He Knows You

by Tressa Putnam

I grew up #7 of eleven children. My parents were always incredibly busy, and it didn’t escape my notice that sometimes it was hard for them to give us each individual attention. I will be honest, sometimes it felt hard for them to know and love each of us individually with so much going on ALL. The. Time.

As a fifteen-year-old, I honestly couldn’t imagine a Heavenly Father with the capacity or interest to know and love each one of his children.

At the time I was preparing to receive my patriarchal blessing. I remember receiving a lot of talks and information to help me prepare for that great blessing, and of course, I had so many questions that I hoped to receive guidance on.

But I will never forget sitting down in that quiet room, surrounded by parents who did in fact love me, the sweet wife of the patriarch, and the patriarch himself with his hands upon my head…

I will never forget how he started the blessing, paused, and then before anything else told me, “Tressa, your Father in Heaven wants you to know how much He loves you…”

It was as though the entire room was covered in the warmest fuzziest blanket you could ever imagine.

And inside my heart, the warmth and LOVE that I felt…It was better than sipping hot cocoa in front of the fireplace!

Simply, I will never forget it.

And I can never ignore it.

Because here is the truth: If God has that much love (and I’m convinced that I wasn’t able to comprehend even the smallest part of it) for little old me – at the time a sassy LDS teenager growing up in Utah surrounded by countless others just the same – then he has just as much love for every other one of his children.

And he is counting on us to help them all feel it as well.