I have felt many times the love of God, but the only time I think I can claim to have heard his voice was one night when I found myself surprised by a deep joy in the midst of a very busy day of seemingly endless tasks I had been performing for weeks on end. I heard the voice because I finally decided to pay attention to a young man, a stranger whom I had never met before and haven’t seen since, whom I was interviewing for a temple recommend. The young man was very talkative, and at first, I was irritated by this because it was already 10 pm, and I hadn’t been home all day. But as I listened to his story, something convinced me to stop feeling distracted and resentful and to really listen. As I did, his story became more and more moving to me. His courage amid suffering and his determination to build a life for himself lifted me out of my own life. At the conclusion of the interview, he stood and embraced me, thanking me for listening and in his words, “for bringing the spirit.” I was chagrined by my earlier irritation, and as we embraced, I felt overwhelmed with joy. We both felt held by powers beyond us.
On Paying Attention
On Paying Attention
On Paying Attention
I have felt many times the love of God, but the only time I think I can claim to have heard his voice was one night when I found myself surprised by a deep joy in the midst of a very busy day of seemingly endless tasks I had been performing for weeks on end. I heard the voice because I finally decided to pay attention to a young man, a stranger whom I had never met before and haven’t seen since, whom I was interviewing for a temple recommend. The young man was very talkative, and at first, I was irritated by this because it was already 10 pm, and I hadn’t been home all day. But as I listened to his story, something convinced me to stop feeling distracted and resentful and to really listen. As I did, his story became more and more moving to me. His courage amid suffering and his determination to build a life for himself lifted me out of my own life. At the conclusion of the interview, he stood and embraced me, thanking me for listening and in his words, “for bringing the spirit.” I was chagrined by my earlier irritation, and as we embraced, I felt overwhelmed with joy. We both felt held by powers beyond us.