Heavenly Father

I heard the argument recently that God is only an idea to provide comfort when life is hard.  It was argued that when life is good, no one needs or recognizes God in their life.  As soon as life gets difficult, however, people turn to God and attribute any solutions to Him.  Upon hearing this, I felt a strong desire to share who God is to me.

I believe God is the literal Father of all on earth.  He loves us with a perfect love just as most parents love their children.  I'm grateful to my loving earthly father, raising me as Heavenly Father would have him raise me so that I might better understand what God is like.  My dad is there when times are tough.  When things get too challenging and I've run out of options, I can turn to him and he will do his best to help me find a solution.

However, this is not the only time I talk to my father.  I call him when things are going great and I would just like advice on what classes to sign up for, or help editing an essay, or boys (yes, I talk about boys with my dad- I love my daddy).  Just because nothing is wrong doesn't mean my father can't help me.  He is also there for when things are going great.  I need merely dial his number to tell him that I got the research position I had applied for, to tell him about a great day at work, or even just to have someone listen to me as I share adventures of the day.  At these moments, I feel a deep gratitude towards him for inspiring in me a love of astronomy and a desire to work diligently for worthy goals.  I know it is because of the lessons from my father that I have achieved so much.  Lastly, even though he is far away, my father still wants to do what he can to make my life better.  He buys my food when they visit (or rather mom takes me shopping for food when they visit, but it's the same money).  He even bought me a printer last year.

My father has been an incredible example of what Heavenly Father is like.  God is there when times are tough, when things go wrong, when your heart hurts and your eyes leak and the world is so heavy you can hardly breathe.  He is there if we take the time to call him, through prayer.  Yet this is not the only time He is there for us.  If it is, that is our own fault.  Howard W. Hunter taught "If prayer is only a spasmodic cry at the time of crisis, then it is utterly selfish, and we come to think of God as a repairman or a service agency to help us only in our emergencies" (Hallowed Be Thy Name, 1977).  Heavenly Father is not just a repairman, he is our father.  He wants us to talk to him when we are seeking advice, he wants us to tell him of our success in life, and he appreciates our gratitude for him as we recognize how far we have come because of what he has taught us.

I've realized that I write most about the tough situations, the days when I'm given solutions and comfort.  I think this is because I feel those experiences will most help others.  But I want you to know, these moments are not the only moments when I see his hand in my life.  I see Him in the bright colors of spring, I hear Him in the laughter of friends, I feel Him as the missionaries I teach tell me that He loves me.