My Talk

I was given the opportunity to speak in church today. It has been several years since I have had to prepare a talk, and I was overwhelmed and nervous, to say the least. 


I am delighted that all went well though, and that my dear sweet ward members even humored me by laughing at my lame jokes. (i.e. I wore a skirt today, because after the phone call from the Bishopric member, I was scared out of my shorts.)


I thought, since my loved ones weren't able to be there with me, I would post my talk on this spiritual blog. I am grateful for this topic that has brought me to truly ponder the gift of the Holy Ghost.


Once upon a time, a beautiful little sparrow was flying home, when the wind began to swell, and the rain began to fall. A fierce and powerful storm threatened to ground this dear sparrow.  She flew, as long as she could, but as the rains became torrential, and the winds whipped her about unforgivingly, she sought shelter beneath the boughs of an evergreen. Frightened and alone, dear sparrow lost sight of all that surrounded her. The darkness of the storm was overwhelming. She cried out; praying for relief; for comfort from the unknown. As she waited, the storm briefly let up, and she saw a ray of light, off in the distance. The light from the heavens broke through the plane of dark, foreboding rainclouds. And although it was far off, she felt its warmth around her. She knew where she was going now. She could not only see that light, but she could feel its warmth so strongly that it compelled her to move. The rain was not gone, and the storm still raged; but little sparrow could fly again, and she continued her journey home, knowing that she could reach that light.

The Holy Ghost guides us in our journey home. Just as that beam of light gave that dear sparrow comfort, hope, and even resolve, so can the Spirit of God give us light, as we weather the storms of a telestial world.

As we look at all that surrounds us in this life, it is easy to feel alone at times. The dark clouds of the adversary threaten to disorient us at every hour of every day. And yet, we are given that gift of light that we can follow.

In the hymn “Before Thee, Lord, I Bow My Head”, the second verse reads, “Do thou, anoint mine eyes That I may see and win the prize. My heart is full; mine eyes are wet. Oh, help me Lord, lest I forget. So may my soul be filled with light that I may see and win the fight, and then at last exalted be, in peace and rest, O Lord with thee.”

So may our souls be filled with light, so we may see, and return to live with the Lord.

When we are baptized, and confirmed, the Holy Ghost is given unto us as a gift, to guide and comfort us, and as a means to receive His holy instruction.  It is a precious gift, and we must strive to live in a manner that invites the Spirit into our hearts.

In 2nd Nephi, chapter 33, verse 1, Nephi says, “…neither am I mighty in writing, like unto speaking; for when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men.”

Elder David A. Bednar spoke of this scripture in a talk given to a group of religious leaders. He said, “Please notice how the power of the Spirit carries the message unto but not necessarily into the heart.”

From this, we are reminded that we have our agency, and can choose to welcome or deny the Spirit of the Lord into our hearts. It is a gift that we choose to accept and utilize.

So how can we recognize the promptings of the Holy Ghost? And more importantly, how can we understand those promptings?

Well, first, we must attune ourselves to the inspiration of God. In a book written by President James E. Faust entitled, “Stories From My Life”, he gives the following analogy…

"My first radio was a crystal set. It was hard to tune to the frequency of a particular radio station. One had to literally scratch the receiving wire whisker over the top of the rough crystal to find the right pinpoint, a little valley or peak on the crystal, where the signal was received. Just a millimeter off on one side or the other of that point, and you would lose the signal and get scratchy static. Over time, with patience and perseverance, good eyesight and a steady hand, you could learn to find the signal point on the crystal without too much difficulty.

So it is with learning to attune ourselves to the inspiration from God and tune out the scratchy static. We have to work at being tuned in. Most of us need a long time to become tuned in most of the time. When I was a young General Authority, President Marion G. Romney, who was in his seventies at the time, told us, "I know when I am working under the Spirit and when I am not." To be able to recognize when one is being guided by the Spirit is a supernal gift."

Now, if you are like me, you have no idea what a “crystal set radio” is. Many of you may not even know what a record player is, but that’s beside the point.  

In the reference article I looked up about this particular type of radio, it goes into detail about each of the components and how they are essential for the radio’s ability to receive the signal. It is a little too much to get into right now, but it is important to recognize that all the components work together. They are all necessary to be able to receive the signal.

We are blessed dear brothers and sisters, with all the necessary components. We just need to pinpoint that perfect spot to receive His signal.

When we are striving to follow the commandments, and adhere to our covenants, we are blessed with the ability pinpoint that perfect spot, and receive the promptings of the Holy Ghost. When we renew our covenants each week with the partaking of the sacrament, we are realigning our components and preparing ourselves to receive guidance and inspiration.

Unfortunately, we are not able to keep our radio perfectly tuned at all times. It will be bumped, and our signal will be lost among the static of our busy lives. So we must constantly search for that perfect spot, until we know exactly where it is, and we will be able to hear the Lord’s messages clearly.

As I reflect on the journey I have been on over the past several months, I am increasingly grateful for the comfort and guidance of the Holy Ghost. It is truly a blessing from the Lord to be able to receive His spirit, and to be able to commune with Him in my heart.

I was fortunate enough to be raised in the Gospel by parents who followed the promptings of the Holy Ghost. They joined the church several years before I was born, and faced many trials to get where they are now. I am ever grateful to those Elders who followed the promptings of the Holy Ghost, and went forth to serve, and share the gospel. My family is blessed and will be continually blessed through many generations, because they chose to serve the Lord, and teach by His Holy Spirit.

I have a nephew that recently received his mission call, and I was able to be at the temple with him while he received his endowments just over a week ago. As I sat in the temple, I was overwhelmed by the Spirit.

The road that led to being in the temple that day, for me; for him; and likely for everyone else there, was not an easy one.

But who said that this life would be easy?

The Lord loves us, and as He said in John chapter 14 verse 18: “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.”

The road will always have its bumps, but it is not travelled alone. The Lord is with us, and His Holy Spirit guides us and gives us comfort in our times of pain and sorrow.

Recognizing the Holy Ghost and understanding why we have been given such a precious gift, will help us through any trial we face.  We will be able to find comfort. We will be able to have His peace with us.

It can also reveal truths unto us. A quote from President Henry B. Eyring in his talk at the BYU Education Week in August of 2000:

"When God communicates that priceless truth to us, He does it by the Spirit of truth. We have to ask for it in prayer, then He sends us a small part of that truth by the Spirit. It comes to our hearts and minds, it feels good,like the light from the sun, shining through the clouds on a dark day. He sends truth line upon line, like the lines on the page of a book. Each time a line of truth comes to us, we get to choose what we will do about the light and truth God has sent to us.If we try hard to do what that truth requires of us, God will send more light and truth. It will go on, line after line, as long as we choose to obey the truth."

That is it for what I have in type. I want to add my testimony of the blessings of striving to have the Holy Spirit invited into your heart. I am grateful for the opportunity to commune with the Lord and receive guidance through the power of the Holy Ghost. I often sing the hymn, "Abide With Me, 'Tis Eventide", to my girls as a lullaby. I feel very strongly about the words in this song, and I know that God lives. I know our Savior loves us, and by the power of the Holy Ghost we are blessed with an understanding of truths. 

Here are the lyrics:

Abide with me; ’tis eventide.
The day is past and gone;
The shadows of the evening fall;
The night is coming on.
Within my heart a welcome guest,
Within my home abide.

[Chorus]
O Savior, stay this night with me;
Behold, ’tis eventide.
O Savior, stay this night with me;
Behold, ’tis eventide.

Abide with me; ’tis eventide.
Thy walk today with me
Has made my heart within me burn,
As I communed with thee.
Thy earnest words have filled my soul
And kept me near thy side.

Abide with me; ’tis eventide,
And lone will be the night
If I cannot commune with thee
Nor find in thee my light.
The darkness of the world, I fear,
Would in my home abide.

Have a blessed day, my dear family and friends. I love you all, so very much.

-H.M.-