Its time for another blog post that deals with the inner feelings of the heart.
When I was a teenager, I attended a church meeting with my dad. It was a stake priesthood meeting and because my stake president had been seriously injured in an accident, my dad was conducting and overseeing the meeting. He sat up on the stand in the chapel. During a part of the meeting, my dad motioned for me to follow him out of the meeting. I wondered what was wrong. I stood up from my seat and followed him out to the car in the parking lot. I asked him what we were doing. He told me that the Holy Ghost has prompted him that he needed to go and visit an older couple, in our stake. The woman was an active member of the church but the man was not. The impression that he received was that he was to go and invite the man to be baptized and become a member of the church. I must confess that I was thinking that there was no way that I was going to be the one extending the invitation. My dad put that all at ease when he told me that we needed to go make that visit and that he was the one who was going to invite. We arrived at the home of this couple and were warmly welcomed into their home. They loved my dad and he loved them in return. "What are you doing tonight?" They asked. Without hesitation, my dad told them exactly why we were there. He invited the good man to become baptized and become a member of the church. Now I honestly thought, at the time, that because my dad was doing what he was supposed to that this man would accept the invitation. As courageous as my dad invited, this man declined the invitation. My dad didn't even flinch. He didn't seem bothered it either. I was devastated, inside. We had a great visit and when we left their home and got back into the car, dad taught me two valuable lessons. One, he stated that we learned to listen and obey an impression with boldness. Two, God knew that he could give an impression and know that my dad would listen and then act.
I got to learn some good solid things that night. Can I share one other thing that I thought was neat? My dad received that impression during a meeting that had required planning. It didn't matter to him. I really admire and love him for the lessons he teaches me.
Each one of us receives similar whisperings just like my dad did. I am trying to listen and then obey on the first time. The blessing of helping somebody else is remarkable.
Be ready, because today might be the day that you are called on to listen. We are all in for a rewarding treat!
