Hearing Him Once in A While (Girl's Camp 2021 Recap Talk)
When I was a preteen, our refrigerator started to make a very loud bird squawk noise. In fact, it was so loud that whenever it happened, it would stop us from whatever we were doing, and we’d take notice. Obviously, this noise concerned my parents, who feared that the fridge’s death was imminent. A repairman told them that because of the age of the fridge, it should just be replaced. I grew up in a home where money was always in short supply, so my parents just decided to see how long it would last and hoped for the best. For a while, the bird squawk would draw our attention from whatever we were doing, but we noticed it less and less as time went on. When friends or neighbors would come over to the house, they would say, “What was that noise?” or “Did you guys get a bird?” It would take us a moment to realize what they were talking about because we were learning to tune it out. After all, it made noise on and off all day and night. It eventually got to the point that when new people would ask about it, we would just tell them that we had a bird in our fridge and offer to show it to them. It was kind of our family joke. It didn't take long until we only noticed the noise when others would point it out.
This went on for a year or two. After a short time, no one in my family noticed the noise anymore, and friends and neighbors who frequented our house didn’t notice it either. We had learned to overlook the squawking bird until one day, the fridge stopped working. At this point, my parents were forced to look into the issue, and thankfully my Dad was able to fix the problem, which was a fan, at little cost. The bird squawk was gone forever.
This year’s camp theme was, Finding Our Value in Christ and Hearing Him. Much of camp was based on President Russell M Nelson’s talk, Hear Him, from the April 2020 General Conference.
So what does a squawking bird refrigerator have to do with girl’s camp this year? Well, much like my family became so accustomed to the sound of the squawking bird fridge that we tuned it out and no longer heard it, the same can happen to us spiritually. We can become so accustomed to the influence and whisperings of the Holy Ghost that we fail to recognize when we are being led and influenced consistently and regularly by Him.
During testimony meeting at girls camp, a consistent theme shared by multiple girls was that they enjoyed camp because they felt the spirit. That is a great thing! I loved hearing that. However, many of these same young women got emotional as they also shared they hadn’t felt the spirit in a long time, and this was the first time in “quite a while” that they had felt it. My daughter shared this sentiment during her testimony.
This was concerning to me for several reasons. I hate to think of anyone only feeling the spirit once in a while. Still, it concerns me deeply that our amazing, valiant, and strong young women and young men may think their Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ, are only interested in sharing their love on special occasions or in testifying of truth under exceptional circumstances, like camps and conferences. Father’s loving guidance is available anytime, any day, and anywhere.
We learn and feel the love of our Heavenly Father through the Spirit. Through the Spirit, we feel the effects of the atonement of Jesus Christ working in our lives. These manifestations of love build our sense of worth and value. We all need to feel the Spirit. How many of us have begun to think we only feel this once in a while? I know there have been times when I have felt this way.
After we had returned home from camp, I pondered on this issue. As members of the church, we have been given the gift of the Holy Ghost. We may become so used to His companionship and constant guidance that we fail to recognize, realize, or acknowledge His consistent influence on us. We can become convinced that the only times we hear Him are in moments when we would say the spirit is powerful. Like when we have a burning in our chest, or we are filled with emotion, or another similarly strong feeling. However, we learn in Helaman 5:30 that most often, the Spirit is “…not a voice of thunder, neither …a voice of a great tumultuous noise, but behold, it [is] a still voice of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper….”
Knowing when we hear or feel the spirit can be difficult when we consistently try to do what is right because His voice becomes our voice. His voice becomes second nature to us, and unfortunately, too often, it becomes commonplace. We only stop to recognize His words and influence when it’s powerful or comes to us in a different way or an uncommon setting. However, we can rest assured that we are always guided by the Spirit when we are trying to keep the commandments and be faithful. Even, and especially when we don’t do everything perfectly.
President Nelson said, “We also hear him more clearly as we refine our ability to recognize the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. It has never been more imperative to know how the Spirit speaks to you than right now. In the Godhead, the Holy Ghost is the messenger. He will bring thoughts to your mind which the Father and Son want you to receive. He is the Comforter. He will bring a feeling of peace to your heart. He testifies of truth and will confirm what is true as you hear and read the word of the Lord. I renew my plea for you to do whatever it takes to increase your spiritual capacity to receive personal revelation.”
“Doing so will help you know how to move ahead with your life, what to do during times of crisis, and how to discern and avoid the temptations and the deceptions of the adversary.”
Some of the ways President Nelson suggests we can learn to Hear Him better are through temple attendance, family history work, scripture study, heeding the words of the prophets, and working to determine how the Holy Ghost speaks to us individually.
I have been working on President Nelson’s last suggestion for the past few years, recognizing how I Hear Him. Rather than focusing on the strong spiritual manifestation sort of way, I have been working to hear Him in normal day-to-day and oftentimes mundane circumstances. Like most good gifts in the gospel, this requires work and consistency on my part. And unfortunately, I could be more diligent. But forcing myself to stop and consider my day or week regularly and the feelings and nudges I felt, and taking a minute to write down my thoughts after praying, have helped me identify patterns that I believe are how my Father communicates with me. It also helps me to see His hand more clearly in all areas of my life.
From personal experience, I know that depression and anxiety can make it more challenging to feel and hear Father speak to us through the Holy Ghost. During those times, we can make small choices to practice more exact obedience in one area. We can take time for intentional listening and look for ways to acknowledge the promptings we receive, no matter how small or insignificant. These times can allow us to exercise increased faith by looking forward with patience, humility, and long-suffering while waiting on the Lord.
President Nelson goes on to say, “What will happen as you more intentionally hear, hearken, and heed what the Savior has said and what He is saying now through his prophets? I promise that you will be blessed with additional power to deal with temptation, struggles, and weakness. I promise miracles in your marriage, family relationships, and daily work. I promise that your capacity to feel joy will increase even if turbulence increases in your life.”
If any of us feel like these dear young women, that we only feel the Spirit on special occasions, I pray that we will be guided to recognize when the Spirit is teaching and guiding us. Don’t tune out the squawking bird fridge because it has become commonplace. One day you may find that it’s no longer working. Brothers and Sisters, I pray that we will do the spiritual work necessary to feel and recognize the Spirit working in our lives daily. Not only do we need those manifestations of love for ourselves, but they strengthen us to share His love with those around us.