Friend article

A Lesson Learned from a Lost Doll (Based on a true story) Hillary Olsen “Pray always, and I will pour out my Spirit upon you, and great shall be your blessing” (D&C 19:38).

One day I lost my favorite doll, Sarah. I anxiously searched my room but did not find her anywhere.

Sarah and I played together every day and I wanted to find her more than anything. I didn’t know what to do, but then I remembered that my mom always taught me that if I ever lost something, I could pray and ask Heavenly Father to help me find it.

I knelt in the middle of my bedroom, but before I began praying, I started to think; I thought of all the times I had prayed and asked Heavenly Father for help. Surely He must be getting tired of helping me, I thought. It must be so frustrating for Heavenly Father to have to help people like me all day every day.

Not wanting to bother Heavenly Father, I offered a very short prayer that went something like this: “Dear Heavenly Father, I’m so sorry to bother you again. I promise this will be the last time that I ask you to help me for a while. I lost my doll and don’t know where to look to find her. Will you please help me?”

After finishing my prayer, I stayed on my knees for a while, thinking about my doll and about the prayer I had just said. I was still feeling bad for bothering Heavenly Father with my small problem. Suddenly, I felt peace inside me, and the thought came into my mind that Heavenly Father wasn’t bothered that I had prayed to Him. He didn’t get tired of helping me. Even though my lost doll seemed like a small thing, it was important to me. And because it was important to me, it was important to Him. I knew that Heavenly Father loved me and wanted to talk with me.

I don’t remember when or how I found Sarah, but I do remember the lesson I learned that day.

Heavenly Father loves us and wants us to pray. He loves to hear what we have to say. He will help us when we need help; He will comfort us when we need comfort; and He will make us strong when we feel weak. He will always be listening when we need someone to talk to, so we don’t ever need to feel like we are alone.