God's hand

In Sunday school the teacher accidentally gave out the wrong scripture reference, and I ended up on a page that was slightly out of the lesson. I noticed a passage I had marked while on my mission, and I started thinking about it.

Doctrine and Covenants 59:21And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments.

That has always surprised me. In Nothing doth man offend God more than when we do not confess His hand in all things. It seems like there is so much more we could do that would be so much worse, but I think that since our purpose here is to learn to be like God. Our best chance to do that is to learn who he is and what he does. It can be so difficult to see God's hand in all things. They stopped carrying our favorite salad dressing at Costco; how is God's hand in that? On a bit grander scale, I think we tend to see God in the good things in life, and we blame man for the bad, but I don't think that is fair either. Where is God's hand in a terrorist attack or a high school shooting?

"This is life eternal, to know thee the only true God..." I think in order to gain eternal life, we will need to see God's hand in the mundane and the ordinary. Some get promoted, others get laid off. I don't think we can make blanket statements about how Divine influence affects business, but through the microscope of our own lives, we should be able to see His fingerprints at the scene. I know that one job that I lost directly set me up for where I am now. There was a promotion that I fought for that I am convinced I couldn't do without His help, and the times when I have had to rely on Him has brought me closer to Him.