"Doing hard things." I think those were the words I typed into the search bar on lds.org today, as I looked for something to read. I came across this talk, given by Elder Richard G. Scott as a BYU devotional several years ago. It was exactly what I needed!
I love how in the beginning of the talk, he tells us we should learn to act according to what we hear, see, and feel, as prompted by the Holy Ghost. This principle really struck me as true today. Sometimes I wait and wait for spiritual promptings when there is plenty to learn just by watching and listening to what's going on and judging a situation for myself. However, we can often judge the goodness of the path we're on by what we see and hear and how we feel. Even if we don't have what seems to be an explicit prompting from the Spirit, if we are praying for the Spirit's companionship and guidance daily, we can trust our feelings about a choice we have to make. Elder Scott, in speaking about choosing some key guiding principles for our lives, states, "Tragedy, disappointment, and lack of attainment in life come when one is dishonest with self or with the Lord." How true is that?! If we have chosen our priorities and goals, we can surely feel when we are being dishonest with ourselves and God and following a path that won't really lead us to achieve our goals. I believe that is true, because I have felt those feelings of misgiving from time to time. I have also felt confidence when headed down a path that will lead me where God wants me to be.
