Follow the Spirit... (even when it doesn't make sense)

I had a neat experience today that I wanted to share. The last few days have been a bit of an emotional roller-coaster for me as I grappled with making a decision I felt prompted to make (but hadn't planned on making (nor wanted to make) for a few more months).

I felt like I was being prompted to commit myself wholly to one path or another and stop lingering at the fork in the road. To commit to dating seriously with the intention of eventually getting sealed in the temple, or to focus myself on serving a mission next year.

After much serious thought and prayer, I finally made my decision late last night and decided to focus on serving a mission. Then this morning at work I kept feeling fear, off-balance and a general uneasiness, like something was wrong. I spent most of the morning on the verge of tears. I knew something had to be done, I needed to get my peace and balance back. I felt I had made the right choice, but thought maybe I was feeling so unsettled because I chose wrong.

Tonight President Hanks (our mission president) was speaking at a Relief Society dinner in my home ward and I had to decided to skip Institute to attend. Well as I'm at work and feeling unsettled, I decide that I am not going to go to the dinner but am going to go to the temple instead. As soon as I had that though, it was immediately rebuked by the Spirit (which did not make sense to me, I mean really?! A prompting to NOT go to the temple?!) as I was told, clear as a bell, "You do not need to go to the temple, you NEED a blessing".

I called a close friend of mine (who was just ordained to the Melchizedek priesthood on Sunday) and asked if he would be willing to give me a blessing of comfort. He said yes and I met him at his fiancee's house.

That blessing was just what I needed. No one but Heavenly Father knew that I had been wrangling with this decision or that I had made the decision, but in the middle of the blessing it was pronounced that "Heavenly Father is very happy with the path you have chosen." My heart immediately was calmed and I began to cry, but tears of joy. It brought such peace to my heart that Heavenly Father had chosen to literally tell me that I had made the right choice.

I am so incredibly grateful to live in this dispensation; when we have the power of the priesthood available to bless our lives. I am grateful for worthy men, like my friend, who honor their priesthood and cherish the opportunity to use it to bless the lives of those around them. I love the Gospel!!

The Little Things

Something nice happened yesterday.

I decided to go to my home ward since I was sick (and not up to a 1 hour drive to Tuscaloosa for church). After the short meeting (it was only Sacrament since they were announcing they were moving another ward into our building) I went home to sleep. I couldn't sleep and it felt like I needed to go back to church.

I'm laying in bed, ticking off all the wards/branches I know of and they had all already met or were too far and then Altadena pops into my head. I drag myself out of the house and drive to the Birmingham Stake Center (about 15 minutes from my apartment).

I'm sitting in the back of the room, not really understanding why I was there. I was having a hard enough time with English, I didn't understand why I was prompted to go to a Spanish branch.

Presidente Cuenca opens the meeting and announces the opening hymn (only thing I understood was the hymn number) and the congregation starts to sing. And then I understood why I had been sent there. I was feeling really alone and Heavenly Father wanted to remind me that I was not alone. The opening hymn was "Que Firmes Cimientos" (How Firm a Foundation). This is my favorite hymn and every time I hear the third verse in Spanish, I'm transported back to the day of my baptism. I felt warm and so loved in that moment.

The odds that they would choose that particular hymn on the day I randomly show up... Heavenly Father truly is aware of me and wanted me to know it.  I am grateful I followed that prompting to go.

Mi Padre Celestial me ama!