I spoke in church yesterday. I had already said yes to leading the music and picking out the hymns for the day, but when I was asked to give a talk I said yes without checking my calendar. Oops. Actually, it worked out pretty well. I was able to pick hymns that corresponded with the talk topics, including I Will Walk With Jesus, one of the newly released hymns. It fit so well and the congregation sounded beautiful singing it!
I was told to prepare to speak for twenty minutes. That felt unrealistic, but I prepared a talk that came in at just under nineteen minutes anyway. I identified at least one paragraph I could skip to trim it down. Then, as the meeting progressed, I watched the time get shorter and shorter. While listening to the speaker before me I found sections I could summarize rather than read completely. Unfortunately, the scriptures were hit the hardest. I read the first and last scripture I'd prepared, but I just shard the takeaway applicable to the topic for the others. I ended up with twelve minutes left in the meeting and I think I spoke for between fourteen and fifteen minutes.
What I'm sharing here is the entire talk. However, I've italicized the sections I skipped. You can read it as it was written OR as it was delivered.
Walk In God's Light
Three weeks ago we had the opportunity to attend my nephew’s baptism. He asked if I would give a talk about the Holy Ghost. I said sure, prepared some thoughts and questions for him so it would be more of a discussion, and my husband Bryan and I and our five kids drove down to Maryland. When we got to the baptism I discovered that his grandma (my sister-in-law’s mom) was giving the talk about baptism. She was a teacher for many years and it shows. She’d made a path out of construction paper and stuck it on the board in the front of the room. She’d also cut out paper footprints that she added to the path as she spoke. There was one for faith, one for repentance, one for baptism, and one for receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. After she was done and we were walking to watch my nephew get baptized, she whispered in my ear that she’d cut out extra footprints, if I wanted to use them.
I definitely wanted to use them, or at least use one. When I spoke I added another footprint and said that it represented the future covenants he could make and enduring in keeping the covenants he had just made by being baptized, and we talked about what covenants are. One benefit of using the visual aids is that we looked like we’d totally coordinated our talks and were super prepared. But the more important benefit, at least for my nephew, was that it gave him a concrete image of what it looks like to begin to walk beside the Savior, to walk the Covenant Path, to walk in God’s light.
There’s a section in the newest iteration of the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet called Walk in God’s Light. The opening paragraph states: “You make better choices when you can see things clearly. That’s why light is so important: light makes it easier to see the right path. Heavenly Father has given you access to heavenly light—the gift of the Holy Ghost—to help you see clearly what is good and bad, right and wrong.”
Right after we’re baptized, we’re given the gift of the Holy Ghost. He can be our constant companion. There are three things that we need to do to invite the Holy Ghost to continue to be with us. The first is learning to hear how he speaks to us. The second is making consistent choices that will keep him near. The third is acting on those promptings we receive.
How do we learn to listen to the Holy Ghost? The same section in the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet says, “Learning to be aware of the Spirit takes time, practice, and patience. He speaks to different people in different ways. Don’t overlook simple things—the peaceful feeling you get hearing someone’s testimony or the unsettled feeling you get after making a wrong choice. Search the scriptures for different ways the Spirit communicates, pray about it, and keep looking for opportunities to feel the Spirit.”
How does the Spirit communicate with us? What do the scriptures say about it?
Doctrine and Covenants 6:23 says: “Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God?” A feeling of peace often accompanies promptings from the Spirit. I felt this yesterday as I prayed about a family member traveling away from home.
Doctrine and Covenants 8:2 teaches, “Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart.” He can give promptings to your brain and to your heart.
1 Kings 19:11-12 say, “And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: 12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” He often speaks in a quiet, still voice. I have, on occasion, heard the Holy Ghost use a stronger voice, but that’s not his usual communication method.
Luke 24:30-32 tells about the resurrected Savior visiting his disciples. They didn’t recognize him at first, the witness of the Holy Ghost helped them understand the truth of who He was and is. It says, “30 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. 32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?” Their hearts burned with the Holy Ghost’s confirmation about who Jesus was. That’s still one of his most important roles, bearing witness of the Savior.
And Doctrine and Covenants 11:11-13 says, “For, behold, it is I that speak; behold, I am the light which shineth in darkness, and by my power I give these words unto thee. 12 And now, verily, verily, I say unto thee, put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good—yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit. 13 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy;” If we aren’t sure if it’s the Spirit prompting us to do something, ask if you’re being led to do something good, to judge righteously, to walk humbly. If so, the answer is probably yes. And the promise included in that last verse is so powerful: the Spirit will enlighten your mind and fill your soul with joy. With joy!
Learning to hear the Holy Ghost is part one, remember? Part two is making choices that will keep him near.
Last night one of my kids came into my room while I was working on this talk. They asked if they could use my shower since one of their siblings was using the other shower. I said sure. Then they asked if they could listen to music while they showered. I said yes, as long as it didn’t drive away the Spirit. They paused and replied, “I’ll wait.”
Now, I need to tell you that this child gave permission for me to tell this story. And after I asked if I could share it (because it was so perfect for my topic), we discussed how to tell if a song is driving away the Spirit. They did shower. And they did listen to music. I could hear songs from the Strive To Be album that the church produced playing through the wall.
As amusing as that exchange was for me, it highlighted a very real question: what do I need to do to continue to walk in God’s light and keep the Holy Ghost close? The For the Strength of Youth booklet has four suggestions:
Make time for the Lord every day.
Seek that which uplifts, inspires, and invites the Spirit.
Use social media to uplift.
Seek wholesome experiences and real and lasting relationships.
Making time for the Lord everyday includes learning about Him, spending time reading and pondering the scriptures and words of the living prophets, praying to Heavenly Father, then doing everything in our power to live what we’ve learned. For me this includes listening to and singing church music. It also includes trying to love my neighbor and saying I’m sorry when I fall short. For some it might mean spending time out in nature. For others it may mean finding a quiet spot to meditate and listen to the Holy Ghost.
The second invitation is to seek that which inspires, uplifts, and invites the Spirit. When you choose music to listen to, movies, TV shows, YouTube videos, and TikToks to watch, ask if they bring you closer to the Spirit. Are you reading books and magazines and articles that uplift you? If the answer to any of these questions is no, it’s time to make some changes. I read a lot. A lot, a lot. In the last few months I’ve had to stop reading some of the books I’ve started because the action taking place on the page was not conducive to the Spirit. This section advises, “Stay away from anything that mocks sacred things or that is immoral. Don’t participate in anything that dulls your judgment or sensitivity to the Spirit, such as violence, alcohol, and harmful drugs. Have the courage to turn off a video or game, walk out of a movie or a dance, change your music, or turn away from anything that is not consistent with the Spirit.” I still love to read and I still read a lot, books in general are not the problem. In fact, there are wonderful uplifting movies, TV shows, songs, and influencers. But we need to be discerning about what we let into our minds and hearts.
The third invitation is to use social media to uplift. A quote from this section says, “Social media can be a powerful communication tool. If you use it, focus on light, faith, and truth. Don’t compare your life to what other people seem to be experiencing. Remember that your worth comes from being a child of heavenly parents, not from social media.” Do the people you follow on Instagram and Facebook inspire you to be more Christlike? Do your posts inspire others to do good? Are they inviting contention or the Holy Ghost?
The final invitation is to seek wholesome experiences and real and lasting relationships. Over the past few years I’ve spent less and less time on social media. I took it off my phone so it wouldn’t be as available. And when I am on social media I try to focus on the good. In the nearly 23 years we’ve been married, we’ve lived in every time zone in the contiguous United States. We have friends all over the country and it can be tempting to spend my time on social media keeping up with what they’re doing. But as I remind my kids, it’s important to focus on the people you’re with in person rather than the people on the other side of the tiny device in your hand. I still occasionally discover that Instagram or Facebook has sucked away more minutes of my life than I intended, but that’s not happening as much anymore.
If we do these things, learn to listen to the Holy Ghost, make choices that invite his constant companionship, and then act on those promptings, we are promised that “the Spirit will be with us always.” That’s where the joy of walking in God’s light comes from, from being able to feel and recognize the Holy Ghost on a regular basis. Part of his job is to bring comfort and to help us feel God’s love.
What happens if we make a poor choice about what we let into our mind and heart? I love a good list and the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet has a list just for this situation. It’s short, so I’ll read it in its entirety. It says, “Call it what it is. Acknowledge what you are tempted to do. You might even say it aloud—for example, “This image is pornography,” “This doesn’t feel right,” or “This could hurt someone’s feelings.” Replace what you are doing with a better choice. Get away; move to another room or go outside. Focus on something good. Connect with someone or something you love and respect—maybe a family member, a supportive friend, or your favorite scripture. Most of all, connect with your Heavenly Father, and pray for strength.”
I was running errands this week during one of the many rainstorms. What had been a hot, sunny day was now a dark, cloudy one. I was ruminating about my talk for today, thinking about walking in God’s light, when a new thought occurred to me: what about when you can’t see the light? What happens when you know it’s there, but you aren’t able to access it? Like the heavy rain clouds that separated me from the sun, depression, anxiety, and other mental health concerns can make us feel cut off from God’s love and light, even when we’re doing all the things we’ve been taught to do. What do we do then?
I asked this question to a few friends. They each gave poignant answers, ones they have gained from their own difficult experiences. Here’s what they counseled:
Remember. Take time to remember how that light felt when you could feel it, how the Holy Ghost communicated with you. Remember that the way you feel now is not the way you have always felt. If you can’t remember, ask a trusted friend how the Holy Ghost feels to them.
Write down what you remember. Keeping a journal about impressions you’ve received from the Holy Ghost can help in times of darkness and despair. Reading those previous experiences can bring hope.
Continue doing the things that brought you close to the Spirit in the past: keep reading scriptures, keep praying, keep attending the Temple if you have the opportunity.
Stepping forward in the darkness, following the teachings of the Savior, takes faith. Cultivate that faith.
President Jeffrey R. Holland spoke on this very topic in October 2013. He said:
“Above all, never lose faith in your Father in Heaven, who loves you more than you can comprehend… Never, ever doubt that, and never harden your heart. Faithfully pursue the time-tested devotional practices that bring the Spirit of the Lord into your life. Seek the counsel of those who hold keys for your spiritual well-being. Ask for and cherish priesthood blessings. Take the sacrament every week, and hold fast to the perfecting promises of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Believe in miracles. I have seen so many of them come when every other indication would say that hope was lost. Hope is never lost. If those miracles do not come soon or fully or seemingly at all, remember the Savior’s own anguished example: if the bitter cup does not pass, drink it and be strong, trusting in happier days ahead.”
Walking in God’s light can bring us so much joy. And when we can’t access that joy, walking in God’s light can strengthen our faith and increase our hope that joy will be in our future.
Galatians 5:25 says, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
I bear my witness that we can walk in God’s light. I have felt the Holy Ghost, I know that he’s real and that he can be our constant companion. I know that if we make choices that keep us close to the Spirit, we will better be able to hear him. And I know that if we take a misstep and make a mistake, we have the chance to repent and choose again. I have faith in the words that Elder Patrick Kearon spoke in our most recent General Conference when he said, “My friends, my fellow disciples on the road of mortal life, our Father’s beautiful plan, even His “fabulous” plan, is designed to bring you home, not to keep you out. No one has built a roadblock and stationed someone there to turn you around and send you away. In fact, it is the exact opposite. God is in relentless pursuit of you. He “wants all of His children to choose to return to Him,” and He employs every possible measure to bring you back.”
As we sang together today in this beautiful new hymn:
As I walk with Jesus to my home above,
He will bless me with His Spirit and fill me with His love,
Change my heart forever and help me clearly see.
I will walk with Jesus, and He will walk with me.
I know that these things are true. I say them in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
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