We had stake conference this past weekend, and as usual, my husband and I were dreading going with our three small children. It is always difficult to keep them quiet and happy for two straight hours. But, they did great, and I actually heard some of the talks!
Our stake president spoke last, and I really liked what he had to say. He shared a story about his teenage niece. He said that at a family Christmas gathering, his kids, and lots of their cousins were hanging out together in the front room of his house. He wasn’t sure what they were doing, but there was lots of laughing, and they were obviously having a lot of fun together enjoying their tween activity. Whatever it was. He said that they were being really loud. And, he was in the kitchen preparing something.
He heard one of the kids say to his niece, “Where are you going?” and she replied, “To check my phone. I just got a text message and I need to text back.” She walked into the kitchen where he stood, and where her phone was plugged in. He realized that he never heard her phone make a sound amidst all the loud fun coming from the front room. And, the phone was right beside him.
But, the phone wasn’t right beside her. Instead, it was in another room. And, there was lots of noise going on, but she was so tuned into the small sound that her phone made when she got a text, that she was able to hear it despite all the noise and activity.
He likened this experience to us and the Spirit. He asked us if maybe there is a lot of noise and activity going on in our own lives that might be keeping us from hearing the Spirit when it is trying to reach us. For some reason, this really stuck with me.
There is a lot of noise going on in my life. And, I’m not just talking about the noise of my three kids. I’m talking about noise that I am choosing to have there. That isn’t necessarily good for me. We all have it. Things that distract us from being a better person. Things that impede us from hearing the voice of the Lord when He is trying to speak to us. What is the noise that is keeping you from hearing that still small voice?
*Photo courtesy of Morguefile.com