A Yearning for Home

I've been rereading the talks from the most recent General Conference lately. During the Saturday morning session, President Uchtdorf spoke about the instinct we all have that draws us homeward to our Heavenly Father. 

He said, "I believe that every man, woman, and child has felt the call of heaven at some point in his or her life. Deep within us is a longing to somehow reach past the veil and embrace Heavenly Parents we once knew and cherished. Some might suppress this yearning and deaden their souls to its call. But those who do not quench this light within themselves can embark on an incredible journey—a wondrous migration toward heavenly climes."

 We need to heed the call of God and follow Him. The purpose of the church is to encourage us, teach us, lift us, and inspire us. It's there to bless our lives if we allow it to. Sometimes we worry so much about what we lack or how we fall short that we miss out on the encouragement, support, and inspiration that is there for us as we serve others and do our best to follow the Savior.  I love the reminder from President Uchtdorf that God is calling to us, He cares about us, and He has given us a way to return to Him. We're promised that when we turn to the Lord not only will our own lives be better, but God will use us to makes the lives of the people around us better. 

When I was growing up, my parents had a cross-stitched sampler of Proverbs 3:5-6 hanging in our home. Those verses were the first I ever memorized and they're stuck in my head still, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." Trusting in the Lord and heeding God's call to us will not magically remove all of our struggles or doubts. But I've seen in my own life how it does bring me closer to my Father in Heaven and makes it easier for me to access the help He wants to give me. When I'm humble and trusting, I have felt Him direct my paths. 

 I wish I was better at looking outside my own life and being an instrument in the Lord's hands to bless the lives of others. Sometimes it takes all I have to make it through the challenges in my own life and I have a tendency to put my head down and just focus on my family and our little struggles. I've worked to take the blinders off and look for ways to be there for the people around me and I've learned that as I serve others I start to see blessings in my own life; much greater blessings than I ever could have imagined. Plus my ability to handle the hard times that do come our way has increased. 

 God will take our challenges and our trials and use them to help us and to help the people around us if we'll just let Him. Sometimes (oftentimes) that will mean going through really hard times and even feeling abandoned or alone so that we can learn the lessons we need to and become the people he wants us to be. God loves us and God needs us. When we follow the instinct inside of each of us that pulls us toward Him our lives will be blessed and we'll be on the path that leads us to our heavenly home. 

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