Faith in the Unseen

Our evening family devotional is brief and wiggly. Andy reads an illustrated scripture story and Lucy somersaults. Spirituality is plausible; somersaults are guaranteed.

For one week, our family recited this verse from the Book of Mormon: “Faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.” (Alma 32:21)

One night after flipping a few hand-free somersaults (the peak of toddler performance), Lucy rolled to her back and huffed, “What’s not seen?”

Wow.

We started listing.

Unseen things that we believe in:

  • Jesus, for starters.
  • Also Heavenly Father, the Holy Ghost, Heavenly Mother.
  • Deceased prophets, scripture heroes, and ancestors.
  • The future. And here we listed a few things aloud (the job that daddy will get, the place we will move to, the house that we will buy, etc).

In my private thoughts, the list of “unseens” stretched even longer. We recently moved to a new place, so many things are unseen as of yet: friends. A purpose. Our family’s place in this community. Where to find decent fresh produce. A babysitter. Writing opportunities. Teaching opportunities. How to procure the books we want to read despite a scrawny library. How academia will fare with COVID-19 hurtles. Whether my husband’s new professor job will still be here next fall.

And there again, JESUS.

Still unseen.

Still true.

I can hope for things which are not seen, which are true.

I can “knock, seek, and ask,” knowing that my Heavenly Parents love to give good gifts (Matthew 7:7-11).  

I can watch for the tender mercies of the Lord, and rejoice in their daily bestowal.

I can hope for a better world and abound in good works (Ether 12:4).

To all of the unseens in my life, I can add the greatest unseen of all: Jesus, a loving God who desires to bless and help me.

Little girl in pink doing a hands-free somersault
Hands-free somersault. Proof that wiggly scripture study can (occasionally) produce great spiritual insight 😉

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Jenny Harris
Jenny is a star-gazing, book-clubbing mother of two. She has a Master’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies, which is mildly comical (but also a boon in parenting and relationships). Her kids will attest that she’s crazy about reading aloud, time out of doors, and creative play. Her family’s goal is the “abundant life,” as prescribed by Jesus. You can read more posts by Jenny here.

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