Always

2-13-11 Last night we went to our adult session of stake conference. It was a unique Question and Answer format of a General Authority, Lowell M. Snow of the Seventy. Tigan from our ward asked a question that he “chewed” on for quite some time. She asked “How can I know the difference between my own thoughts and desires and the Spirit?” He said this is the one question that always comes up at this format and it's not a simple answer. When he was done, I don't know that I could have repeated his answer either. However, I “chewed” on it for a while as well.

One thing he said was that we are entitled to the Spirit “always”. (See sacrament prayers, Moroni 4 & 5)

As I was thinking on this, my thoughts went to our conversations with Angela yesterday as we were waiting on the bread to rise. I asked what it is she really does – a dangerous question for a high school grad to ask an almost college professor on a topic you know nothing about. She is doing physical chemistry research and speaks her language of her profession like a native tongue. I understood almost nothing of what she spoke. However, this morning as I was pondering, I remembered what she said about lining laser beams up so they are on the same frequency. Essentially Elder Snow said the same thing. Our will needs to be lined up with the Lord's will; then our thoughts will be His thoughts. This is not a quick process, just like Angela said she turns the lasers on first thing in the morning and it takes up to two hours for them to be warm enough to manipulate.

If that wasn't enough, the next article in my Ensign that I came to this morning was “Learning to Hear and Understand the Spirit”, by David M. McConkie. “This gift is the right, when we are worthy of it, to the constant companionship of the third member of the Godhead.” Elder Snow said the Holy Ghost is a God. I've never really thought that before, but it makes sense – God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost. Why not?

Elder McConkie says there is no simple formula or technique, but “our Father expects ut to learn how to obtain that divine help by exercising faith in Him and Jesus Christ.

And this is why I sit at 6:00 a.m. With my feet in epsom salt bath on a morning I might have slept longer. When I awoke at 5:00 with sore feet from my hike across campus in unfit shoes, the thought of “soak your feet in epsom salts” came – even though I've never done this before. I have faith that with a better choice of shoes, my feet will survive today's hike and I will enjoy another delightful spiritual feast.