The Parable of the Locket
So last Valentines Day I recieved a gift. It was a beautiful 1930's antique pure gold locket. I was given the locket as a last token to remember my best friend by as he left me for two years. I held the locket deep in my heart, and whenever I felt sad, I clung to the locket with all of my heart, and it kept me strong during hard times. The only time I took it off was to sleep and bathe. It was the most beautiful gift I had ever received and I was determined to keep it safe and always close to my heart, it's how I knew he was close to me.
A month later I was staying the night at my friend Kate's house, and took off the necklace and carefully placed it in my pocket for the night. When I awoke, the locket was gone. I searched the bed, the covers and the entirety of her house. It was nowhere to be found. Crushed, I drove home in tears. I had promised to keep the locket safe and I had failed. I prayed and prayed every single day that I could find my locket It took a good month before I could even bring myself to write my friend that I had lost his precious gift to me.
For months I searched my laundry and my apartment for the locket. I never found it, but I had faith that Heavenly Father would answer my prayers, so I kept searching and praying.
In May, it was time to move out of my apartment. I carefully searched every inch for the locket hoping it would be there, but I had no luck. I would ask my friend if she had found anything at her home, but she had no luck either. After moving out, I gave up on the locket. I figured it had been lost in the streets or the laundry machine, never to be seen again. But still there were some nights where it would enter into my mind and I would pray to find the lost necklace, and search my room in hopes of a miracle. I didn't want to believe that Heavenly Father would let me down, but I started to doubt that I would ever see it again.
Later that year in October, I lived in a new place, and my friend who's house I believed the locket to be at, was studying abroad in Italy. During the most stressful period of school, in the middle midterms and projects, I lost something else: my cell phone. Just as I had done with the locket, I prayed and searched and prayed some more. I had faith that if I prayed, certainly this time God would help me. I prayed for three entire days and searched everywhere for my phone, and it was nowhere to be found.
I remember walking very frustrated across campus, knowing that I desperately needed my phone for communication. Watching the sidewalk cracks pass under my feet, I said another prayer. Feeling lost and hopeless in the world, all hope finally departed from me. In a moment of anger I thought to myself, "Of course I'm not going to find my phone. God doesn't care about me. He wouldn't even help me find my locket, which meant so much more to me than my phone. Praying and searching are a waste of my time."
I slowly walked home, staring at the ground the entire way, trying to fight back my tears. I fiinally found my apartment and sat on the couch letting all tears hit the floor. In an effort to take my mind off of the situation, I logged onto my Facebook. Scrolling mindlessly down my news feed, something caught my eye. It was a photo my friend Kate had posted from Italy. I clicked on the photo, disbelievingly. There, around my friends neck on the rooftops of Italy was the locket that I thought was lost forever.
Guilt sunk deep into my soul, for only moments before I had accused God of not caring, I had given up all faith. Yet there it was, my lost locket in perfect condition, kept safe in the hands of my dear friend. For eight whole months, God had kept that locket safe for me, and because it was precious to me, it was precious to him. God did love me. He loved me enough to save a small piece of metal for me. He had heard my prayers!
Of course, Kate had no idea that it was mine, and assumed the locket was her little sister's and was so glad to have found it. However, I had to wait 5 more months for Kate to come home from Italy to finally hold the locket in my hands again, but I didn't mind. I was just happy to know that it wasn't lost forever, and that it was safe. I was so glad to know my prayers were answered, and God was watching out for me. As if to only confirm my joy, only a few days later I also found my phone.
In Luke Chapter 15 we read, "Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
I know that if Heavenly Father is willing to take notice and care from a small piece of metal missing from my neck, he will take notice of the sorrow in our hearts. He will search for us and hope for us, just as I had hoped and searched for my locket. For Heavenly Father loves each of his children dearly. I know that with all of my heart, and I will never again doubt that he cares, and I will always have faith that whatever we seek, we just need to ask and we will find. He will never leave us alone.
I hope you take notice of our Heavenly Father's love for each of us this Valentines Day. Remember that his love is perfect. See others as he sees them. For we shouldn't let any person become lost.
To finish I just want to share the lyrics to my favorite LDS song. He cares for all the earth, and he will surely care for us too.
Consider the lilies of the field,
How they grow, how they grow.
Consider the birds in the sky,
How they fly, how they fly.
He clothes the lilies of the field.
He feeds the birds in the sky.
And He will feed those who trust Him,
And guide them with His eye.
Consider the sheep of His fold,
How they follow where He leads.
Though the path may wind across the mountains,
He knows the meadows where they feed.
He clothes the lilies of the field.
He feeds the birds in the sky,
And He will feed those who trust Him,
And guide them with His eye.
Consider the sweet, tender children
Who must suffer on this earth.
The pains of all of them He carried
From the day of His birth.
He clothes the lilies of the field,
He feeds the lambs in His fold,
And He will heal those who trust Him,
And make their hearts as gold.
He clothes the lilies of the field,
He feeds the lambs in His fold,
And He will heal those who trust Him,
And make their hearts as gold.
