Challenges…

For the past several weeks, I have had the privilege and opportunity to teach the young women in our stake.  I love this time of year.  I love listening to these sweet girls. I love being with them.  I love seeing and feeling their passion for life.  I absolutely love it.  Each lesson has been pretty much the same, delivering the same message except for the last one that I taught on Sunday afternoon. 

As I was driving to my destination, I chose to take a moment to pray. I prayed that I would be directed by the Spirit and that I would touch the heart of at least one young woman.  I asked that my words and thoughts would be where they needed to be. A thought popped into my head. The thought was…ask them. 

Ask them...what?

I continued driving and continued to pour out my heart…wondering what will be the outcome of this lesson.  As I entered the young women's room, I silently prayed that I would know what to say.  I  sat my stuff down on the floor. I went to pull out my outline of my lesson...the same one that I have used in most of my lessons. My papers were gone. For some reason, I didn't panic. Peace was in my heart.  I wasn't supposed to teach that lesson. I had given this lesson...or similar...to almost all of the wards.

They turned the time over to me and I knew that I was supposed to change my lesson. I had seconds to change it. I wasn't panicked. I walked over to the piano, set my scriptures down, grabbed a piece of chalk and turned to the sweet young women in this room. I told them that I wasn't going to teach what I have taught in the other wards. Instead, I asked them what they wanted me to teach. 

I told them that I was impressed to share with them that Heavenly Father loves them so much that for some reason today, I needed to change the lesson for them. I asked them again what they would like to talk about.   I waited. I asked them again.

Silence filled the room...you could hear a pin drop. No one moved. I waited.  They were all staring at me.  Quietly, I turned and walked over to the chalkboard and wrote CHALLENGES on it. I told them today that we were going to talk about this word. I told them that I wanted them to be open and honest with me. I wasn't going to share anything with their parents, their bishop or to anyone. I wasn't going to judge them. I wanted them to share with me their challenges. For the next fifteen minutes, I wrote every word that they said on the board. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes when I heard of some of their challenges...actually…most of their challenges. They ranged from addictions to controlling anger to body image to self-hate to fear...and anything else that you could think of....It was heart wrenching.  I love these girls.  I want to take away all of their challenges.  As they poured out their hearts to me, I felt strongly to share with them that our Heavenly Father loves them so much.

I told them that I would share with them about someone who could help all of those challenges and weakness become their strengths. I turned toward the chalkboard and erased it and replaced all of those words with the name of the most amazing person…our SAVIOR. For the next fifteen or so minutes, I testified to them of the our Savior, Jesus Christ. I testified to them of the Book of Mormon and the power that it brings into our lives if we choose to feast on it each and every day.

I testified to them of the importance of having the Holy Ghost with them as a constant companion. I hope that there was at least one girl who felt the Spirit and will make a change in her life for the better. I challenged them to talk with their parents and to ask them for help.  I know that the Spirit was strong and that I was teaching what I was supposed to teach. I am grateful for these experiences.

As I was reading in the scriptures tonight, I came across a verse in the Book of Mormon, 1Nephi 15:25, “Wherefore, I, Nephi, did exhort them to give heed unto the word of the Lord; yea, I did exhort them with all the energies of my soul, and with all the faculty which I possessed, that they would give heed to the word of God and remember to keep his commandments always in all things.”

Written next to that scripture, I have a quote  by Pres. Thomas S. Monson that states, “I have learned that when we heed a silent prompting and act upon it without delay, our Heavenly Father will guide our footsteps and bless our lives and the lives of others. I know of no experience more sweet or feeling more precious than to heed a prompting only to discover that the Lord has answered another person’s prayer through you.”

I know that this quote is so true.  I have seen it in my own life. I am grateful for these moments when peace fills my heart.  I don’t understand how I can have such strong and inspiring experiences at times and feel so inadequate at other times in my life.  Do you ever experience those high moments only to feel those low moments shortly return?  I would love to know if you do and how you get back to those high moments.

Thanks for listening to me ramble tonight!

~Michelle

P.S. I am grateful for a comfortable bed where I have plenty of blankets and pillows to snuggle with tonight.