When you get an
impression, act upon it, however unusual it seems
or however inadequate you feel in following it. Over 50 years ago, I was serving
as the counselor in the Chicago South Stake presidency. I had received an invitation
to be the sacrament speaker in the evening in one
of our far west units near Aurora, Illinois. This was about a one-hour
drive from my home. When I received an
invitation to speak, I had usually gotten
impressions about what I should speak about. On the occasion of my
invitation to speak in Aurora, I didn't have any impression. I left and pondered as I
drove, "What will I speak?" I was halfway to Aurora
before I got an impression. But I followed the
impression I had received to speak about things I
had observed in the Chicago criminal courts. And I spoke of young people
who were brought into court for thievery of various
kinds, including shoplifting, and I talked about how serious
this kind of crime was and how effective the storekeepers--with
the aid of the police--were in apprehending young offenders
and what happened to them when they were found guilty
of such offenses. As I concluded my talk,
a mother came up to me, tearfully thanking
me for my talk. She told me that she
had a young son who had been involved in shoplifting. This mother said,
"When I learned that you were going
to speak this evening, and when I knew about
your background, I prayed to the Lord that
you would say something that would help our son. You did," she said. "He listened to you in a way
he has never listened to us, and I thank you for hearing
the Spirit of the Lord and following it." When you get an
impression, act upon it, however unusual it seems
or however inadequate you feel in following it. Act upon it. There's a reason. You may not know the
reason, but blessings will follow to you and to
someone else if you hear Him.