Gifts of the Spirit

As I was reading Judges 13, I tried to think about the qualities that Sampson's mother had that we could strive to have ourselves. Since there isn't a whole lot of information about her character, I didn't come up with a giant list of topics. However, one of the things that stood out to me was how readily she believed something that seemed impossible. An angel of The Lord appeared to her. She was barren, which probably means that she was a little bit older and was pretty certain that she would not be blessed with a child in this life. But instead of doubting what the Lord's servant said to her, she believed and went and told her husband. From there they inquired more and learned more, and, at least according to the story, never once thought "this is just a big joke." 

This made me think about the gifts of the spirit talked about in 1 Corinthians 12, Moroni 10, and Doctrine and Covenants 46 (all pretty much the same scriptures). D&C 46:14 says "To others it is given to believe on their words, that they also might have eternal life if they continue faithful." I like this gift. To me it is basically the gift to be able to trust and believe others. In our church we often get criticized for blind faith or just going along with what we're told, never questioning. While it is of course important to know WHY we are believing and following, it is also important to be able to trust others and learn from them. The gift of discernment goes right along with this spiritual gift, because we need to be careful about who we trust and follow, but if we have a testimony and faith that the prophet is the prophet of The Lord, then it should stand to reason that it is okay to follow what he says and to easily believe the things that he teaches us. If we are in tune with the Holy Ghost, then the gift to believe the words of others, just like Sampson's mom believed the words of the angel, should be something we seek after and use in our lives. 

In my life, there are times where I find it hard to believe even things that are NOT so crazy. For example, Micah keeps getting rejected for jobs over and over and over again. Now, deep down inside I know that The Lord isn't going to leave us stranded. We pay our tithing, we do everything we can, something is going to come along. But because we keep getting disappointed over and over, it is hard for me to keep believing in those promised blessings. If an angel of The Lord appeared to me today and said "Look. Don't worry about it, he'll get a job soon." Would I believe him right away? I hope so! Because right now part of me thinks I would say "Uhh I'll believe it when I see it. Until then, I'm not going to plan on anything." So I've tried harder to be believing. To have faith. Even when it seems like whatever it is I'm having faith in is a long shot.