Tuning My Heart to Hear Him
From the opportunity I had to co-host a Face to Face event, I was reminded of certain truths about the fruits of the Spirit and hearing the Lord’s voice.
It was about 5:30 p.m. and everyone was seated. Leaning forward in my chair, I wiped down my dust-covered shoes to get ready for the 6:00 p.m. start time. I glanced over to my left where Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was sitting, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that his shoes were sparkling.
“Elder Rasband,” I called out (we were seated six feet apart), “how did you manage to keep your shoes so clean?”
Elder Rasband looked down at his spotless black shoes and responded jokingly that he thought his shoes looked a little dirty. I chuckled to myself. After wiping off my shoes, I sat up in my chair, straightened my jacket, smiled, and prepared for the broadcast to begin.
This simple but enjoyable moment was one of many more that came on that Sunday night as we had the opportunity to receive wisdom and counsel from Elder and Sister Rasband. They addressed questions about everything from developing a testimony to grappling with Church history questions.
However, what was even more compelling was the peaceful, governing influence that touched our hearts and “[distilled] upon [our souls] as the dews from heaven” (Doctrine and Covenants 121:45).
The Holy Ghost was present at the broadcast, and his influence guided the event and attested to me of the good that was happening there.
Thanks to certain “fruits,” or evidences, of the Spirit of God, such as feelings of peace, joy, and love (see Galatians 5:22–23), we can know with surety when we are in the right place, doing the right things, and above all, that Jesus is the Son of God and the Redeemer of the world.
That night, I felt the Spirit prompting me that this event was the answer to many of my own prayers, and I feel so blessed to know that preparing my heart to receive guidance from the Holy Ghost is one of the most effective ways that I can hear the Savior.
As I mentioned during the broadcast, when Elder Rasband was kind enough to give me the opportunity to share my thoughts, I set aside an hour each day for gospel study. I started doing this years ago, when a very wise institute instructor shared two scriptures with me in response to my concerns about balancing worship and my responsibilities.
The first scripture he shared with me was Matthew 6:33, which reads, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
The second scripture was Jacob 2:18–19:
“But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God.
“And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.”
Remember how the Prophet Joseph Smith said that the passage in James 1:5 entered his heart with more force than any other had before that moment? (see Joseph Smith—History 1:12).
That was what I experienced in my institute instructor’s office.
It was suddenly clear to me that while it’s good, and even necessary, to seek academic, recreational, or professional success in this life, when we fail to keep our eye single to the glory of God (see Doctrine and Covenants 4:5), our heart can fall out of tune, and we can struggle to feel the Spirit.
That was how I really learned that the only place God should be is in first place, because by choosing to focus more on school and work, I had unknowingly distanced myself from the Spirit. I weakened my connection with God when I made my academic and professional success a greater focus in my life than the Savior, and I ultimately found it harder to have the Spirit with me.
Since then, I study the gospel before I start my homework. I know I have a different schedule now as a student than I will when I’m a working professional and eventually a husband and father, but when we’re talking about preparing our hearts so we can feel the Spirit, is there anything that should honestly take precedence to our spiritual well-being? If you fail to prepare your heart to receive the Spirit, there are some very important blessings you are missing out on.
In Galatians 5:22–23, we read:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
“Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
I walked away from the Face to Face event with such a happy heart because I had prepared and tuned my heart to the Spirit. After experiences like the one I had on that night, I never want anything in this life to get in the way of putting God first.
No sacrifice is too great to feel the peace, joy, love, and many other fruits of the Spirit. They not only make life meaningful but provide the comfort that I’m in the right place, doing the right things, and, above all, putting Jesus Christ—the Redeemer of the world—first.