Strength in Adversity

I have been blessed my whole life with the knowledge that my Heavenly Father and my Savior know me individually and love me.  There have been times however, that this has been made manifest to me and my testimony has grown because of it. These times are not great manifestations from heaven, but are small personal moments.  Many times it is something so small, but something I really need.

One time in particular that I felt my Savior’s love for me so strong was a couple of summers ago.  I was able to study abroad in Jerusalem for four months.  About a month before it was time to go home I started getting anxiety.  I did not know what it was (actually I’m still not sure if that’s what it was, but that’s the best way I can describe it).  This is something that was very new and different to me, because most of the time I do not stress about a lot.  However, I was stressed about a few decisions I knew I was going to have to make when I got home.  I did not vocalize these concerns to anyone, not even my parents.  Sometimes at night I would have a hard time breathing and I would just try to fall asleep to escape the constant wheels going in my head.  In my prayers I asked my Heavenly Father to give me feelings of peace and comfort.  One Saturday after church a group of us walked down to the Garden of Gethsemane.  I sat outside and pondered and read some scriptures.  Then a group of us went inside the church right next to the garden to sing.  There was a service going on so we sat quietly in the back waiting until it was over.  While I was sitting there I felt the most incredible feeling of peace come over me.  I almost didn’t want to move because I was scared I would lose it.  I knew right then that my Heavenly Father had heard my prayers and because of his great love for me he gave me those feelings of peace.  It might seem like such a small thing, but to me it was so huge and something I really needed at that time.  My earthly parents were far from me and I had not even vocalized my concerns to them, because I knew that there was nothing anyone could say to make me feel better, but my Heavenly Father and my Savior knew my thoughts and knew exactly how to comfort me.  That experience helped my testimony that my Heavenly Father and Savior really know me and are aware of my struggles grow so much.

I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love me and that no one knew how I was feeling, but that my savior did because he suffered in Gethsemane for not only my sins, but my weaknesses and my sorrows.  He was able to give me the comfort I needed when no one else could, because He had felt what I was feeling.  I know that we are sons and daughters or Heavenly Parents who love us so much and want to give us so many blessings, and when we turn to them in times of need they are there to comfort us and give us the strength we need to carry on.

Analise B.