“So very much of pure prayer seems to be the process of first discovering, rather than requesting, the will of our Father in heaven and then aligning ourselves therewith. […] When we do conform to His will, God will pour forth special blessings from heaven upon us, as was the case with Nephi, the son of Helaman” (All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience [1979], 93–94). Elder Neal A. Maxwell

I don’t know when I will stop being surprised by the little coincidences. You know the coincidences that once they happen you begin to believe it wasn’t a coincidence at all but rather tender mercy. These past few weeks I’ve been up to my neck in a to-do list and often when things get like this the things that should take the most priority, (Family-time, Come Follow Me, Prayer…etc) are often the first to fall off the wagon. This week was no exception. When things are like this the idea of writing and preparing a post like this one is the LAST thing I want to sit down and do. THE. LAST.THING.

Forgive me, I’m rambling. This idea that I am trying to add my own witness to is the idea that stuck the most with me from last conference. (Watch the Video:)

The Lord loves effort. Even when our effort feels like it is next to nothing, or all we have left, it is something. I think I’m learning that the Lord not only loves effort, but through the enabling power of our Savior Jesus Christ and His Atonement… that effort can be consecrated and become more than what we ever had to give in the first place. Not only that but the Lord blesses us in our efforts. “When we do conform to His will, God will pour forth special blessings from heaven upon us…” I have felt this. In the tiniest ways, I have felt this.

There are times when taking the time to create a weekly post like this seems heavy, daunting or burdensome… Often times, I have NO idea which quote or thought or resource I would like to highlight… and yet things come together, and yet, every. single. time. I make the effort to write a post like this, I am better because of it.

An example of one of those tiny coincidences this week that I led on to earlier was a video that my husband played on his phone as we drove to my parent’s house. The video is of President Bednar teaching and instructing some of the Church’s Institute and Seminary teachers. He expounds on revelation in a way that I hadn’t heard before, and that contradicted the way I had taught how to receive revelation in previous lessons. The main takeaway for me was how the act of receiving revelation isn’t an act at all, rather a process that is ongoing…etc The teachings are beautiful. My husband had no recollection of where he had come across the video or really a “why” to sharing it, but we both were grateful for the experience.

Fast forward to now, I’ve committed to make the effort, to write this weekly post, even though every fiber in my body seems to be fighting the idea of it. The first paragraph I read in the Come Follow Me Manual is this:

“Nephi, Lehi, and others had “many revelations daily” (Helaman 11:23). Frequent revelation is not just for prophets—it’s available to you, too. Recording your impressions can help you receive revelation more consistently.”

The Lord loves effort. The Lord will bless us when our will aligns with His. The Lord KNOWS us, He LOVES us, He is AWARE of us and wants to BLESS us.

Even with tiny coincidences like having an idea of what I wanted to share and highlight with you this week…

I hope you take the time to watch, share, and ponder on this video of Elder Bednar this week, especially his thoughts on revelation.

If you do any of these activities PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE take pictures and tag me! Post to the Facebook group, or tag @livingonlemonlane on Instagram! Don’t forget to pin these images to your Pinterest. This is a SMALL and SIMPLE way to support the efforts of Living on Lemon Lane and sharing these ideas with your friends and family.