Have you ever stood somewhere so beautiful that it almost took your breath away?
Maybe it was a mountain stretching into the clouds, a river winding through a canyon, or a rainbow appearing after a storm. In those moments, it can feel easy to recognize God.
Recently, I’ve spent time driving through Glacier National Park, hiking in Telluride, traveling the Going-to-the-Sun Road, and visiting Waterton in Canada. Again and again, the beauty around me reminded me that God is in the details of this world.
But that realization made me wonder about something deeper.
What about the details that aren’t beautiful?
What about the child who isn’t attending church anymore? The marriage that changed? The unexpected loss? The health challenge? The unanswered prayer?
Is God in those details too?
I believe He is.
God being in the details does not mean He caused every painful thing that happens. Instead, it means there is no detail of your life in which He is absent.
God Is Mindful of You
Alma 26:37 gives us this beautiful reminder:
“God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people.”
I love the word mindful.
God isn’t vaguely aware that somewhere there is a mom struggling because her adult child has left the Church. He knows you, he knows your child and he knows what happened yesterday and what you’re worried might happen tomorrow.
President Thomas S. Monson taught:
“I believe that no concern of ours is too small or insignificant. The Lord is in the details of our lives.”
Think about that for a minute.
The conversation you’re nervous about matters.
Those lonely Sunday matters.
The text you’re waiting for matters.
So does the friend who calls at exactly the right time or the song that brings someone you love to mind.
Those details matter because you matter.
Are worries about your adult child’s choices making it difficult to enjoy your relationship with them?
Schedule a free Find Connection Call with me. We’ll talk about what’s happening and help you find a way forward with more peace, confidence, and connection.
Sometimes We Recognize God's Hand Looking Back
Elder Ronald A. Rasband taught that the Lord is in both the small details of our lives and our major milestones.
He also shared this beautiful thought:
“Looking back, we can see His hand in our lives.”
Sometimes we recognize God’s hand immediately.
Other times, we don’t.
When you’re standing in the middle of something painful, you may not have the emotional space to see what God is doing. However, months or even years later, you might look back and notice people who showed up, unexpected doors that opened, or circumstances that came together in ways you never could have planned.
That doesn’t make the experience less painful.
It simply reminds us that pain and God’s presence can exist at the same time.
Tender Mercies Are Personal
Elder David A. Bednar described the Lord’s tender mercies as “very personal and individualized blessings.”
I love that description because tender mercies don’t always look impressive to someone else.
Maybe it’s a bird that reminds you of someone you love.
Perhaps it’s a book, song, quote, or answer to a prayer.
For me, one tender mercy came while driving home after it had rained here in Arizona. As I approached the Gilbert Temple, I saw a beautiful rainbow directly over it. The dark sky, illuminated temple, and rainbow were breathtaking.
For someone else, it might have simply been a rainbow.
For me, it was a reminder: God is in the details of my life.
God Is Close to the Brokenhearted
Tender mercies are beautiful, but I don’t want to pretend that recognizing God’s hand means life suddenly becomes easy.
Some of you are living in a “God, where are You?” season.
Your child isn’t attending church.
Your husband has left the Church or your marriage has ended.
Someone you love has passed away.
Your health or finances have changed.
Maybe your family simply doesn’t look like you imagined it would.
Those details aren’t too big for God.
Psalm 34:17–18 reminds us:
“The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them… The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.”
Notice what it doesn’t say.
God isn’t only close after your heart heals.
He is close while your heart is broken.
Sometimes the beautiful way God shows up isn’t by immediately fixing what you desperately want Him to fix. Instead, He reminds you how close He is while you’re walking through it.
A Butterfly at a Funeral
Recently, my 25-year-old nephew passed away unexpectedly.
His life had looked very different from what our family imagined when he was born. After a serious car accident at five months old, he lived with a severe traumatic brain injury.
One of his favorite stories was The Monster at the End of This Book, featuring Grover from Sesame Street. Our family heard that story countless times throughout his life.
At his graveside, there was a stuffed Grover among the beautiful flowers on his casket.
Then I noticed a white butterfly with little blue tinges on its wings circling nearby.
Eventually, the butterfly landed on Grover.
Was it a tiny detail? Absolutely.
Yet to me, it was beautiful.
Whether it’s a majestic mountain or a tiny butterfly, there are moments that remind us that God knows us personally.
If your relationship with your adult child feels strained because you’re worried about their choices, you don’t have to figure out your next step alone. Schedule a free Find Connection Call with me. We’ll look at what’s creating disconnection and talk about how you can show up with more love and peace.
God May Be Doing More Than You Can See
Christian author John Piper wrote:
“God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.”
I love thinking about this in relation to our adult children.
What if God is doing 10,000 things in your child’s life and you can currently see three?
Maybe there are conversations you don’t hear.
Perhaps they’re asking questions they haven’t shared with you.
There may be relationships they haven’t formed yet, experiences they haven’t had, or lessons they’re still learning.
Because we can’t see what’s happening, we sometimes assume nothing is happening.
But trusting God doesn’t require knowing exactly what He’s doing.
Trusting God means believing He is working even when we can’t see how.
Seeing God's Hand Doesn't Mean Explaining It
This distinction matters.
Sometimes we believe faith should eventually allow us to say, “Now I understand why this happened.”
But you might not.
Maybe understanding comes five years from now. Perhaps some things won’t make complete sense during mortality.
Trusting God doesn’t mean becoming so spiritual that painful things stop hurting.
You can still say:
I don’t know why this happened.
Then add:
But I believe God sees me. I believe He knows where I am. And I believe He has not stepped away from my story.
That is faith too.
Look for the Beautiful Ways God Shows Up
Tomorrow, maybe you’ll see a mountain.
Perhaps you’ll notice the moon, a rainbow, a waterfall, or even a beautifully unique saguaro cactus.
Let it remind you that the God who created all of that knows you.
Then, when you walk back into the part of your life that feels messy, remember He is there too.
He’s in the magnificent details, in the mundane details and in the painful details.
Most importantly, He’s in the details that make absolutely no sense yet.
I’ve seen this in some of the hardest experiences my family has walked through. Looking back, I can recognize God’s awareness in details that seemed small at the time. Those tender mercies didn’t erase the heartbreak, but they reminded me that we weren’t walking through it alone.
Your inability to see what God is doing doesn’t mean God isn’t doing anything.
Maybe there are 10,000 things happening and today you can see three.
Someday, you may look back and recognize ten more.
And some details may always remain unanswered.
You don’t have to see the whole design to trust the Designer.
God is in the details when they’re beautiful, and He is still in the details when they’re heartbreaking.
Maybe one of the most beautiful ways God shows up in your life is simply this:
He stays.
Ready to feel more connected to your adult child without needing them to change first? Schedule a free Find Connection Call with me. Let’s talk about what’s happening in your family and how you can move forward with more connection, peace, and hope.