Listening-ish

Today, three little Sunbeam girls took turns listening and not listening to me as I talked about the Holy Ghost. Sudden whispers, stories, and songs would catch their attention, but soon they'd be off again, laying on the floor or asking for fruit snacks or running around singing, "La, la, la."

Nevertheless, I believe in the power of the innocence of little children. Their sensitivity to spiritual things is simply coupled with the hilarity of young life--for example, a story from stake conference a couple weeks ago:

Five-year-old girl talking to her mom after a friend's birthday party: "The party was fine. There was cake, but no ice cream."

The mother expresses her condolences.

"It's okay," the little girl goes on. "I prayed, and Heavenly Father sent the Spirit. But I didn't want the Spirit, I wanted ice cream!"

Sometimes we are Sunbeams, sometimes we are little kids wanting ice cream. Still, I know that just as the Spirit can guide these youngsters, He guides us as we listen and pray. There is comfort to be had, a friend to be had, when we seek for the Holy Ghost's presence. We just have to stop running around and stop fixating on ice cream! Then we will hear whispers--and then we will know that those whispers came from Him.