Open your mind

Sometimes to run the errand the Lord needs you to run, you need to open your mind.

Another wonderful Conference weekend has come and gone, and the difficult task of selecting one address for the program today is once again mine.

Fortunately I responded to a prompting of the Spirit many months ago to focus on several addresses in between Conferences.  Now I don’t have to choose just one, since the Joy in the Journey Radio community will return to Conference again and again.

That said, I do need to select one address for the program today.  And speaking of spiritual promptings, I’ve selected an address about that very subject.  In her remarks entitled “Spiritual Capacity,” Sister Michelle Craig spoke about revelation and spiritual promptings, and more specifically about the promptings we all can receive on the Lord’s errand.

Of course, what I heard was personal ministry.  We all have light that can help someone else see more clearly the path ahead.  When you embrace a personal ministry, you commit to sharing your light with those around you.  But sometimes to run the errand the Lord needs you to run, you need to open your mind.

Embrace your errand

Sister Craig begins by reviewing some principles behind revelation.  Most don’t experience the fantastic visions we read about in the scriptures.  That’s because they don’t need them to accomplish what the Lord wants them to accomplish.

God often speaks to individuals in quiet, reflective moments isolated from distraction.  Sister Craig uses this principle to highlight the importance for each of us to make time and space for that voice.

We often think about making that time and space for revelation related to our lives in general or for a particular pressing problem.  But what about counsel regarding our personal ministry — the errands the Lord would have us perform for Him?  Sister Craig declared,

---

---

Satan wants to separate us from God’s voice by keeping us out of those quiet places. If God speaks in a still, small voice, you and I need to draw close to hear Him. Just imagine what would happen if we were as intent on staying connected with heaven as we are on staying connected to Wi-Fi! Pick a time and place, and listen for God’s voice every day. And keep this sacred appointment with exactness, for so very much depends on it!

The more you act on your promptings, the more familiar His voice becomes.  And that means you can more readily discern how to proceed with your own personal ministry.

Don’t delay

Of course, that means not delaying in following those promptings.  Delay too long or too frequently, and you’ll find it harder to hear His voice.

Sister Craig provides such encouragement in her address.  The prayer God seems most willing to answer, she teaches, is one asking for how others can be helped.  Of course, asking what you can do to help others is the essence of a personal ministry.

Sister Craig then provides an example from her family history.  Her grandfather Brother Fritz ministered to many less active Church members, one of whom was Brother Simonis.  Sister Craig shares

---

---

Grandpa visited him and got to know each member of the family. In time, Grandpa told them that they were needed and invited them to attend church. But that Sunday, Brother Simonis awoke with a dilemma—he had not finished re-roofing his house, and rain was expected that week. He decided that he’d go to church, shake hands with Grandpa, and then leave and go home to finish the roof. His family could attend sacrament meeting without him.

His plan was working just fine until, on the roof, he heard someone climbing the ladder. In his words: “When I looked up, … standing at the top of the ladder was Brother Fritz. He just gave me that big smile. At first, I was embarrassed and felt like a little kid getting caught for skipping school. Then … I felt anger. [But Brother Fritz just] took off his suit coat and hung it on the ladder. As he rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt, he turned to me and said, ‘Brother Simonis, do you have another hammer? This work must be very important or you wouldn’t have left your family, and if it’s that important, I want to help you.’ As I looked into his eyes, I saw only kindness and Christlike love. My anger left. … I laid my tools down that Sunday and followed my good friend down the ladder and back to the chapel.”

Grandpa had obtained his errand from the Lord, and he knew he was to seek out lost sheep. Just as when the four men who carried their friend with palsy onto a roof and then let him down to be healed by Jesus Christ, so too did Grandpa’s errand take him to a rooftop. The Lord sends revelation to those seeking to help others.

What revelation are you receiving to help others?  If you partnered with the Lord and sought revelation concerning your personal ministry, what light would you bring into the world?

Defy your expectations

The Lord has given us talents and gifts with the express purpose of helping others along our way in mortality.  Using those talents and gifts to bless others is the essence of a personal ministry.

And here’s the best part: The same Spirit can give each of us personalized counsel, direction, and guidance in the performance of that personal ministry.  I love how Sister Craig teaches that principle:

---

---

. . . each of us has a different mission to perform, and at times the Spirit may call us in “another way.” There are many ways to build the kingdom of God as covenant-making, covenant-keeping disciples of Jesus Christ. As His faithful disciple, you can receive personal inspiration and revelation, consistent with His commandments, that is tailored to you. You have unique missions and roles to perform in life and will be given unique guidance to fulfill them.

Nephi, the brother of Jared, and even Moses all had a large body of water to cross —and each did it differently. Nephi worked “timbers of curious workmanship.” The brother of Jared built barges that were “tight like unto a dish.” And Moses “walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea.”

They each received personalized direction, tailored to them, and each trusted and acted. The Lord is mindful of those who obey and, in the words of Nephi, will “prepare a way for [us to] accomplish the thing which he commandeth.” Note that Nephi says, “a way” —not “the way.”

Do we miss or dismiss personal errands from the Lord because He has prepared “a way” different from the one we expect?

That’s an outstanding question.  Of course, we should be open to “another way” of pursuing our personal ministry.  But we should be just as open in our search for an eternal companion.

Far too many of us limit our probability of success in that search by eliminating possibilities that present a seemingly undesirable path.  We want someone with specific characteristics.  But that special someone who can help us experience the most happiness may not conform to any of those expectations.

---

My grandpa was led to an unusual place —in a suit, on a rooftop, on a Sunday. Trust God to lead you, even if that way looks different than you expected or is different from others.

Latter-day Saints come in many shapes and sizes, but “all are alike unto God” —“black and white, bond and free, male and female,” single and married, rich and poor, young and old, lifelong member and recent convert. No matter who you are or what you’re dealing with, you are invited to the Lord’s table.

As justified as you might feel in adopting them, self-imposed limitations serve only to keep you single, because they reduce the number of candidates you’ll consider.  It doesn’t take a math genius to understand that decreasing your sample size means a decreased probability that the person you seek is in that sample.  And that means a lower likelihood of success.

Open your mind to unexpected pathways to success.  When do you do, you’ll experience the blessings Sister Craig declared.

---

Each one of us, regardless of age or circumstance, can strive to seek, receive, and act. As you follow this eternal pattern ordained for our day, you will draw nearer to Jesus Christ —His love, His light, His direction, His peace, and His healing and enabling power. And you will increase your spiritual capacity to become an everyday instrument of His hands in accomplishing His great work.

And that will bring you more joy in your journey.

You can listen to the monologue from today's episode of Joy In The Journey Radio here.  Please also feel free to continue the conversation by leaving a comment below.  Want to hear more?  Listen to the whole show by going to the show page for this episode.