As I sat down in a Fast and Testimony Sacrament Meeting held the 1st Sunday of the month in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I was looking forward to hearing what messages and testimonies would be shared. This is one of my favorite meetings. Time and again, I walk away feeling encouraged and inspired by the personal testimonies of others.
As I was sitting in the pew with our family, I was feeling a burning inside that I needed to get up and share an experience I had a few days prior testifying to the truth that I know Heavenly Father is aware of us individually and personally and how I was guided and led to go to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saint Temple to receive an answer there, specific to what I was needing to hear related to questions and concerns happening in my world at that time.
It was scary and it took a lot of courage to act on the impression and walk up to the pulpit to share in front of a congregation of members, visitors, individuals, and families attending that day revelation I had received personally for me. I had no intention of sharing my experience with anyone and initially sat comfortably listening to the testimonies of others.
On occasion, I have felt that burning inside of me days prior to a Fast and Testimony Meeting and I have known ahead of time that Heavenly Father has wanted me to share my testimony. With a head’s up, I have been able to collect my thoughts and prepare what I am going to say and wear so I can somewhat feel ok as I am shaking and emotional in front of everyone.
On this day, that did not happen. I had no idea I would be one of the many who would have the prompting to get up and share what I had received as personal revelation for myself with everyone. I did not receive the impression until 20 minutes before the meeting ended.
As I watched the clock and listened to the testimonies of others, the minutes were passing by. My heart started beating fast. I was nervous and as I was debating whether to leave my seat, one of my kids began asking me questions breaking my concentration and I began feeling more tense. I waited and as I finally got up, I was the last person to share my testimony.
I am not one who is comfortable being in the lime light or the center of attention and here I was in front of everyone. I prayed Heavenly Father would help me along the way. There was no time to plan ahead what to say other than to speak to my experience and testify to what I knew. Following my testimony and as I departed the stand, I felt a peace. After the meeting, many approached me and expressed their gratitude for my testimony and what I had shared.
When have you received a strong impression to share a personal experience in front of a lot of people and although you were nervous, you knew the prompting came from Heavenly Father and you had faith He would help you?
tendermercym♥ments~jld
It can get very hot here. When we first moved to the area, there was a drought and temperatures were over 100 degrees Fahrenheit for days that summer. As we were acclimating to our new environment, one of our kids was constantly dehydrated so much so that when we would run errands, with each stop at a store, the first place that was asked that we go was the drinking fountain in the very back of the store.
One-on-one and in person, I am an extrovert and can talk a lot with animation and confidence, however, when I am in large groups, I am an introvert, timid and shy, and listen, rarely talking at all. On occasion, I will call a friend and we will converse back-and-forth over the phone, but when it comes to any kind of writing—email, text message, hand-written letters—I limit my correspondence because it is extremely stressful for me. Therefore, when my friends have moved away or I’ve moved at different times in my life, after high school, a church mission, college, spouse’s employment in different states, I have not done a great job at all staying in contact with most of my friends.
I was anticipating a smooth first day of school. After all, we’ve been through the first day many, many times. All went well initially as our older children left and I drove the youngest to school. The moment I returned home, my plans for the day began to be altered. By mid-morning I was exhausted and felt defeated, but was determined to not give up on my original plans. I pressed forward, yet made no progress. No matter how hard I tried to salvage what I could, I was making no headway. I felt like a chicken with its head cut off and I was going in circles. I was a bit frazzled, but still not willing to give up. I had much I wanted to accomplish during the hours our kids were in school.
As I pulled into my driveway and began gathering things to take into the house, I did not realize I had not put the gearshift in park. It was a tender mercy I looked up just in time to see the car rolling forward toward our garage door. I was able to brake quickly to avoid any impact and was happy my response was immediate.
On this day, for some reason as I was backing out of my garage, I did not bother to look around or use my mirrors. I drove straight back while conversing with my children. Once out of the garage, it was a tender mercy I looked over my shoulder before leaving the driveway and realized I was within inches of almost hitting our other vehicle.
When we first purchased our car, weeks and months went by before I had reason to use my horn. I had wondered if the horn worked, but never tried it. I don’t randomly press my horn without cause and so I wasn’t sure if it worked or how quickly I would respond in the event that I needed to use the horn.
While at a school dropping off some paperwork, I briefly stopped to chat with a friend that arrived when I did. When our dialogue ended and I was walking towards the school, I looked down reflecting on our conversation while also reviewing the form in my hand and it was a tender mercy I looked up just before taking another step that would have led me face on, right into a metal gate bar. I was not paying attention to what was in front of me. I am grateful I looked up when I did.
Do you ever ask yourself, “who are my friends, do I have friends, am I a good friend”? I have from time to time. Why? For me, the reason is I doubt my ability to communicate well.
I do not frequent Facebook constantly. Several days, here and there, can go by before I get on and look through specific pages I like and follow. Early one evening as I began browsing through recent posts, I saw a free children’s songbook. The illustration on the front cover caught my eye and I was interested, however, initially I scrolled passed it. Minutes later, I came back to it again. I really wanted it and I was certain if I didn’t speak up right away, it would be gone. I responded immediately that I’d love it. Shortly after, I saw a confirmation message that it was available for me to pick up. I was thrilled! There are times I am timid and hesitate to ask for something I really want, but today I did not give myself the chance to pass it up and I am so grateful I did not. I was happy I happened to be on Facebook at the right time to see it less than 1 hour after it was posted.
As we were returning home from a beach trip, it was not long after the sun set and with two hours still to go, we saw a lightening show in the horizon fill the dark sky. It continued the duration of our drive back home. It was only a matter of time we would be in the path. With threatening rain at any moment, we exited the interstate as quickly as we could to find a lit location where we could stop to cover our belongings in the back of the open truck bed with black trash bags, brought in the event we encountered showers.