Last week, I needed to help him because he wasn’t understanding the lesson. I was able to understand everything except for the last step. The curriculum we use is really good about making each step easy to understand.

This day, there was a step that just wasn’t being explained clearly enough for me to grasp it. I knew that it had to be a simple answer, but I just could not understand. Finally, I called my husband to see if he could help walk me through it. He is a math whiz.

I took a photo of the problem and answer and then texted it to him. I explained in the text that I understood everything except why the answer was showing up the way it did. I needed his help.

He called me and right as he was explaining the reason the answer looked that way, I understood it. My understanding came at exactly the same time as he showed it to me. I needed his help, but I was also ready to see the answer.

At the same time, my daughter was working with her therapist and learning how to read facial expressions and then be able to understand what that person might be feeling. She watched my face as I spoke on the phone. The therapist asked her if she could tell my feelings from my expression.

It was a fun moment for me to check in with myself and take note of how I was feeling. I was really excited. I got to figure out something really difficult for my son to learn and progress. I was relieved that I found the answer so that I could teach him. The answer was so simple. I was elated that I understood it exactly as my husband was explaining it to me.

My daughter got to see all of these complex emotions in my face. But what was more important was that I was able to name them for myself. To feel that small victory. It felt huge to me.

There were times when I felt that the scriptures were so hard to understand. I could read the words and guess at the meaning, but the clear understanding just seemed out of reach. Can you relate to this? Don’t give up! I promise you that as you continue to put forth great effort, the clarity and understanding will come.

A few days ago, we were eating lunch. We had leftover pasta, and I was desperately looking for the parmesan cheese in the fridge. I am usually a very observant person. I thoroughly searched that fridge no less than two times. There weren’t even really very many things in the fridge as most of the food had been left out on the counter in the hurry to feed our hungry stomachs.

I was so confused because when we used it the night before, we definitely did not finish the container. Did someone accidentally put it in the pantry? I checked. It wasn’t in there. I was so puzzled as to where it could be.

My husband got up and came over to help me find it. You know where it was? Right in front of my face. Sitting on the top shelf of the fridge in front of everything else. That never happens to me. I am so thorough in my search process.

Immediately I knew that this experience was meant to be a topic for the blog. How many times have we overlooked that thing right in front of us and felt as if the answers to our prayers are just not coming. We didn’t see that the answer had been in front of us the whole time.

We were so busy looking for our idea of what the answer to our prayer should look like, we couldn’t see the beautifully simple answer that was in front of us the entire time. We made the situation way more complicated than it needed to be.

God keeps it simple. He meets us where we are at. He knows that eventually our eyes will be opened and that we can see the answer He gave us. He also knows that we can be a little stubborn and might need some help. A guide to help show us what is right in front of us.

I know that it feels so complicated sometimes. Don’t forget the basics. Pray, read the scriptures, have faith, ask Him. Wait and listen. The answer is there. He has prepared it for you. You just need to be ready to see it. Do those basic principles and you will become ready.

He keeps it simple. Simply beautiful.