Editor's note: The following responses have been edited for length and clarity.
It can sometimes be intimidating to follow spiritual impressions. But when we listen to and follow the Spirit, these promptings can lead to powerful changes or experiences in our lives that we can't help but be grateful for.
We asked our readers on Facebook about the promptings they were most grateful for following, and the responses were incredible.
When I got a prompting to not go home the shortcut route and to instead to take the route that was 30-minutes longer. After a 14-hour day at work, I didn’t want to, but halfway home I heard a lot of gunshots. There was an armed robbery of a closed business and I would have been right outside of if I hadn’t listened. —Elizabeth Roberts
I followed a prompting to go to vet school. I followed a prompting to attend the University of Glasgow. I followed a prompting to talk to a classmate and friend about general conference. Last week, she was baptized. I've only been here two months and I am glad that I followed every single one of those promptings. —Julia Nixon
When I couldn’t find my 8-year-old son and I was prompted to look in an old freezer in our backyard. He had climbed in and the door had latched and he couldn’t climb out. —Barbara Westbrook Nelson
I had been "less active" for many years when I went to the open house for the renovated Atlanta temple. While in the celestial room, the Spirit VERY CLEARLY told me, "It's time to come back." That next Sunday I was at church. A couple of weeks later, I was in the bishop's office saying, "Here's my tithing. I want to go to the temple to receive my endowment." Six months later, I was at the temple and have since served there, and I currently serve as a temple and family history consultant. —Melissa Smith
My husband has Parkinson's disease and dementia. I used to depend on promptings on a weekly basis, then on a daily basis. Now, I depend on spiritual promptings almost hourly to know how to care for him and what decisions need to be made to stay ahead of this dreadful disease. I am so very grateful to know that Heavenly Father knows us personally and helps us daily through spiritual promptings. —Loraine Allan Starr
Last Friday, a friend had gotten some bad news and I was prompted to go talk to him. I was the answer to his prayer and didn't even know until later. He just needed to know that his Heavenly Father loves him and that he's important. —Pollee Ashby
On a move to California from Utah, my wife was in our car while I was driving the moving van. I was prompted to pull over even though we didn’t need gas. We pulled into the truck stop and I was looking over the vehicles when I noticed the car’s front tire was low on air. My wife had run over a nail and a slow leak developed. If we wouldn’t have stopped, the next service area was 50 miles. Who knows what tragedy we avoided. —Ronald Clay
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