Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great. Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days. — Doctrine and Covenants 64:33-34
In 1990 our family was living in San Diego struggling to make ends meet, starting a new business, raising five active children and trying to fulfill my calling in the Church. My heart was burdened with all the responsibilities that were facing me and I didn't feel like I was giving justice to any one thing. I especially felt like I was failing as a mother. How could Heavenly Father ask me to do all of this? No matter how hard I tried to balance everything out, it seemed to escalate and the burden deepened.
One evening I started feeling horribly depressed and didn't see any way out of it. I had never felt hopelessness before, but this time the burden of hopelessness weighed deeply upon my heart. I felt like running away. My husband was at a loss of how to help. He had given me a priesthood blessing, but I didn't feel that it made any difference whatsoever. I didn't feel like praying — what was the point? It seemed the more I prayed, the more I read my scriptures, the worse I felt.
As I prepared for bed, it came to me stronger than ever that I needed to read my scriptures. I put it out of my head. The thought returned, but this time it was as though someone was standing behind and telling me emphatically to read my scriptures.
As I crawled into bed, I opened my scriptures, not to any chapter in particular. There before me, as if someone had highlighted it just for me, were two scriptures in Doctrine and Covenants 64:33-34.
Tears began to flow freely. I immediately felt the love my Heavenly Father has for me. I felt the hands of a loving Father in Heaven lift the burden from my heart — I felt His loving arms around me, telling me that He knows how I feel, that what I am doing is good and great. At that very moment, everything seemed to clear — the fog was gone and I was able to see my life as a wonderful thing. I realized that my first responsibility was to raise my Heavenly Father's children righteously, to prepare them to return to Him. If I could keep that foremost in my mind, then all the other things in life would fall into place. And it did!
I have five wonderful children who have chosen righteous paths in life and are now preparing their own families to return to Heavenly Father. — Pamela Weaver, Lakewood, Colo.