If you have thoughts you want to share on this topic, please feel free to share them in the comments section.

Melissa: Learning to recognize the Spirit is such a personal journey. Not only do impressions differ from person to person, they differ with each experience. I would assume I’m like many–wanting to learn how to recognize the Spirit and invite the Lord more fully into my life.

The times I’ve felt most influenced by the Spirit have been when reading or watching something and part of the content hits me with particular force. Sometimes when praying about a problem I’ll have an image or memory come to mind. It’s still hard for me to differentiate the Spirit from the workings of my own mind, but I’m trying to learn.

Cheryl: I like Melissa’s response. I, too, have had an image or memory come to my mind when seeking an answer.

When I was younger, the Spirit tended to manifest truth to me through the “burning of the bosom” –but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve found that mostly it has come through words and thoughts –that clarity of thinking. I think it’s wonderful that as we change and grow, the Spirit changes the way we can hear/feel Him. Since our circumstances, education, growth, and desires mature and change, it makes sense to me that the way I’ve heard/felt the Spirit has changed, too.

Emily: We had a Family Home Evening lesson on this topic with our children. My then-five-year-old daughter was worried because she says she’s never felt the Spirit before. I’m pretty sure she has, but did not realize it yet.

One of the things we talked about is that learning how the Spirit speaks to you is a lifelong process. It is important to seek the Spirit, to learn about how the Spirit can work so you recognize it.

For my kids, for this lesson, I compared the Spirit/Comforter to the warmth of a blanket or a quilt. I think that’s a good place to begin.

RoAnn: My personality also seems to be one where clarity of thought and peace of mind about decisions seem to be the ways I most easily recognize the Spirit speaking to me.

I think one of the best ways to help children as well as ourselves to learn to recognize the influence of the Spirit in our lives is to discuss our experiences in the family, and write them down so that we can remember and refer to them.

Most of us have had discernible spiritual experiences: an idea on how to find a lost item; a feeling of relief or forgiveness after repenting of unkind act; a strong feeling of divine love and comfort when we are suffering; a prompting to call or visit a friend; a prompting to refrain from doing or saying something.

Many times (although not always!) we can see good results when we follow the direction of the Spirit, and bad results when we ignore it. Discussing our thought process and how we felt when we made a particular choice, and then reflecting on the consequent results, can help us learn to discern how the Spirit may be working in our lives.

Another Mormon woman said this: The actual Church is responsible to teach only the first four principles of the gospel, which are faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. Once a person has received the gift of the Holy Ghost, it is the job of the Holy Ghost to teach them all things.

Recognizing the promptings and teachings of the Holy Ghost are necessary for one to progress further in the gospel. The scriptures only become alive through the teaching of the spirit, otherwise IMHO they would simply be words on a page.

Since the Spirit is felt in a number of ways it is hard to limit it by experience for me. I agree with the comment that learning how the spirit speaks to you is a lifelong process. We will progress until we are filled with the spirit and become sanctified by it.

Michelle: For me, personal revelation comes in different ways, and is often dependent on context or the need.

When I’m trying to make decisions about what to do (as in when I was deciding on a major or deciding about marriage), it often comes in a sense of what I call a “‘forward flow” if it’s right and uneasiness or lack of feeling settled.

If it’s about learning more about truth and doctrine, it will usually be with ideas just clicking, or that sense of “pure intelligence” when I know the ideas are not mine. Light really IS discernible (a la a favorite chapter of scripture, Alma 32).

If it’s about getting through a trial, often, I will just feel a sense of peace and comfort (not always immediately, but I have had enough of those anchors to know that peace can only come from God).

– – – – – – –

**Please note: The answers in “Ask a Mormon Woman” and reflect the thoughts, perspectives, and experiences of individuals. Although here at Mormon Women, we strive to have our content consistent with the Church’s doctrine and teachings, we do not speak officially for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. For official information about or from the Church, please visit www.mormon.org or www.lds.org.

For more Ask a Mormon Woman questions/answers, please click here.

Do you have a question you would like to submit? Simply include a comment below, or send an email at gmail with the username ‘mormonwoman’

– – – – – – –

To hear several members’ experiences with the search for truth and finding answers to life’s questions, see this page at mormon.org.

For more about this topic, see the following articles:

Robert D. Hales, “Personal Revelation: The Teachings and Examples of the Prophets,” Liahona, Nov 2007, 86–89

James E. Faust, “Communion with the Holy Spirit,” Liahona, Mar 2002, 3

L. Lionel Kendrick, “Personal Revelation,” Ensign, Sep 1999, 7

Gerald N. Lund, “Is It Revelation?,” New Era, Jul 2004, 44

Visiting Teaching Message: “Receiving Personal Revelation,” Liahona, Sep 2000, 25

The post Ask a Mormon Woman: How do you recognize the Holy Ghost (Holy Spirit) in your life? appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

I pray because it changes me.  It smoothes out my rough edges, encourages me to be more gentle, helps me be more aware.

I pray because I long for the few minutes of peace and quiet I carve out of the day to speak with my Father, and I find great joy and comfort when I feel He hears me.

I pray because I need the guidance I receive from the conversations I have with God.  I pray because I know that when I listen to and follow the promptings I get during prayer, my life is better.

I pray because I want my children and family to be protected and safe, and I know that when I ask the Lord to watch over them each day, He does.

I pray because life is hard, and sometimes when I pray for it to be easier, burdens are lifted.  Sometimes when I pray for the hard times to go away, they don’t, but through prayer I am made stronger to face those challenges.

I pray because I need help, and God is waiting to help me the very second I ask for it.  I pray because I need and want blessings from above, and God is waiting to give me those blessings just as soon as I am humble enough to ask.

I pray because I am so very blessed, and I want my Heavenly Father to know that I recognize His hand in everything around me – my family, our health, our abundant spaghetti squash plants, the peaceful breeze, my children’s laughter.

Why do you pray?

——

For more We Believe posts, please click here.

The post We Believe: Why I Pray appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

My name is Tequitia and I have been a member of the Mormon church for 13 years. My husband introduced me to the church when he told me he wouldn’t marry someone unless she was a member of the Church. At the time we had been dating almost five years and I had no idea he was a member.  I wanted to marry him, so I called up the missionaries to find out what this church was about. I had the first discussions and honestly, didn’t feel anything from it.

I didn’t continue with the discussions after that. However, I believe that that was the turning point for me in my life. I wasn’t a religious person. I believed in God and Jesus Christ, but I had no formal teachings about Them and my purpose in life.

A few months after meeting with the missionaries, I experienced many changes. I was having financial problems, family issues, employment issues, etc. I was experiencing adversity that eventually led me to discover my faith. I began to have a strong desire to learn about God and live the way he would have me live. I started going to the church of my youth. I started reading the Bible.

At the same time, my boyfriend (now husband) started going back to his ward [congregation]. One day he asked me to attend church with him. I didn’t think of it as him trying to convert me, but as me being supportive, so I went.

Soon I was coming to church with him every Sunday and afterwards having the discussions with the missionaries in a member’s home. One fast and testimony meeting, I felt the Spirit so strongly. I had been reading the Book of Mormon and praying about the church. That evening, the Spirit was so strong amongst us, I knew that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was where the Lord wanted me to be. I got baptized and hold strong to that testimony that the Lord blessed me to receive.

My husband and I were married in the Washington, D.C. Temple a year later. We have been blessed with four beautiful children. I have served in several wonderful callings over the years, but currently serve as the Enrichment Counselor in my ward Relief Society. Besides being a wife and mother, I write a bi-monthly column, East Meets West, for Mormon Times. I fancy myself as an mixed-media artist and enjoy singing, crocheting, sewing, and reading.

I always tell anyone interested in the church to read the Book of Mormon and pray about for themselves. If you ask the Lord earnestly, really having the desire to do what He wants you to do, He will answer.

—

For more Portraits of Mormon Women, please click here.

The post Portraits of Mormon Women: Tequitia appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

My name is Anna and I am a mother, wife, sister, aunt, and friend. I’ve been a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints my whole life, yet I’ve had to discover and develop a faith of my own to make it through the challenging times in life and know that God is really there hearing my prayers.

My family has experienced a lot of heart-ache, growth and change that has made me search myself to know who I really am and what is most important to me. I grew up really focused on academics and thought I wanted to be a traveling career woman. I am a task-oriented person who is recovering from being a compulsive type-A personality. I met my wonderful husband in college, and three years after our marriage we had a beautiful little boy and two years later a little girl, changing my view of what is really important in life for the better.

When our son Spencer was 3 years old, he became inexplicably very ill and went through three days of hospitalization trying to figure out what was wrong. It was terrifying as we went through various tests and doctors told us about extremely high white blood cell counts and potential causes like Leukemia. We finally discovered that my son had had the worst level of vesicoureteral reflux—a widening of the ureters causing a “backwash” of urine and bacteria causing serious kidney infections and other bladder problems.

In Spencer’s urinary reflux health issues, there has not been a clear breakthrough for a cure but I’ve seen steady progress, and I see how he has received comfort and strength in small ways. His bladder is improving in that he feels like he needs to use the bathroom, which he did not sense before and he adheres to his potty break schedule every three hours with very few complaints even when it interrupts his own agenda. A few adults have told me that Spencer has told them about his surgery on his own in a way that expresses his strong faith that he will get better. He hears us pray for him as a family and afterward gives us big hugs, saying in a sincere way that melts my heart, “Thank you, I love you.” Prayer provides that comforting assurance that someone is listening and truly does care for us.

All this happened when we lived far away from family while my husband was in graduate school in New York. It was so reassuring to have a network of support through The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as others helped us through the difficult times.

When Spencer’s health became stable I enjoyed taking my kids to the park and enjoyed the wide spectrum of people of all race, religion, political, and cultural backgrounds. Somehow being at the park and having children is the great uniting force for strangers. Children’s play areas have been the best place to meet new people and have interesting discussions. For example, when discussing Spencer’s recent surgery, I often found myself explaining how we pray for a good outcome and how those prayers help Spencer be at peace. One woman sincerely asked me, “Do you really think someone is listening and your prayers are heard?” And I was able to answer with a resounding, “Yes.”

—-

For more First Person essays, please click here.

The post First Person: Is Anybody Listening? appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

I am a deep sleeper. I know as a mother, that is usually an oxymoron. Mothers are typically not the deep sleepers. Mothers will wake at the sound of a slight cough, while fathers will sleep through the earthquakes and thunderstorms.

It hasn’t always been this way for me. When my babies were small, all it took was a little stirring in the newborn crib, and I was up, rushing to their side. If someone so much as sighed in their sleep, it woke me up.

Not so much anymore.

I find that when my head hits the pillow, I am OUT. I often barely wake as the Husband is heading out the door for early morning flights or going into the office (a fact which does annoy him to no end). I love my sleep. I NEED my sleep.

Me and the sunrise? Not good friends. We’ve never actually met.

And it is that fact which makes this experience all the more amazing to me.

Last night, probably around two or three in the morning, I sat bolt upright in bed. I was awake and conscious, but was not sure what had woken me up. I then felt the strong need to go into my boys’ bedroom.

There, in the middle of my two sleeping sons, I saw that their lamp was on, and the shade was tilted, resting on the hot light bulb. There was smoke rising from the lamp, as the heat from the light was burning a hole in the side of the lampshade. I immediately went over and pulled the smoldering shade off, and unplugged the lamp. Not even recognizing the significance then, I went back to bed. Even as I crawled back under the covers, the what-ifs still had not hit me. Like a lug, I was back to sleep in an instant.

It was only when my eyes first opened this morning that I realized and thought about what might have been. What could have happened, had I not been pulled from a deep sleep, and directed into their room. Today, in the light of day, I have a pit in my stomach as my imagination has run wild with the horrible what-ifs.

I know that lamp was off when we went to bed. We always tuck the kids in, turn off their lights, and pry books out from under their heavy arms. Always. The only thing I can think of is that one of the boys must have gotten up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, and turned on the bedside lamp in the process.

So, why did I wake up? There were no smoke alarms going off, no bright lights in my eyes. No noise from stumbling kids. Why?

Well, I’m a dummy if I don’t know why.

I do know why.

My Heavenly Father woke me up, directed me to their bedroom, and helped prevent anything bad from happening to my sweet boys.

Simple as that.

What isn’t so simple is why sometimes bad things happen without such intervention. I can’t answer all those whys. But still, I cannot deny the overwhelming feeling of love and protection that I had in my heart after this experience. In this great big world of ours, Someone is aware of me. Someone is aware of my family. Someone is watching over us. He really is. Even in the middle of the night, when a simple lamp shade is turned too far the wrong way.

This experience awakened much in me, things I sometimes forget. I am grateful. I am grateful to remember that God loves me. That He is aware of me. He is watching over me, and my sleeping angels. Even though I swear sometimes. Even though sometimes I complain about having to go to church on really pretty Sunday afternoons. Even though I get annoyed with my kids. Even though sometimes I tuck my spirituality away, and pretend it’s not there. He still loves me. He still loves us.

I just wanted to share that with you, in case, like me, you had forgotten, too.

—–

For more First Person posts, please click here.

The post First Person: An Awakening appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

~by Jenny

At first Melissa may seem like a typical Mormon, raised in Utah as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. While she has been a member of the Church her whole life, her parents haven’t actively participated in church services. During her teenage years she remembers going to all of the activities and Sunday services, with her parents blessing, but they never attended with her. Melissa’s parents and siblings still choose not to participate in activities with the Church, but support her in her desires to serve and take part in the Church.

Another aspect of Melissa’s life that is not typical is her role as a rancher’s wife. She lives with her husband and two children on a large ranch in Northern Utah where she supports her husband’s extended family through great service. Her husband’s elderly grandparents live just steps away and Melissa often provides meals and help to them. They say that they could not make it without the help they receive from Melissa. It is no surprise that her favorite assignment in the church was as compassionate service leader (a special assignment in the women’s organization (Relief Society) that involves caring for those with urgent or intense needs). Her charity is plentiful.

Melissa is also a schoolteacher. You may think that being a teacher isn’t unique, but the type of school she teaches in is unique. It is a school that teaches Kindergarten through 10th grade in just four classrooms. Melissa teaches the 4th through 6th grades in a room next to her mother-in-law, who teaches Kindergarten. While she enjoys tackling a challenge, life on the ranch can be isolating. Melissa is grateful to share her talents through teaching. Many Mormon women worry about working outside of the home when they have children, and Melissa is no different. She is grateful to have found a wonderful family who shares their lives with her children. She feels like they have an even bigger loving family with the childcare help she receives from them.

Melissa’s faith is interwoven through her days. With her husband out on the ranch (often with no cell phone service) and working with the volunteer fire department, her heart is continually asking Heavenly Father for his protection and safe return. Prayers are frequent during the winter, as they go about their duties in blowing and drifting snow.

As you can imagine, being pregnant is an especially trying time to be so far from the city. When expecting her second child Melissa went into labor with the hospital an hour and a half away. She prayed continually while her husband drove (at breakneck speed) to the hospital. Their son was delivered safely and Melissa’s reassurance of the Lord’s love for her and her family grew. She is grateful to Father in Heaven for the many prayers He has answered. Because of Melissa’s unique life she has a wonderful opportunity to trust in God and to feel his love and guiding hand in her life.

—-

For more Portraits of Mormon Women, please click here.

The post Portraits of Mormon Women: Melissa appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

I love the hymns, If you look on LDS.org and search under the search term hymns, you’ll find that there are several references to the blessings and power of hymns. Here is one link that I particularly enjoyed from that search:
The Nourishing Power of Hymns by Elder Jay E. Jensen of the Seventy.

Once, I made it a goal to memorize my 25 most favorite hymns including all of the verses. And I did it. Then, I picked 25 more. And 25 more. Then I decided to memorize the first and last verses of 25 more. I love it. It’s a work in progress, but I have seen the blessings of this project numerous times.

Recently, my dear friend, Julie, had to travel far from home to Boston (Massachusetts) to bring her toddler son to a skilled surgeon for heart surgery. Last Sunday, as I was thinking of my friend and her son I was feeling very far away from the situation. I felt completely helpless. I knew my prayers would be heard and felt, but how could my prayers become answers to their needs without me physically being able to serve them in person?

The situation was weighing heavily on my mind as I went to Sacrament Meeting. Our closing hymn that day was Have I Done Any Good? The words in the second verse resonated in my mind and heart all afternoon.

There are chances for work all around just now,
Opportunities right in our way.
Do not let them pass by, saying “Sometime I’ll try,”
But go and do something TODAY. (emphasis added)

I knew I could do something right then. After church, I had my husband contact a previous co-worker of his who now lives in Boston. She quickly responded that she and several of her friends would be willing to take Julie anything she needed right to the hospital. Julie had mentioned in a blog update on her son’s progress a list of things she wished she had brought with her. These sisters in Boston were able to get everything Julie had mentioned along with a lot more thoughtful items they decided to add on their own. They delivered the care package in person and were able to give the attention and time that a UPS man couldn’t.

I was touched by their generosity of time and means and their willingness to help someone they didn’t know. When I asked for a paypal address to compensate them for the items they bought in my behalf, they refused and simply said, “Pass it on.” Many, many prayers were answered by the quick actions of these wonderful women.

Through this experience, I was once again reminded that we are the serving hands of the Lord here on earth. When our hearts are able and willing, mountains can be moved.

One of the scriptures that is mentioned at the bottom of the Hymn Have I Done Any Good? is James 1:22, 27:

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only…

When I’ve found myself in a scary situations like driving home in a snow storm, or riding in a taxi with my baby in anaphylactic shock, or when I’ve been in need of an answer to a prayer and needed a reminder that I’m loved by my Heavenly Father, I’ve been able to recall the beautiful words of the Hymns. Through this hymn, Have I Done Any Good?, doors were opened, hearts were made available, and many people we blessed by serving.

—-

For more First Person essays, please click here.

The post First Person: The Song of the Righteous appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

I was married over 8 years ago when I was barely 19 years old. I felt mature enough to make that kind of decision then and haven’t regretted it (or the man I chose) for a moment. We now have three young children. I won’t tell you they’re perfect angels but I love them to pieces no matter what.

I was born in sunny Southern California but lived most of my life in central Utah. We are now living in Maryland and while it has grown on me, this isn’t “home” for us. Though I only lived in the desert a short time it’s my favorite climate so I’m hoping we’ll soon move somewhere that is hot year-round. I was born to Mormon parents, was baptized when I was 8 and never really doubted the gospel teachings my entire life. But I did go through a period of severe trial a few years ago when I questioned for the first time, everything I’d ever believed. I came through more converted to and sure of the truth of the gospel than I previously had been. I hope to serve a mission for the Mormon Church with my husband after our kids are grown.

In my life, I am a mom first. I get to stay at home with my children and I love it! But I also run a blog design business. In the past I’ve done genealogical research for hire. I am currently the Music Chair in our ward, so I schedule special musical performances and select the hymns for our sacrament service each week.

My biggest hobby is learning. I am constantly trying to teach myself new things, so I have a large list of hobbies and talents I’ve acquired: I love to play the piano, write, read, bake, do cake decorating, scrapbook, couponing, blogging, genealogy, beading, organizing and so much more!

When I was 5 year old, I hopped off the school bus after kindergarten expecting my dad to be there to pick me up. When I didn’t see his truck, I just walked home since it wasn’t too far. I wasn’t afraid until I got to the front door and found it locked. I knew then that no one was home and that I’d either been forgotten or something had happened to my dad. I remembered my parents telling me if I was ever in trouble or scared to say a prayer. I knelt down on the sidewalk and cried my little heart out to God. It was only a few minutes later that a family friend (and not a member of our church) who lived around the block came up the cul-de-sac. She told me she had been sitting in her house when she just knew she needed to come to ours. We called my dad, who had lost track of the time at work and he came home right away. This was a testimony to me that Heavenly Father hears our prayers and that he often uses others to answer them. It reminds me that I need to be listening for His inspiration always.

Besides the tesimony building experience mentioned above, I had a specific moment of clarity concerning God’s love for me when I was about 14 years old. I was going through a lot of turmoil in my mind due to depression and other factors that were yet to be diagnosed. I truly loathed who I was and thought often about ending my life. I was in my room one night thinking my usual bleak thoughts when I suddenly felt God’s love for me through my whole body. I don’t even know how to describe it, just that I felt absolutely overwhelmed at that moment by the most intense love. I knew without a doubt that it was God telling me how very much he loved me and I broke down and wept with relief at the thought that he still had hope in me.

I love being a Mormon woman because no matter where I am in the world, I have instant friendship and support; our church is such a close knit community. We are constantly having activities together and serving each other. It’s really helpful especially if you live so far away from family like we do.
—
For more Portraits of Mormon Women, please click here.

The post Portraits of Mormon Women: Summer appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

When I was a freshman in college, I took Biology. I was in a class of at least 500 students and my professor, as part of the curriculum, had us memorize the skulls of every primate leading to the evolution of man. Our grade for the final depended on this knowledge. But the final was not the problem pressing on my mind. I was more concerned about the fact that my secular and religious studies seemed at odds.

What to do?

Even though I was only 18 years old, I had had many experiences previously where God had answered my prayers. I had all confidence that He would answer my prayers again. I truly believed that God would give me the answers to the universe. No problem.

So I knelt and prayed in my tiny little dorm room, next to my single bed which was lifted up onto cinder blocks for storage. I asked God if evolution was a true principle, and if He in fact did utilize evolution in the creation of man. Then I waited for an answer.

And I got one.

Guess what God told me?

That it was none of my business.

Apparently, the laws behind creating worlds without number are on a need to know basis, and as a freshman in college, I just didn’t need to know.

But what I did find out, was that God answers prayers. Even the far out, wild and fantastic ones. Sure, my answer wasn’t detailed or life altering. But it was an answer. I went on to get an A on that biology test. Well… really a C, but because the test was graded on curve, I ended up getting an A. Since that time I have forgotten the names and appearance of all of those ape skulls, but I haven’t forgotten the way I felt: close to God, full of faith, and loved.

——-

For more First Person essays, please click here.

The post First Person: Evolve appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

One Saturday evening, I went down to the temple in St. George, Utah (45 miles (approx 72 km) from my home). My husband stayed home with the kids so I could attend an endowment session. It was lightly raining when I left my home. Seven miles into the drive, the rain started pelting the windshield. It was coming down so hard it was drowning out my music (believe me, that is LOUD). If it had been hail, it definitely would have broken my windshield. I couldn’t see the road in front of me very well; I immediately slowed down to 40 mph (approx. 64 kph) (the speed limit is 75 mph (approx. 121 kph)).

Many cars had pulled off to the side of the road. I didn’t feel safe pulling off because I couldn’t see those cars until I was practically on top of them. I even started hydroplaning a couple of times. The sky was near black. And I was scared. I thought to myself, “It’s not worth it! I’m not going to the temple. Driving in this weather is too hard and scary.”

I pulled off at the next exit, and decided to call my husband at home, where he could look up the weather on the internet and tell me what the next 34 miles (approx. 55 kilometers) would look like. I said, “Honey, this weather is bad. I’m scared. Will you please look up the radar and tell me if it is safe to go on? Or should I just come home?” He looked up the weather and said, “Oh wow. You just went through a couple of red cells (really, really bad rain). There is one more dark green cell about three to five miles away from where you are, but then right after that it is clear. The whole rest of the drive looks great.”

I decided it would be best to continue on.  If I turned around now, I would have to drive through the terrible rain storm again to get home.  I really wanted to go to the temple, and I was glad to know that it wouldn’t be too bad for the remainder of the trip.

The weather let up for about a mile, and then it got really bad again. It was almost as bad as before, and I was a little scared – but not as scared as before, because I believed what my husband told me on the phone. I noticed a few more cars pulled off to the side of the road, but I kept going.

About one mile past where those cars had pulled off, it was like a wall where the rain stopped and once I drove through it, I didn’t even need my windshield wipers anymore. And eight miles (approx. 13 km) later, the sun came out shining so brightly it almost blinded me.

As I had been praying to make it through this bad weather safely, and especially after the rain stopped right when my husband said it would, I saw meaning in my experience:

All of us go through difficult times in life, whether it is depression, family difficulties or other trials and tribulations. I saw the people pulled off to the side of the road, seemingly giving up. As I had faith in the guidance of someone one who knew more than I did, I was able to make it safely through.

But for a moment, it seemed to get worse before it got better. I had to keep going, no matter what. And then when the sun started blinding me, I saw the calmness and peacefulness after the storm.

I learned a lot on that Saturday night.

For more First person essays, please click here.

The post First Person: The Parable of the Storm appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.