Here is another paper I wrote for my church class. I'm not sure if anyone really wants to read it, or if anyone reads this blog at all. At least it will be here for posterity ... here it is ...
While I still haven’t read a great deal of the Book of Mormon (I’m only up to 2 Nephi 25), it’s not hard to tell who is good and who is bad. By far, the most faithful and loyal person so far is Nephi. He’s faced tremendous hardship in so many different ways. He’s had to flee his homeland and all of his possessions, he is often the one that pulls his family out of their ‘murmering’ and sinful ways, he has to constantly try to keep his older brothers in check, and he has to always defend himself, whether it be in the wilderness or from his own family.
On of the things I admire most about Nephi, that I find I can work on most myself, is his amazing ability for follow the promptings of the Spirit. The best example of this, I believe, is when the Lord commands Nephi to build a ship that will take him and his family to the Americas (1 Nephi 17:7-11). He trusted the Lord to show him exactly how to build the ship and where to find the tools and ore to make it. Even when his family murmured against him (1 Nephi 17:17-22), saying terrible things, Nephi never lost his faith. He told them, “Do ye believe that our fathers, who were the children of Israel, would have been led away out of the hands of the Egyptians if they had not hearkened unto the words of the Lord?” (1 Nephi 17:23). By saying this, he is trying to help his brothers realize how a simple prompting from the Spirit, no matter how difficult or daunting it may seem, if only followed, can lead to unimaginably great things.
Nephi is a perfect example of having complete belief and trust in the Holy Ghost and the promptings received. This is one of Nephi’s qualities that I feel like I could best apply to my life. While researching the importance of following the promptings of the Holy Ghost, I came across a talk by President Boyd K. Packer, who referenced Nephi and his testimony of the Spirit. He said: “Perhaps the single greatest thing I learned from reading the Book of Mormon is that the voice of the Spirit comes as a feeling rather than a sound. You will learn, as I have learned, to “listen” for that voice that is felt rather than heard.
“Nephi scolded his older brothers, saying, “Ye have seen an angel, and he spake unto you; yea, ye have heard his voice from time to time; and he hath spoken unto you in a still small voice, but ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words” (1 Nephi 17:45). President Packer continues, “The gift of the Holy Ghost, if you consent, will guide and protect you and even correct your actions. It is a spiritual voice that comes into the mind as a thought or a feeling put into your heart... I promise that you will be protected and shielded from the attacks of the adversary if you will heed the promptings that come from the Holy Spirit” (President Boyd K. Packer, Counsel to Youth, General Conference, October 2011).
Every time I pray to Heavenly Father, whether I like it or not, I receive a prompting, a feeling, from the Holy Ghost. This is the greatest blessing I have received by joining the true church. Before, I would pray, and I would get up off my knees and think, Well, there it is. I left my message on the heavenly voicemail box. Hope God finds the time to listen to it. Now, if I don’t receive an answer right away, I just give it time. I know it will come. I’ve been receiving many revelations recently in dreams which is an amazing, and probably my favorite, way for the Spirit to communicate with me.
Even though I recognize these promptings, sometimes it is difficult to listen. We are all Heavenly Father’s children. As a friend once told me, we are ‘children of eternity.’ We are so young when you think about all the progress we still have left to uncover, in this life and the next. Sometimes, even when we receive answers to our prayers and questions, it’s not the answers we want to here, the same way children whine and complain when we tell them they cannot have a candy bar. They don’t understand that it’s bad for their teeth, or it will keep them up all night, or their parents can’t afford it, or the countless other reasons why they might not be able to have that candy bar. Even though we might try to reason with them, sometimes children get even more boisterous and loud and frantic, demanding they get what they want... NOW! Just as children don’t understand why they can’t immediately have what they want, sometimes, even as adults, we want something different then what Heavenly Father is trying to tell us.
Last weekend, I was upset. I had been praying and praying to our Father in Heaven about an internal conflict I was having. I ignored the initial promptings I received to just let it go, to not pursue this particular cause anymore. I always think of when Joseph Smith was translating the Gold Plates and when Martin Harris asked to see them. Joseph Smith prayed, asking Heavenly Father if he should let Martin Harris see the Gold Plates, and the answer was no. Eventually, Martin Harris had Joseph Smith ask the Lord so many times that Heavenly Father eventually gave in and said it was all right to let Martin Harris see the Plates. I always think, Maybe if I’m persistent enough with my prayers for my noble and worthwhile desires, God will eventually cave like He did with Martin Harris. For some reason, this gives me the thought that if I nag Heavenly Father enough, maybe I can get what I want (please see above mentioned candy bar metaphor and why this strange tactic of mine will probably never work).
So, back to this issue I had been praying about. I finally received what I feel like was final, clear-cut answer to what had been plaguing me ... and it was not the answer I had been hoping for. Now, instead of praying to Heavenly Father for something, I was praying to Him asking for forgiveness. “Heavenly Father, I’m such a silly girl, holding onto this thin strand of hope for so long.”
Then, in my mind, clear as day, I heard, “Daughter, this is one of the qualities I love most about you. Your strong hopefulness and your optimism. Don’t let that go. It is such a rarity.”
“But I’m just so unhappy right now,” I mouthed silently.
“I will not leave you unhappy,” was the answer I received.
Even when we do not follow the promptings of the spirit, Heavenly Father knows beforehand that we won’t. He understands our wants and our hurts and everything in between. If I had followed the promptings of the Holy Ghost on this particular issue, I don’t think I would have learned this important lesson: the promptings from the Spirit are true. They are messages from Heavenly Father, guiding us to live virtuously and humbly so that we might keep our covenants and live a life that is Christ-like and full of happiness.
From now on, I’ll try better to follow the promptings I receive through the Holy Ghost. It’s all a learning curve and I know it might take a while, but everyday I will strive to be a little bit better and better.
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