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Blessings in Retrospect—How Appendicitis Was My Family’s Miracle
As we reflect on past experiences, we might realize what seemed like a trial was actually a tender mercy.
A few years ago, my dad’s appendix burst, which was a tender mercy.
Most people wouldn’t say that getting appendicitis and having emergency surgery is a miracle, but it was for my dad.
When the doctor removed my dad’s appendix, he found cancer in it.
Luckily, after some testing, doctors found the cancer hadn’t spread. With his appendix removed, he was cancer free.
When we had time to process this situation, my family felt grateful that my dad’s appendix had burst.
The cancer in his appendix was subtle, and without the emergency surgery, it’s likely it wouldn’t have been noticed until it was too late.
Some people may consider my dad’s story a lucky coincidence, but my family and I know it was a miracle from God.
Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, “What may appear to be a random chance is, in fact, overseen by a loving Father in Heaven, who can number the hairs of every head.”
We may not notice God’s involvement in our lives until we reflect on past experiences. In the moment, my family didn’t think appendicitis was a blessing. We didn’t realize the importance of my dad’s emergency surgery until after the doctor found cancer.
Not initially understanding God’s purposes is a common pattern. Nephi followed God’s command to write two similar records without knowing why (see 1 Nephi 9:2–6). Mormon later included both sets of Nephi’s records without knowing why (see Words of Mormon 1:6–7).
More than one thousand years after Nephi and Mormon wrote and compiled their records on metal plates, 116 pages of Joseph Smith’s translation of those records were lost. Thankfully, Joseph Smith was still able to include a record of Nephi’s people in the Book of Mormon because two ancient prophets had followed God’s commands without knowing why.
President Henry B. Eyring, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, started a journal to help him recognize the Lord’s hand in his life. At the end of each day, he would ask himself, “Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?” As he did this, the Holy Ghost reminded him of times God had blessed him throughout the day.
What tender mercies have gone unnoticed in your life? How can reflecting on the past help you “retain in remembrance, the greatness of God” (Mosiah 4:11)? As I’ve taken time to look backward and search for God’s hand in my life, I’ve gained a testimony that Heavenly Father sees much more than we do and has a perfect plan for each of us (see 2 Nephi 2:24).