Divine Encouragement

Yesterday was the ward Christmas party. L was an angel and C was a wise man. I originally thought I would be too exhausted to go. I was tired, but wanted to see my kids in their parts. There were two angels and I coordinated with the other mom. She brought the white robes, and I brought the gold star garland for the waist and hair. C wore his Harry Potter robe and some fabric on his head. He wanted to wear his Harry Potter glasses too, but I discouraged that. L brought her friend and they decided they were too cool for Santa this year. C was a little disappointed Santa would not let C sit on his lap. We did not even try Baby. She was taking her bottle during the time Santa was there, and not interested in much else.

We had ward conference today and our Bishop quoted from a 1998 conference talk by Sheri Dew about the Holy Ghost. This quote stood out to me.

The Holy Ghost enlarges our minds, our hearts, and our understanding; helps us subdue weaknesses and resist temptation; inspires humility and repentance; guides and protects us in miraculous ways; and gifts us with wisdom, divine encouragement, peace of mind, a desire to change, and the ability to differentiate between the philosophies of men and revealed truth.

I know that before the pathology report came back confirming we had cancer, and in the first few weeks we needed and received divine encouragement. I told a friend during that time we could not possibly have cancer because I could not see how it would work out. The divine words of encouragement said it would and started to show us how. It seems like such a simple thing, but it was essential. It helped us remember that "the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest," applies to homes in the middle of nowhere and doctors' offices an hour away and everywhere in between.