Notes from a loving Father

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Saturday Afternoon Session of the October 1989 Conference.

Elder Scott's talk, Learning to Recognize Answers to Prayers, was just the sort of talk I remember him for most—thoughtful and full of good advice. I really liked this quote about how we can act on our best guess when we aren't quite sure what Heavenly Father wants us to do, and then trust in His guidance:

When He withholds an answer, it is to have us grow through faith in Him, obedience to His commandments, and a willingness to act on truth. We are expected to assume accountability by acting on a decision that is consistent with His teachings without prior confirmation. We are not to sit passively waiting or to murmur because the Lord has not spoken. We are to act.

Most often what we have chosen to do is right. He will confirm the correctness of our choices His way. That confirmation generally comes through packets of help found along the way. We discover them by being spiritually sensitive. They are like notes from a loving Father as evidence of His approval. If, in trust, we begin something which is not right, He will let us know before we have gone too far.

That "packets of help" idea reminded me of Elder Andersen's talk where he compared spiritual experiences to "luminous stones" along our path. I like the idea that God places these little experiences in our way as confirmation that we're on the right path—and then they bless us yet again as we look back at them, remembering. They're often small, though, so we have to make an effort to "be spiritually sensitive," as Elder Scott says—to take note of and then remember them, or we might miss them altogether!

Other posts in this series:

Two great commandments as one—by Nathaniel Givens

Each of our lives matter—by Jan Tolman