August 2006 Ensign - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

38
King Benjamin’s teaching, “[God] doth require that ye
should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do,
he doth immediately bless you” (Mosiah 2:24).
Prayers Answered
I had prayed for more time. It didn’t take me long to
notice that I was somehow getting more accomplished
each day that I worked on family history than I ever got
done on the days before
I gave this hour to the
Lord. Generally, the blessings
came in small, almost
imperceptible ways: the
children weren’t getting
sick, the appliances and
cars didn’t need repairs,
for example. But one day,
the divine assistance was
obvious. I had a son who
needed jeans and a pair
of shorts for Scout camp.
I purchased some for him,
On my way home I had an impression to go up
the street, where I would find a garage sale
with jeans for my son.
but when I took them
home they did not fit and
were not the style he had
hoped for. So I decided
that on the following Saturday I would take him to the
mall and try again. I figured that with the driving time,
it would take at least three hours of the day. When
Saturday came, I attended first to my family history and
ran some errands. On my way home an impression came
to my mind to go up the street, where I would find a
garage sale, and there I would find some jeans for my
son. It was only an impression, but I knew it did not
come from me. Knowing the importance of obedience,
I followed it. Sure enough, at the top of the street, there
was a small garage sale being held for a local charity.
When I walked in, sitting on a table in the middle of the
garage was a stack of new and slightly used jeans only
in my son’s size and next to it a stack of shorts also in his
size. I bought every pair and still paid less than if I had
purchased one or two
pairs at the mall. When I
took them home my son
loved them! That morning
I had given the Lord
one hour of my time. In
return, he gave me back
three hours that I could
spend with my children
and a strengthened testimony
that He lives and is
mindful of even my smallest
challenges.
The Spirit prompted
me to work on family
history. I was able to show
mercy to my ancestors and
bless their lives by doing
for them something they could not do for themselves,
and my family has been blessed abundantly. The Lord has
promised each of us that if we are merciful we will also
obtain mercy. ■
NOTES
1. Quoted in Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Harold B. Lee
(2000), 54.
2. The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, sel. G. Homer Durham (1946), 152.