by April Tribe Giauque
Short Story
You’re In It. So, Go and Do.
I have been listening to Elder Bednar Speak. There are a few common questions that come up when he speaks. 1) How can I know if the thought/prompting is from myself or the Spirit?
And 2) How do I prepare to receive personal revelation?
1) How can I know if the thought/prompting is from myself or the Spirit?
He nearly always responds with, “Don’t worry about it.” If it is moving you to do good, then get moving. Be a Good girl and be a Good Boy and move.
If you want to see a little further down the road or around a corner, you must do your ‘dailies’—prayer, scripture study, being good, and start in motion. As you move farther along, you can see more and more what’s around the corner. (Dailies is a term I made up).
You’ll be given a thought when you are brushing your teeth; it will be a memory of your mom talking about why it’s important to pray in the morning. That is the Holy Ghost bringing to your mind the remembrance of all things. (that is pretty simple and might seem insignificant) but it was the Spirit prompting you to do good.
When you are doing your dailies, you are “in it,” meaning you are able to do what the next question is:
2) How do I prepare to receive personal revelation?
Elder Bednar responds with, “You are already in it. You have been given the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands after baptism. It is with you. You don’t have to supercharge and ‘gear up’ for personal revelation; you are already in it. And your ability to hear/see/feel more is as you do your dailies and start moving.
Elder Bednar shared a story of a time when he was in a leadership position, and he had thought to leave the meeting right before it started and take another gentleman with him and drive two hours to watch his son and the man’s son play a game of basketball. It felt right at the moment. It was a huge regional game filled with all the energy of a high school ball game, but it felt right. However, afterward, Elder Bednar talked about how he would doubt himself, question himself if that was the right thing to do, etc.
Then, months later, that same gentleman called him in an emergency, stating that there had been a tragic accident involving his son. He asked Elder Bednar to come. By the time Elder Bednar arrived, the gentleman’s son had passed away. The gentlemen turned and thanked Elder Bendar for that one time they left a leadership meeting to watch their boys play that game. It was the last time that gentleman got to see his boy play.
For Elder Bednar, it became clear at that moment why they left the leadership and watched the game. Heavenly Father is very aware of the needs of all of His children, yet he allows agency and doesn’t interfere with it.
Now, how many times in your life have you done something “in the moment” just because you had a thought or an idea and you followed through with it? Then afterward—after much time and reflection—did it hit you why you did what you did?
In the scriptures, Nephi says, “ 6 And I was aled by the Spirit, not bknowing beforehand the things which I should do.”
Hum. This got me thinking; Nephi is a “go and do” kind of guy, but I guess I was thinking he also must have just been given a little more light than the rest of us. Now that I’m reading that little scripture over again, I realize that he is writing this AFTER the fact and said that he didn’t know what would happen, but he took action in faith anyway.
Well, suddenly, that seemed to sound much more like my life. Nearly every day, I wake up with a little bit of a plan or a routine of what I know/think can happen, but I don’t have answers for all the questions I have, but in the act of teaching, the answers come, the needs get met, the behaviors can receive the support.
It is similar to what happens at home. I usually receive these nudges while driving, washing dishes, or doing laundry. They happen while I’m in the moment, and then I have the right thing to say to my children. Now, not all the time, but more than what I was giving credit for. I think I fell into the cultural habit of “getting supercharged” to receive the revelation when really I was in it the whole time.
I will say there have been times I have done specific fasting and praying for things, but the answer never came as I sat around listening. They came as I was actively engaged with my family when nudges, thoughts, ideas, and promptings came to me.
So, remember, “you’re in it.” That means to do your dailies and act in faith, not knowing beforehand what you must do. But do…the inspiration and connection will come. Love you. Happy Sabbath.