The Challenge (con't) - by Josh

Granted, maybe the Father did not intend for me to see those spirits, but I couldn't help but look inwardly and ask the question, even if my Father did want me to see those people, was I worthy for that kind of witness? Since then, I have thought about that question a lot. In our meeting today, our stake president testified that through our study of the Book of Mormon, we will be touched by the Holy Ghost, both in our minds and in our hearts and that God will confirm that the book is true and that Jesus Christ is our Savior. I sat in my seat and pondered upon this simple idea. The idea that, yet again, the spirit would descend upon us and reveal to us the true nature of things, and yet again, I asked myself the question, will I be prepared when the witness comes? Thus, from these chain of events I have developed the following testimony and analogy.

I go to the gym to lift weights on a regular basis. After having done this for so long, my palms have developed calluses to protect me from the abrasive hand grips. These calluses protect me to a limited extent, but after so many months of lifting weights, the calluses have grown so thick that I have lost sensitivity to touch. I have discovered though, that if I use gloves when I am lifting weights that I won't develop so severe a callus. Moreover, if I avoid grabbing the abrasive hand grips all together, with time, my calluses thin and I regain sensitivity. Much like the calluses we develop on our hands and feet from coming in contact with abrasive materials, we can develop spiritual calluses on our eyes, hearts, and ears when we subject them to abrasive things. Our eyes can become callused by view inappropriate materials such as pornography, explicit movies, or graphic violence. Our ears can become callused by exposing them to crude jokes, bad music, or harmful words. Finally, our hearts can become callused when we are insensitive, sarcastic, or critical of others. I have discovered that by avoiding these negative materials, the spiritual calluses that I had once developed have now become softer and more sensitive.

I testify to you that if we are going to be obedient to the Father's command, we must be able to hear his voice and see his hand. Just as you cannot hear the radio waves which surround you unless you tune in with a radio, you cannot hear the whisperings of the Father which constantly surround you unless you have enough sensitivity to tune them in. I have a personal testimony that the Father is constantly giving us counsel and support. It is our personal responsibility to have our senses in tune with the spirit so that we abide by His will. By doing this, when those moments arrive where a spiritual witness is appropriate, our part will be complete, and we will see, hear, and feel things that we could not otherwise experience. This is my testimony that I leave with you in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.