~By Catania

I have a testimony that I am a daughter of God – that God is my Heavenly Father. I know that Heavenly Father is distinctly aware of me. I know that He loves me. I know that he cares for me.

This knowledge has always been with me – at one level or another. Throughout my life, I’ve been blessed with a great father. He has always been aware of my needs and willing to do everything that he can to help me. However, there is one aspect of our relationship that lacks, and it is our faith. I know that my father respects my religion, but I also know that he doesn’t believe it. Nor does he understand how it has motivated many of the choices I’ve made in life.

As I have gotten older, I have found that I need to rely on my Heavenly Father for this kind of confirmation. I haven’t always felt comfortable explaining that my reasoning for certain decisions have been based in the way that the Spirit has guided me. Again, I don’t fault my father for this. I understand where he is coming from – as he does not have this kind of faith, but these experiences have caused me to gain a special relationship with my Father in Heaven. I have realized that I can go to Him like a Father, and that he will always understand me. I know that He understands my worries, my faith, and my problems.

At one point in my adolescence, I was having a really hard time with my faith. I was not always making the best choices, and I was questioning everything that I had always believed in. However, I was still going to church and going through the motions required.

Around this time, I received a special calling – as a young women (assistant) camp director. When I received this calling, all of the love for my fellow young women and all of the wonderful experiences I had at camp flooded my memory. I distinctly understood that Heavenly Father knew me personally. He loved me, and He didn’t want me to doubt in Him or in the Gospel. I know now that Heavenly Father offered his troubled daughter help – through a special calling. This experience taught me that my Heavenly Father knows me and loves me.

As I’ve gotten older, I have had many other similar experiences. I have found that during times of trial or adversity, Heavenly Father has ways of letting me know, specifically, that He loves me and that He is aware of my needs, worries, and desires. I also have felt that He wants to see me happy.

I know that Heavenly Father is a perfect Father, and that He loves all of His children with a perfect love. I know that the delights in blessing us with His best blessings, and I have often been a grateful recipient of these blessings. I know that Heavenly Father is deeply interested in our causes, and that His entire existence – His entire work and glory – is based on our happiness – on our immortality and eternal life.
I’m so grateful to have this knowledge. The love that I feel from my Heavenly Father causes me to desire righteousness and increased faith. It inspires me to be loving to Him and to my spiritual brothers and sisters. The love that I feel from my Heavenly Father fills me with a sense of peace. I know that I have a Father in Heaven, and I know that He loves me.