I worry about myself. I want to be guided by the Spirit, but sometimes I wait for promptings, feel nothing very certain, and move forward with tentative steps, just hoping that I’m doing the right thing.
We live in complicated secular world, where “feelings” are often disdained as a source of knowledge. That means we all have to decide whether we’re willing to trust spiritual promptings, and then we have to step forward with faith even when our tendency is to fear what lies ahead of us.
Elder Bednar has taught us that the priesthood holder who bestows the Gift of the Holy Ghost does not “give” the gift; he commands the newly baptized person to “receive” it. The receiver must work to activate the influence of the Holy Ghost, and then to keep the Spirit near (“Receive the Holy Ghost,” October 2010 General Conference). It is, in other words, a life-long process to acquire and retain the gift of the Holy Ghost.
I believe that. But here I am in my usual state: feeling rather guilty, aware that I’m not charging very fast up the road to perfection, and frankly, starting to believe in my old age that I may never become as spiritual as I’ve always wanted to be.But you know what? I don’t think we do ourselves a favor when we assume that we must walk this earth in a constant state of religious euphoria. President Boyd K. Packer has taught us not to expect constant communication from the Holy Ghost. In a Liahona article, he said:
“I have learned that strong, impressive spiritual experiences do not come to us very frequently. And when they do, they are generally for our own edification, instruction, or correction.”
So when the spirit communicates with us, how does that happen? President Packer went on to say:
“The spirit does not get our attention by shouting or shaking us with a heavy hand. Rather, it whispers. It caresses so gently that if we are preoccupied we may not feel it at all . . . . Occasionally, it will press just firmly enough for us to pay heed. But most of the time, if we do not heed the gentle feeling, the Spirit will withdraw and wait until we come seeking and listening and say in our manner and expression, like Samuel of ancient times, ‘Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth’ (“Candle of the Lord,” Liahona, July, 1983).”
None of us is as righteous, as spiritual, or as holy as we ought to be. But if we’re willing to set aside our own pride, guidance will be there when we need it. That’s the trust we must place in the Lord. The truth is, I have received guidance many times in my life. I suspect you have, too. And that’s what we must remember. Yes, the Lord lets us find our own way at times, but we need not conclude that we are alone.
