisions my husband and I were trying to make, this idea seemed to penetrate my heart.  I could see Him pleading on our behalf and asking the Father to take care of us. At that moment, I knew I did not need to worry about my husband’s job because the Lord had it in His hands.  We only need to believe in Him.

My friend, Carolyn, shared a story that illustrates her belief in our Savior.  She had agreed to temporarily care for a young boy whose family was going through some difficulties, but adding a fifth child into her home and after-school schedule posed some problems.  Early one afternoon, as she drove her minivan around the city, running her normal errands, she realized that there was no way she could make it to the two school pick-ups and the children’s piano lessons. 

She sat at a stoplight, wondering how she could possibly take care of everyone, when a friend pulled up next to her and rolled down her passenger window.  Before the light turned green, a conversation something like this took place between the two vans:

            “Hi, Carolyn!”

            “Christy—there is no way I can pick up Jordan from school today.  Can you get him for me?”

            “Sure, no problem.  See you later!”

Carolyn later told me that she sat in stunned silence after Christy drove off.  She could feel the Lord’s hand helping her as she was caring for this extra child, and she believed that He had been the one who had solved this dilemma for her.  Within moments of realizing the problem, the Lord had solved it.

Believing in the Lord allows Him to bless us.  In a scripture found in a book called The Book of Mormon, the Lord Jesus Christ is visiting the people in America.  He agrees to stay longer with them and heal those who are sick because he perceives that their faith is sufficient.  Similarly, when the woman with the “issue of blood,” as recorded in Matthew 9:20-22, touches the hem of Christ’s garment, she is healed because of her faith.  It may seem that He would not be interested in our health problems, self-esteem issues or carpool dilemmas, but one of the reasons we have these dilemmas is so we will turn to Him.

Tonight (the 7th of June, 2007) was a particularly hard evening for me.  I am six months pregnant with my fourth child, and for the past few hours, I have not had the physical strength to stand up for more than a few minutes at a time.  As the evening wore on, I could feel my hormones and my patience “battling it out,” and I wondered how I could keep the Lord at the forefront of my mind as I tried to tuck my children into bed.  I somehow made it through the bedtime routine without raising my voice (my husband would have helped if he had been home), and I realized that I become stronger each day that I believe in the Lord during the difficult times.  He does not expect us to be flawless, but He does expect us to trust Him.

A third action we can take is to love Him.  Two conversations with my mother come immediately to my mind.  I wish you could meet her—she is an angel.  The first conversation took place when I was nine years old, and my mother had just returned from a preschool co-op parents’ meeting.  I recognized that my mother did not have the same fashionable clothes and jewelry as all of the other mothers, and I asked her if she ever felt intimidated by all of the other women. 

As an insecure nine-year-old, with bangs that never curled right,  I felt very intimidated by the “pretty” girls at school, and I was sure my mother must have felt the same.  She sat down by me and said, “No.  I don’t feel intimidated because I look around the room and think, ‘No one here loves the Savior more than I do.  They might love Him as much as I do, but they can’t possibly love Him more because I love Him with all my heart.’”  That gave me a whole new way to see my self-worth.  From that point forward, even when I had weight problems and/or bad hair days, I felt confident in who I was because I loved the Lord.

The second conversation that comes to mind took place sometime during my high school years.  I do not remember how we got on the subject (except for the fact that our discussions always turned to the Lord), but one day we were talking about physical possessions, and how our testimonies of Jesus Christ were more precious to us than anything we could buy.  My mother, sitting across from me in the kitchen, taught simply, “There is no possession in the world—not the biggest house, not the fastest car, not the most extravagant outfit—that can bring tears to my eyes just by thinking about it.”  I remember a long pause after she spoke those words, and we both just looked at each other, neither one of us holding back the tears.  I knew she loved the Lord, and I promised myself that I would always show Him that same love.

The Lord always takes care of those who love Him.  One scripture that I think of whenever I receive an answer to prayer is found in a book called Doctrine and Covenants.  In Section 76, verse 5, it says,  “I, the Lord, am merciful and gracious unto those who fear me, and delight to honor those who serve me in righteousness and in truth unto the end.”  When we love Him, He pours out His love to us,  which brings me to my final point:

Receive His love.  The Lord loves His daughters.  He loves His sons, too, but like every Father, He has a special place in His heart for His daughters.  He respects you and the work you are doing, and He wants your experiences as a woman and a mother to be sweet and rewarding.  When we are doing poorly, or when we are doing well, we can “Be still, and know that [He is] God.” 

I pray for all of us that we may see our motherhood as partnerships with God.  Our children are sweet, fun, and charming, but they also require a lot of attention, discipline, and energy.  It is a blessing to know that we are not alone, for He is here to help us.

CHALLENGE:  Identify one thing you can do to trust the Lord more fully in your own life.  Is there something you could worry about LESS?  Is there some proactive behavior you could do MORE?  Find a way to bring the Lord into your life–He is your partner.       

QUESTION: What experiences have you had that have shown you the power of God in your life?

About April Perry

April Perry is the wife to her best friend, Eric, and mother to Alia, Grace, Ethan, and Spencer. In addition to the work she does within her family, she hopes to strengthen others through her projects at Power of Moms and LearnDoBecome.April's "Why" is this: To architect a life of excellence--centered on family and moving upward towards God--with a beautiful balance of spiritual, mental, and physical development that enables others to do the same.