In one of my FAVORITE scriptures there is the following phrase:
"...the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do."
2 Nephi 32:3
I know this to be true! The words of Christ come in various forms. One, of course, is the revealed word of God spoken to us through Prophets. We have these words in the form of scripture.
Another way Christ speaks to us is through the invaluable, beautiful language of the Spirit. The Spirit will tell us what we should do and will not lead us down wrong paths.
I have started a simple exercise. I am keeping a prompting journal. In it, I write down the things I feel the Holy Ghost is telling me to do. (write a thank you card, give someone a call, treat a particular child with more mercy...) I will keep this little notebook handy and write down the feelings that come to me. When I follow through with that prompting, I put a check mark by it. When I go to bed at night and see that I haven't carried out the Lord's desires and therefore can't mark that thing as done, I will resolve to do that the next day.
It is sooo easy to get distracted by the "shiny" things in this world, and to lose focus on the fact that there are people to serve all around us!
In the movie "Up", by Disney, there is a darling dog who is constantly distracted by squirrels. He can't seem to focus on what he should be doing if there is a squirrel around!
I think we are all similar to this dog. There are different distractions which appeal to each of us. These distractions keep us from doing those things that are precious and important.
Examples:
We spend time flipping through our smart phone notifications when we are with people we rarely see (smartphones are the biggest squirrels sometimes!).
We hesitate to do something for someone because the timing or our appearance or the climate or our mood isn't just perfect (perfectionism: squirrel)
We focus so much on how to decorate our homes that we don't pay enough attention to the people living in them. (home beautification websites can be a squirrel for me if I let them).
Today, I'd like to try really hard to pray to know what the Lord would have me do with my time and then to do it!
Here is a sweet story from the life of Thomas S. Monson, when he was serving as an Apostle:
One weekend in August 1974 an unexpected change of conference assignment came, sending Elder Monson to the Shreveport Louisiana Stake. The Saturday afternoon schedule was filled with a busy slate of meetings. Rather apologetically, the stake president asked Brother Monson if time would permit him to provide a blessing to ten-year-old Christal Methvin, who was afflicted with cancer. Brother Monson said he would be pleased to do so and then asked if she would be coming to the conference meetings or if she were confined to a Shreveport hospital. Almost reluctantly, the stake president said Christal was unable to leave her home many miles from Shreveport.
Elder Monson examined the meeting schedule and found that there simply was no available time. As an alternative, he suggested that she be remembered in the public prayers which would be offered throughout the conference. Surely, he consoled, the Lord would understand and bless the Methvin family accordingly.
Prior to the stake conference, and unbeknown to Brother Monson, Christal had lost her leg to surgery, only to discover later that the cancer had spread to her tiny lungs. A trip had been planned to Salt Lake City, where she might receive a blessing from one of the General Authorities. The Methvins knew none of the Brethren personally, so they placed before Christal a picture of all the Church leaders. She pointed to the photograph of Elder Thomas S. Monson and said, “I would like him to give me a blessing.”
But Christal’s condition had deteriorated so rapidly that the flight to Salt Lake City had to be cancelled. She was growing weaker in body but not in faith. She said, “Since a General Authority is coming to our stake conference, why not Brother Monson? If I can’t go to him, the Lord can send him to me.” At about the same time, Brother Monson received the unexpected change in his stake conference assignment which sent him to Shreveport.
As one final favor to Christal, the family agreed to kneel by her bedside and ask for just one more blessing; the chance to enjoy Brother Monson’s personal visit.
After receiving word from the stake president that Brother Monson would be unable to visit Christal because of the extremely tight meeting schedule, the Methvins were understandably very disappointed. They knelt again around Christal’s bedside, pleading for a final favor on her behalf: that somehow her desire for a blessing at the hands of Brother Monson would be realized.
At the very moment the Methvin family knelt around Christal’s bed, Elder Monson was shuffling his notes, preparing to speak at the concluding portion of the Saturday evening session. However, as he began his move to the pulpit, a voice whispered in near-audible tones a brief but very familiar message: “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.”
His notes became a blur. He attempted to pursue the theme of the meeting as outlined, but the name and image of Christal Methvin would not leave his mind. Then, ever faithful to the precious gift so demonstrably his, he responded to the spiritual message. He instructed that changes in the next day’s conference schedule be made, whatever the cost in confusion and disruption. Then the meeting continued.
After a very early Sunday drive over many miles, Elder Monson gazed down upon a child too ill to rise, too weak to speak. Her illness had now rendered her sightless. Deeply touched by the scene and the Spirit of the Lord which was so prevalent, Brother Monson dropped to his knees and took the child’s frail hand in his own. “Christal,” he whispered, “I am here.”
With great effort she whispered back, “Brother Monson, I just knew you would come.”
President Monson has a special gift of seeing the ONE. One person who needs his love and ministry at that moment. Is this not unlike our Savior? There are sweet scriptural scenes of Christ serving one person, which led to great good:
Healing the woman with an issue of blood.
Speaking to the woman at the well.
Teaching Nicodemus of being born again.
Raising Peter from the depths of the sea.
Appearing to Mary after his resurrection.
Can you imagine how each of these people felt after having this interaction with their Savior? Their lives were never the same as a result! I hope to follow Jesus and seek for a moment with someone who needs lifting today.
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