“I Should Have Listened,” Liahona, January 2025.
Latter-day Saint Voices
I Should Have Listened
I learned the importance of following the Spirit after choosing to ignore a repeated prompting.
Some years ago, I started a new job managing a sales team. It was a difficult job, but I was successful.
After working at the company for over a year, I felt a strong impression from the Spirit three times in a single month: “Leave this job.” I needed the job, however, so I ignored the prompting.
Not long afterward, the owner of the company approached me and said, “You are a thief! You need to return all the money you have made on commission.” Then he left without giving me an opportunity to ask why he had accused me of dishonesty.
This experience caused me serious personal doubts. I had always tried to keep the commandments and uphold the values my parents and the gospel had taught me, including honesty. But I had to ask myself, “Did I really do something wrong? Am I really a thief?”
My doubts caused me spiritual stress to the point that I wondered whether I should take the sacrament on Sundays. After fasting, however, I felt the Holy Ghost’s calming influence telling me that I was worthy and that all would be well—but also reminding me that I had been warned to leave the job.
My company wanted me to sign a document confessing my guilt and agreeing to pay back a large sum of money. I refused. I knew the accusation wasn’t true.
In time, I discovered that one of my superiors had been the one stealing from the company. This relieved me of my self-doubt. Yes, I was honest. Yes, I was honorable. And, yes, I was true to what I had been taught.
This experience taught me to always follow the promptings of the Spirit, regardless of what is happening in my life. As Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has taught, “If we listen to and follow the promptings of the Spirit, they will serve as a Liahona, guiding us through the unknown, challenging valleys and mountains that are ahead (see 1 Nephi 1:16).”
I know that the Lord is always aware of us, even in the small details of our lives, and will never lead us astray.