Tender Mercies

Today I am grateful for my calling in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  I have been struggling, once again, with feelings of inadequacy, hopelessness, resentment - yadayadayada.  In short, I believe, I'm going through another depressive episode.  I could recount the many reasons, some of them valid but I won't. It doesn't help.  I teach the 11 year olds and our lesson today was on keeping the Sabbath day holy.  Then the youth speaker during Sacrament meeting was also about keeping the Sabbath.  What touched me, and struck a nerve, was that the Sabbath is intended to be a delight and a renewal.  It isn't just a rest and recreation day but a day to re-invent myself in the Lord's pattern for me.  I don't have to be in charge.  I tell myself so often that I don't have time.  I don't have enough time to do the paperwork and lesson planning I should for my job.  I don't have time to clean and organize my life the way I'd like, and I don't have time to reach out to people the way I'd like.  Yet people continue to forgive me for being unavailable, distant, and sorry for myself. 

I came home from church today and opened the Seminary teacher's manual for studying the book of Mormon.  The lesson on the first chapter in the Book of Mormon talked about tender mercies.  Nephi lived at a difficult time, he and his family were warned of the coming destruction of Jerusalem and father Lehi faithfully attempted to warn others.  The whole family was scorned and persecuted for that, but Nephi saw Lehi's dream and the family's subsequent relocation to be a "a tender mercy".  He said "I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance." 1 Nephi 1:20

I am in the process of being delivered from my depression by the tender mercies of my Savior and I am grateful.