Follow the Prophet

Experiences in my life have confirmed that blessings come when we follow the counsel we receive from our priesthood leaders.  For example...

Growing up I often heard our priesthood leaders stress the importance of mothers forgoing careers to raise their children.  "The Family, A Proclamation to the World" further clarifies this counsel.  It states,  "By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. 

After I graduated from college I started a career in pharmaceutical sales and also wanted to start a family.  For years we tried unsuccessfully to get pregnant and I continued to work.  With both of us working full time, financially things were great.  We ate out often, bought pretty much whatever we wanted, traveled whenever our work schedules would permit, I golfed 2-3 times a week, it was a good life.  Eventually we decided to adopt children and were blessed a short time later to welcome Alyssa into our family.  I was still working at the time but knew that in order to follow the counsel of our leaders I should quit and stay home with my sweet baby.  I knew that giving up my income would greatly impact our lifestyle, but I also knew it was the right thing to do.  So I quit, and something very interesting happened that year, my then husband started to have a lot of success in his career.  He closed more loans that year than ever before and made about double what he had made the year before.  As a matter of fact, the amount of commission he made that year was almost exactly what I would have made if I had continued working.  I don't believe that was merely a coincidence.  I believe that Heavenly Father was blessing us for having chosen to follow the counsel of our leaders. 

Our priesthood leaders have also given us financial advice.  They have counseled us to pay our tithing, stay out of debt, and save for a rainy day.

During my first marriage we always paid our tithing, never carried a balance on our credit cards, always paid cash for our vehicles, the only debt we had was our mortgage, and we put the money I earned into a savings account (for a rainy day).  That rainy day came.  After our divorce I was worried that I would have to go back to work to support myself and the girls, but because we had followed the counsel of our leaders I had enough savings that I was able to remain home.  That money also kept us afloat through Ben's three job losses.

When we follow the counsel of our priesthood leaders, blessings follow!