Windows of Heaven

My oldest got a text from her friend saying she had just finished reading a talk from General Conference and had the thought to share it with her. After reading this talk entitled, The Windows of Heaven my daughter came and suggested I should read it. I remembered this talk and loved hearing it at Conference.

I really liked the story shared where  Elder Bednar's wife and her mother were looking over finances together and noticed that "The costs for doctor visits and medicines for their family were far lower than might have been expected." Sister Bednar's mother then stated, " as we live the law of tithing, we often receive significant but subtle blessings that are not always what we expect and easily can be overlooked."

I was touched that a mother took the time to recognize those blessings and then to point them out to her daughter. As I read the rest of this article, I thought of specific blessings our family has received lately. I felt impressed that I needed to record these for two reasons. One, so that I don't forget them and most importantly so my children are aware of the blessings that we have received during this stage of life.

Elder Bednar gave some examples of "subtle, but significant blessings" He stated,

"We may need and pray for help to find suitable employment. Eyes and ears of faith (see Ether 12:19) are needed, however, to recognize the spiritual gift of enhanced discernment that can empower us to identify job opportunities that many other people might overlook—or the blessing of greater personal determination to search harder and longer for a position than other people may be able or willing to do. We might want and expect a job offer, but the blessing that comes to us through heavenly windows may be greater capacity to act and change our own circumstances rather than expecting our circumstances to be changed by someone or something else."

I know that my husband is receiving the blessing of enhanced discernment. He has also been blessed, when needed, by specific help to keep up his determination to search.

The first part of December my husband approached me with the idea of him doing substitute teaching. As I read the words, "greater capacity to act and change our own circumstances" I knew that his thinking of doing substitute teaching was not just coincidence but a blessing.  He has also been guided to specific jobs where his math skills and computer knowledge have been greatly appreciated and allowed him to take on jobs that are multiple days; thus giving him consistency in pay and predictability of work.

Elder Bednar also stated, "We may appropriately desire and work to receive a pay raise in our employment to better provide the necessities of life. Eyes and ears of faith are required, however, to notice in us an increased spiritual and temporal capacity (see Luke 2:52) to do more with less, a keener ability to prioritize and simplify, and an enhanced ability to take proper care of the material possessions we already have acquired." 

Currently most of the job searching has been my husband responsibility. Yes I am a nurse and could go about trying to find a job but at this time we haven't felt like that it the course we are supposed to take. My role has mostly been on the financial end. Trying to watch what we spend and make what money we have coming in stretch as far a possible.   I have been better able to decide if we should purchase something and been able to find sales and deals to make our money stretch. I have truly seen the blessing of  an increased capacity to do more with less. To know how to use the food we have in storage. I am amazed how we are now living on a food budget of less than half of what we lived on a few months ago but none of us feel like we are eating any differently. When the severance package my husband was promised finished, we sat down together to re-evaluate how we were going to manage things financially. We were both amazed to see our situation. We were able to save in all budget areas and still add money to savings during the last couple of months. Months that included many birthdays and Christmas expenses.Truly brings peace as we look to the weeks ahead where the money we bring in will be very minimal.

Since being laid-off we have been making our own bread. My 10 plus year old kitchen aid is wearing out. The switch won't stay in the off position so we have to unplug it every time we stop the mixer. It cricks and makes some interesting noises. Yet every time I use it it still works.I know we are being blessed for this is a main area I know we can save some money. Since we have the items to make bread in food storage. Truly seeing the blessings of heading this counsel of storing food.

For the most part we have been healthy.  When the kids are sick I have been able to determine more confidently if they need to go see a doctor or not. We had two of our children who ended up with pretty severe infections. We were blessed that these happened just days before our health insurance coverage stopped. Not only that, but I had brought to my mind to get these filled at a different place than our usual place and learned that we would be then be able to  receive fuel reward points, thus saving on gas.

I am grateful for my daughter and her friend for giving me an opportunity to recognize the subtle blessing we have received lately. As Elder Bednar sates, "I testify that as we are spiritually attentive and observant, we will be blessed with eyes that see more clearly, ears that hear more consistently, and hearts that understand more fully the significance and subtlety of His ways, His thoughts, and His blessings in our lives. "