by christie Perkins

You all know people with super powers. We get all googly eyed over their amazing abilities. They are everywhere: Service Sweetheart, Listening Lister, Jammin’ Jamie, Dinner Pro Joe… yadda, yadda.

Ooh, and I like it when they save the day. I’ve been rescued from overwhelming yard projects, worries and woes, awkward dance moments (lets face it… all my jigging and jiving wrinkles the faces of innoncent bystanders), and drive by dinner drop offs.

I love other people’s talents. What would I do without their strengths? And a little craving enters in and I think to myself, “Hm? What kind of super power do I want?”

The possibilities are endless. So I fine tune my thinking, “What would be one of the greatest super powers I could have? And better yet: What super power could I pass on to my children?”

 

Start Where You Are

Start where you are: it’s a universal principle. Baby steps can quickly turn to giant steps. So, I got to thinking about what super powers I have already passed on to them: soft cookie perfection in convection, boring chore adoring, toothpaste sculpting, giving into the dessert-before-dinner loss of self control pull, countertop sitting (no worries I clean the surface before meal making), night owl wowing in conjunction with early morning scowling… I didn’t teach the scowling that just came as an added bonus.

Anyway. And I look at that list and think, wow, that’s a pretty good list. I rub my head. Their to-be-wives one day will thank me.

Yeah, that’s what they are going to do.

Anyway. Moving on. So I realized that I wanted more super powers than that. Yeah, I know, toothpaste sculpting is pretty cool but I’m thinking there’s something of more significance I can pass on. So I got to thinking. I wanted to give my children a gift of significance.

And just what would that be?

 

Act On Inspiration

After some thinking… cha-ching, it dings.

It hit me one night. And when I say “hit” I mean it landed like a brick out of my mouth. The wide eyes on my kids faces made me think it may have landed on someones toe.

This overwhelming thought came spewing from my mouth immediately after family prayer, “So. From here on out, every day I’m going to ask you how you felt that you were directed by the spirit. I want to hear how you acted on that prompting.”

I explained a little how the spirit works: the little thoughts that lead you do do something good. I too wanted to be more aware of the spirit working in my life. I would grow from this too.

And this has been the start of passing on what I call Prompting Power.

Da-da-da, da…da.. da! (Imagine a cape flapping in the wind.)

I scope the room. I’m filled with hope and light and everyone else is quietly staring at me. Gulp. The room is silent and I barely catch a blink, I think.

Prompting Power. Ah, yes. This is the ultimate power that underlies all other powers. Yes, it rescues others but it can also rescue yourself. Yep, this is it. This is the super power I want to develop. And it is the ultimate super power I want my kids to have.

It is the power that has rescued me countless times. Yes, this is the ultimate super power I want to pass on. I am certain of it.

So I jump right in despite the awkward stares.

“So what promptings did you get today?”

Quietness and sideways glances enhances this moment.

I share a simple thought to prod them along. They don’t have to big wha-hah moments.

Finally (…finally) one of my sons responded, “I thought I should go hit baseballs before practice,” he paused.

Oh wait. Wait, wait, wait. He doesn’t get it. I’m not talking about just random thoughts. I get those too. Hm? Let’s see. What do I do about this? My problem solving didn’t last long. He proved my thought process wrong…

“And at practice I did good,” he said.

“He did,” my husband added. “He was hitting really good.”

Ah. Bingo. It was the desire of his heart to be successful in baseball. Heavenly Father knew what he wanted, he listens to the desires of their hearts- so the Holy Ghost prompted him with an idea that would give him personal power. Baseball mattered to him and the Holy Ghost was helping him to be successful.

And then I realized just how important listening to the spirit in even trivial things. But, really, what was most important was to recognize where that power came from. And as he does that he will learn to trust the spirit and be directed by him.

That, my friends, is what I want for my children. That they will follow the promptings to be guided by what is right in this life. My most precious gift is the gift of the Holy Ghost. I want my kids to maximize this gift also.

And one day they will have that relationship so close to the spirit that when the mighty storms shall blow they will have a guiding light to help them get to safety. They will recognize both his approving and condemning nods. And when life is tough they will know what to do because a small voice will prompt them and give them power to overcome difficulties.

My gift to them is to help them recognize the source of their prompting power. Their gift will be realized as they accept this gift.

 

Prompting Power: Behind the Scenes

I believe in a higher power. I believe we are directed by a loving God that knows and loves us. I also know that the Holy Ghost is a powerful force of strength in this world. I trust and know of his goodness.

Over my entire life I have realized the power that comes from listening to the spirit. How the satisfaction of life comes when you know that you are doing what you truly need to do. This power comes when you are being an angel for someone else and acting on a prompting to help them. This power comes when you get a thought to pay a bill… and realize if you waited just one more day you would have had to pay a large fee. This power comes when you feel a need to make something right and you make the hard steps to do so.

There are countless incidents of these examples in our lives. And sometimes we don’t even realize how following a simple thought changes others lives and, especially, our own.

So where did this Prompting Power thought come from? I was inspired by the April 2016 General Conference talk given by Mary R. Durham, A Child’s Guiding Gift. During this talk, the prompting came to me then that I needed to ask my children every day if they felt the spirit. I was empowered by this thought but forgot (oops) about it until I started searching for a gift I wanted to give my children that would mean something to them. I felt that this was a tool that would bless their lives in crucial times: in struggles, in heartache, and in good times.

So after prayer that particular night the thought hit me with force. Yes, this would be the perfect gift that would bless my children when I can’t be there to direct their paths. (Even on a daily basis.)

 

Talking About Prompting Power:

So every night for the last several weeks I have asked my children after family prayer what promptings they thought they had. Sometimes we get a few responses, sometimes not much. But, every day they know that I will ask them and they will have to search their minds for a moment they thought they felt the spirit. It really only takes about 1 to 5 minutes a day. And one day I forgot to ask my kids and they said “Mom, I had a prompting today.”

Yes! It is working.

And I feel there’s a power that is starting to be recognized in their lives. And I believe the more they seek it out the more they will feel it directing their lives.

Want to save the day? Ask this simple question at the end of the day: “So how do you feel like you were guided by the spirit? Did you act on your Prompting Power?” I believe this one gift is the source of all that is good in this world.

Go change this world. Give this world a gift of goodness: a better me, a better you, a better day.

 

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