Please Holler, God

Brother Dushku had the Spirit make a powerful impression on him by one day telling him to sit down and shut up.  It is one of his treasured spiritual experiences.

My point is that there are many ways to receive heavenly rays of testimony. These are just a few, of course. They may not be dramatic, but all of them form part of our testimonies.

Brothers and sisters, I have not seen a pillar of light, but, like you, I have experienced many divine rays. Over the years, I’ve tried to treasure such experiences. I find that as I do, I recognize and remember even more of them. Here are some examples from my own life. They may not be very impressive to some, but they are precious to me.

I remember being a rowdy teenager at a baptism. As the meeting was about to begin, I felt the Spirit urge me to sit down and be reverent. I sat down and stayed quiet the rest of the meeting.

My own treasure house contains many such. I have also been blessed that way.

The Divine Character Includes Humor

God–obviously–is not just tender and loving and inspirational, though the Godhead is those things. So its not suprising that the Spirit can convey emotions and thoughts other than tender and loving and inspirational ones. Its less obvious why people like me and Brother Dushku would value God chewing us out or laughing at us.

Brother Dushku’s talk makes it obvious.  Because its contact from God.  He cares enough about you to holler at you.

I could talk about how great it feels to have God trust you with a wider range of divine interaction, but that’s mostly just a story. The truth is, it feels good to know God cares. Children basically love it when their parents care enough to rein them in. Wives love it when their husbands care enough to have opinions and reactions, sometimes even negative ones. Husbands who act like dorks will die a little inside if their wives don’t roll their eyes.

I genuinely believe that all of us whatever the outcome will ultimately be grateful to be judged by God. It is good to be in His presence. For the same reason, we will welcome the judgment.