Our Heavenly Father has given us many tools to survive life on earth, and one of the most important tools is our intuition. You know that gut instinct keeping us from the edge of the canyon or reminding us to call a friend? It’s the message you can clearly understand when you are surrounded by the confusing noises today brings us.
How many times have you said to yourself, “I knew better, why didn’t I trust my intuition?”
Daniel Goleman, a Harvard trained psychologist, did a 10 year study on listening to your intuitive feelings. He discovered that brain chemicals, or peptides as they were called, were first discovered in your gut, then they would move up to your chest, through the heart area and then go to the brain. This “feedback loop” provides constant information on what is happening around us.
Learning to listen to that gut feeling has been a very valuable tool in my life.
15 years ago in 2005, I had a speaking engagement over Labor Day weekend for a group of young women at a retreat in Los Angeles.
I would use these work trips as an opportunity to take one of my children with me and have some special “mommy -daughter or -son time.”
On this particular occasion, I decided to take my daughter Brianna who was 7 years old at the time, so she could have me all to herself!
As I was packing, I felt this prompting that I should take my youngest daughter, Abby, who was 2 at that time, with us on this trip. That thought made absolutely no sense to me. So I brushed it off thinking, “Let’s see... a toddler in diapers and a 7 year old in the mountains at a speaking engagement?... nooooo!!!”
I looked over at Abby who was asleep in the crib and again that voice said “take her” and again I said “No!” But when the feeling wouldn’t stop, I gave in. This meant I had to double time it to get her packed, getting an expensive last minute ticket, fill out a to-do list that was already very long and my time, it was as short as my patience! In 10 minutes I packed diapers, baby wipes, blankies, car seat, pacifiers, toys and a stroller. And that was just a necessity list. Now, this fun mommy daughter trip just got a whole lot more complicated and VERY stressful! I went from two small carry-ons to three checked bags... plus I had two more under my eyes... does that count as five bags? 😄
We hurried out the door and barely made the plane on time. As I was sitting there I remember thinking how ridiculous this all was especially since I hadn’t written my speech for the event yet.
After we landed and I had put my girls and all the bags in the car, I remembered I forgot to turn my phone on (I wanted to check my messages before heading up the mountain and losing service). When I turned it on, I received one text after another saying things like “are you ok?” “you’re in the news” and then the big one, “your house is on fire!” 🔥
Thankfully everyone was fine... but it was soooo frightening!!!
We still don’t know what started it, but to make it worse we had just filled our wave runners up with gas to take to the lake when I got home. We also had extra cans of gas next to them, so not only was the house on fire but the cans of gas caused a gigantic explosion that blew up one side of our home, the side where my office, library, and Brianna and Abby’s bedrooms were. The realization that my little Abby would have been napping in her crib when the explosion occurred, was a very chilling realization.
I thanked God that day and every day since for that impression—I KNOW it came from Him! ♥️
Today’s world is a tough one and it’s not easy to filter out the noise from the melody... but as you find some time to pray and meditate, you will be able to hear the, “still small voice” inside us all. It’s a gift we all have been given. During these times we need to keep our lives on God’s path, listening for His voice to direct us. The gift of the Holy Spirit is real and I have experienced it many times in my life, like the story above. The Savior knows us individually and really is in the details of our lives. Now, even more than ever let’s strive to listen to God, who will always direct us in finding peace. He is and will always be my true North.
I love you all,
#SundayMessage
