God has loved his children since the beginning of time, to this very day, and forever. Book of Mormon accounts of His love include Lehi’s Vision of the Tree of Life (1 Nephi 11:21-22). The New Testament also testifies of His love when John declares, “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him”(1 John 4:9).
Evidence of God’s love can be found within our own families as well. In this article, FamilySearch users share some family stories of their ancestors feeling God’s love. These stories can help us understand and be more sensitive to God’s love for each of us.
Feeling God’s Love through Inspiration and Answered Prayers
Melinda Shepherd found that her great-grandfather Louis Paul Cardon (1868-1947) had a special moment when he felt God’s love as a young boy. Recalling this experience in his memoir, Louis said, “[I]t has been the greatest in shaping my life of any one thing that ever happened to me.”
When Louis was 12 years old, his father asked him to gather a herd of cattle and bring them home. They were unsure where the cattle were, and it was up to Louis to find them. He stayed overnight at a family friend’s home before setting off to find the cattle in the morning. His father’s friend suggested that his son, Lansing, and Louis try looking on the west side of the river to find the cattle. He was confident they would find them there.
Louis shared the experience in his memoir:
As I had been trained by my mother to seek the Lord even in simple things, I went out before going to bed and asked the Lord to direct me where to go for my stock. In the night I had a dream that was very impressive. I dreamt that I went east, or in the opposite direction from where [my father’s friend] had insisted that I go.
I felt timid about telling [my father’s friend] about the dream and that I was going east. I knew that I should not have to go far before I could know if the dream was an inspiration or not.
At the breakfast table Lansing told his father that I was not going with him but was going in the opposite direction. His father inquired why. Lansing told him that it was because I had a dream indicating that the stock was in the other direction. [Lansing’s father] replied that I had dreamed because I was worried about finding them and that I had better not pay any attention to it but rather to do the thing that was sensible.
I made no reply to his criticism, but right after breakfast I mounted my horse and rode off following the path I had seen in my dream. I hadn’t gone far before I came to country I had not been in before, but it was just as I had seen in my dream. I had no doubt then that I should find the stock where I had dreamed they would be. After riding about two miles along the trail I came upon the stock standing and lying just as I had seen them in my dream of the night. I have no language to express the feeling I had at the time, and I am sure that no one could feel as I did unless they had a similar experience.
When I knelt down to thank the Lord, it was not that I had found the stock, but that He had heard my prayer and given me the dream. It was a beautiful morning. The whole world looked beautiful to me, and it is just as fresh in my memory as it was the day I saw it. It was there on that occasion that I received a testimony of the divinity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Just like young Louis, each of us can feel God's love as we seek and receive His loving guidance in our lives. Elder Gary Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught, “You can cultivate an attitude and an environment that invite the Spirit, and you can prepare yourself, but you cannot dictate how or when inspiration comes. Be patient and trust that you will receive what you need when the time is right” (“Promptings of the Spirit,” Liahona, Nov. 2023, 45).
Feeling God’s Love through Acts of Selfless Service
Another way we can feel God’s love is by sharing our love with others. Brooke Warner shared a special story that has been passed down from daughter to daughter in her family.
Her great-grandmother, Nellie Missouri Nettles (1910- 2005), felt God’s love by serving a close friend during the difficult years of the Great Depression.
This is Nellie’s story as told by her granddaughter:
My Grandma was a faithful member of the church, but her life was not always easy. When she was young, she married and was living with her husband and 3 small children. Life was very hard, it was during the great depression, it was hard for everyone. Food was scarce and the only thing you had to rely on was yourself. She had her faith and prayed, but you wondered if things would ever get any better.
She was always a quiet, humble person and not one to reach out to people. She had a friend who lived a couple of miles through the woods that she would occasionally see. With kids and chores, those visits were few and far between. One day, my grandpa came home with a rare smile on his face and a bundle of turnip greens. It wasn’t a huge amount, but more than enough for them. The first thing that came into her mind was her friend. She knew that she was in the same situation that they were in. The urgency to get to her was palpable. My grandpa wasn’t very happy and thought she was crazy, “this is for us,” he said. My grandma was undeterred, she gathered up the portion of greens to share and headed down the long trail to her friend’s house.
Halfway down the trail, she spotted someone and shortly realized it was her friend coming towards her. As they met, she saw that she was carrying several ears of corn. When they greeted each other they both realized that each were bringing vegetables to each other. They laid their treasures on the ground and embraced each other with tears in their eyes, realizing each had given from their hearts. A measure of true friendship and discipleship.
Life didn’t get any easier for anyone for many years. However, for my grandmother, that was an experience that lifted her spirit and made her realize that it truly is, more blessed to give than to receive. The blessing of the spirit she felt that day was something she never forgot. She then shared this story with my mother, who shared it with me. I’ve now shared it with my daughter, who is now sharing it with her children.
Both women in this story exemplify the Savior's love. He taught, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:34-35).
You Can Feel God’s Love Too
Finding our own family stories about God’s love for our ancestors can give us the faith and confidence to feel His love too. As we feel the love of God in our own lives, our lives can change for the better. Seeking for and receiving answers to prayer, as well as acts of selfless service, will buoy us and help us know the depth of God’s love for us, individually.
Sister Susan H. Porter taught, "When you know and understand how completely you are loved as a child of God, it changes everything. It changes the way you feel about yourself when you make mistakes. It changes how you feel when difficult things happen. It changes your view of God’s commandments. It changes your view of others and of your capacity to make a difference” (“God’s Love: The Most Joyous to the Soul,” Liahona, Nov. 2021, 33).
How to Find Inspiring Stories from Your Ancestors on FamilySearch
You can find your own family stories by using the resources on FamilySearch.org.
For example, the fan chart view of your family tree can point you to stories about individual ancestors. Here's how you can find their stories:
- Open FamilySearch.org and sign in to your account.
- Click on the Family Tree link at the top of the page, and then, in the drop-down menu, click Tree.
- When your family tree opens, in the dropdown menu at the top right of your screen, click Fan Chart.
- When the fan chart appears, click the Options box located next to the view box (the Options box is two parallel lines with small boxes in the center) and click the Stories option.
- Ancestors with stories attached to their profiles will appear in color on your fan chart. The color tells you how many stories are attached to that person (A color key will appear on your screen.).
- Click the name of a person in a colored field. That person’s information will appear in a sidebar on the right side of your screen. Click Memories just under the name. Here, you will find stories and memories by or about your ancestor.
You can also find stories about your ancestor from the Memories tab at the top of the FamilySearch home page. From the Memories drop-down menu click People for a listing of all your ancestors who have memories posted about them, or click Find to hunt for a particular ancestor.
How to Add Inspiring Stories on FamilySearch
You can feel God’s love, too, by remembering times when you felt guided by God and you can add those experiences to FamilySearch.org. You may also consider asking relatives for any stories they know about when your ancestors felt God’s influence. You could then add those to your family tree. Find easy-to-follow instructions on how to add a story to your family tree how to add a story to your family tree here.
At FamilySearch, we care about connecting you with your family, and we provide fun discovery experiences and family history services for free. Why? Because we cherish families and believe that connecting generations can improve our lives now and forever. We are a nonprofit organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. To learn more about our beliefs, click here.
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