Let the Holy Spirit Guide

This morning my heart ached in sadness over the deluge of negative news stories from around the globe. It's just too much for me to bear silently. I want to add a positive and uplifting voice to the clamoring, contentious noise in this world, so I'm sharing a story dear to my heart today.

It is with the humble hope of lifting your spirit and boosting your testimony that I share this truly personal narrative.

A few years ago, I was enrolled in nursing school with three young children (ages 5, 3, and 2) to care for. In addition, I was homeschooling my daughter and busy serving in a time-consuming calling in my church. It was during this time of stress, deadlines, and demanding family life that I gained a stronger testimony of the reality of the Holy Ghost and his power to influence our lives.

There are two examples I'd like to share with you that exemplify how the Holy Ghost powerfully impacted me and taught me about God's power to make up for my shortcomings.

The first example involves my attempts to learn and memorize 40 pages of textbook information each day for my Anatomy class. My professor was well-known across several campuses as being a true classroom drill sergeant,  force feeding us information at a break-neck speed and writing tests that were nearly impossible to pass. Tutors would cluck their tongue in sympathy when I told them the name of my professor.

I studied in the precious quiet hours after my children were asleep (often staying up until midnight) or before they woke up each morning. I studied 4-6 hours each day. I hung pages of notes all over my house to help me memorize- they were taped up near the kitchen sink, in my shower, on the bathroom mirror, and even tucked into my  purse to review at stoplights. I played recordings of lectures during my long 2-hour commute to campus. I even took textbooks to the park to read while pushing children on swings.

Even with all this effort, it was discouragingly difficult to retain such an influx of new information each day.

This is where the Holy Ghost stepped in. I noticed that any day I took the time to read my scriptures before studying for class, I had the Spirit with me when I studied, which cleared my mind and helped me grasp concepts much faster than normal. I also remembered information better and spent less time reviewing my notes. I could cover a huge amount of material in a shorter amount of time. This was consistent throughout the semester. It really taught me that if I served the Lord first, He would help me make up the difference.

The next example is more personal and, to me, more sacred.

Some days I would be asked to spend a few hours to serve a needy family from church, and then I'd face a difficult decision. If I chose to take time out of my tightly packed schedule to help someone else, I would lose precious study time. With almost trembling faith I would do what was needed to help the friends in need, then pray extra hard for the Lord to help me in my class work. Many times I prepared a beautiful meal to give a family in need, while my children were given cold cereal for dinner and I ran upstairs to study.

No matter how I tried to rearrange my schedule and make more time for studying, I just couldn't fit any more hours in my day. As I prepared for my first test, I realized with a heavy heart that I hadn't even read (let alone memorized) a full third of the assigned reading. As I quickly leafed through the extra 200 pages, trying to memorize key points and charts in a glance, I knew in my heart it was no use. I couldn't fit one more fact in my frazzled brain that week.

When I arrived at the testing center and received my thick packet of questions, I took a moment at my desk to offer a sincere prayer for help. I had not even looked at a third of the testing material. Even if the stars aligned in my favor and I luckily scored every question correctly in the remaining 2/3 of the test, I would still have a barely passing grade. After pleading silently for the Lord's help, I opened my test with a sigh and began.

Something miraculous happened.

Each time I read a question and pondered the multiple choice options, I felt the Spirit whisper to me which choice was true. He mentally nudged me to the correct answer. The thing that amazed me the most was that I was able to feel the Spirit guide my choices even when I had never even read the topics that were being tested. The Spirit enlightened my mind and testified of truth, guiding my response to every question. I felt awe that this could happen, and humility that the Lord saw fit to answer my prayer.

With a deep sense of gratitude, I finished my lengthy test and awaited the results.

I was amazed to learn I had scored an 'A' on my test! I truly felt like it was a tangible miracle.

I felt the Spirit guide me on all of my tests throughout the semester, helping me earn a good grade in a notoriously difficult course.

These experiences taught me to trust more fully in the Lord and realize nothing is impossible for Him to accomplish.

I also learned "I can do all things through Christ, which strengthens me" when I serve Him first and have faith. (Philippians 4:13)

I testify the Holy Ghost is real, that we can feel God's love for us through the Holy Ghost, and that he can touch your life if you seek that blessing.


PS-
I hope your day today is filled with joy in our Savior and moments to enjoy the beauty in your life. Look for the positive things, and you'll find the day overflowing with goodness.