Not just coincidence...

Often times in life we look back at times where things have worked out in our favor and think, "wow, that was such a wonderful coincidence" or "man, I got lucky that time" and even the occasional "#blessed."

Through the years I have come to realized that "good luck," chance meetings," and "a series of fortunate events'' have nothing to do with luck at all. Instead they are tender mercies from a loving Father in Heaven.  We are children of God and all good things are from him. Yesterday I was able to still make it to a temple session despite having to be rebooked onto another airlines and having my original arrival time delayed. The agent who had to rebook me was really nice and did not give  me attitude or any trouble. I usually have a hard time at the airport in general and when I saw the initial change in schedule I almost burst into tears due the stress of it all. I was afraid that this was a bad omen for my next two weeks of travel. Looking back now I realize about how much faith I lacked. If my last 24 hours was any indication of how my next 2 weeks will be I will be tremendously grateful. Heavenly Father had my back the whole way. Things worked out in my favor and the tender mercies of the Lord were abundant. The delays, re-bookings and set backs of life are just opportunities for the Lord to bless us and help us draw closer to him. 

"...The Lord’s tender mercies do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence. Faithfulness and obedience enable us to receive these important gifts and, frequently, the Lord’s timing helps us to recognize them. We should not underestimate or overlook the power of the Lord’s tender mercies. The simpleness, the sweetness, and the constancy of the tender mercies of the Lord will do much to fortify and protect us in the troubled times in which we do now and will yet live. When words cannot provide the solace we need or express the joy we feel, when it is simply futile to attempt to explain that which is unexplainable, when logic and reason cannot yield adequate understanding about the injustices and inequities of life, when mortal experience and evaluation are insufficient to produce a desired outcome, and when it seems that perhaps we are so totally alone, truly we are blessed by the tender mercies of the Lord and made mighty even unto the power of deliverance." -Elder David A Bednar

“But behold, 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 Ne. 1:20).