"Pay closer attention"

"He's nervous." The cadence of his speech and the look on his face gave him away. I recognized the signs because I do some of those same things. My wonderful nephew, Tim, had recently returned from the mission field. As he spoke in church he related the story of Elder Rasband assisting President Eyring in helping to assign missionaries ("The Divine Call of a Missionary," April 2010). Elder Rasband, surprised he was asked his thoughts about where a missionary should be assigned was told, "Pay closer attention and you too can know." Tim repeated that line a few times in his talk and it occurred to me that I might miss important and meaningful opportunities if I didn't "pay closer attention." 

On the lookout, I returned from his meeting to my own. I love our Stake President - he is such a loving and humble man. He is a true disciple of the Savior. We had the privilege of him joining us in our meeting and sharing a quick thought at the closing of our meeting. He likened the messages of the recent General Conference to the rays of the sun breaking through storm clouds to warm us and invited us to study them again. Then he sat down and we commenced to sing the closing Hymn - "Our Savior's love shines like the sun with perfect light, as from above it breaks through clouds of strife..." After the meeting I asked him if he had known what the closing hymn would be. He told me he had not. As we rejoiced together in that second witness together he said something like, "I hope they got it." Me too.

I know that the Lord speaks through modern prophets to his children in General Conference. Their messages are warming evidence of His great love and they have power to pierce the darkness and light the way. I am grateful for the council to study them again and again, and for the council to pay closer attention so that I could recognize the signature of heaven on the Lord's message to my ward through His chosen servant this last Sunday.