Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin on bringing the Holy Ghost into our homes

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin (1917-2008) served as a Seventy from 1976 to 1986, then as a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles from 1986 until his passing in 2008 at age 91.

"I invite you to ponder individually in a humble and prayerful manner and ask yourself: 'Do I have the Spirit in my life? Am I happy? Am I doing anything in my life that is offensive to the Spirit and preventing the Holy Ghost from being my constant companion?' Have the courage to repent, if needed, and again enjoy the companionship of the Holy Ghost.

"Do we enjoy the influence of the Holy Ghost in our homes? Are we doing anything as a family that is offensive to the Spirit? Can we more effectively invite the Holy Ghost into our homes?

"Our homes need to be more Christ-centered. We should spend more time at the temple and less time in the pursuit of pleasure. We should lower the noise level in our homes so that the noise of the world will not overpower the still, small voice of the Holy Ghost. One of our greatest goals as parents should be to enjoy the power and influence of the Holy Ghost in our homes. We should pray and study the scriptures. We could sing the hymns of the Restoration to invite the Holy Ghost into our home. Regular family home evening will also help.

"In these perilous times, we need this unspeakable gift in our lives."

- Joseph B. Wirthlin, "The Unspeakable Gift," Ensign, May 2003, pp. 26-29
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This is a wonderful reminder and challenge from Elder Wirthlin. Am I feeling the happiness we should? Am I feeling the companionship of the Spirit we deserve and need? If not, is there something preventing that influence in my life? That kind of honest self-evaluation can lead to change and repentance that will bless us immeasurably.

He then suggests things that individuals and families can do to increase the influence of the Holy Ghost in the home:

So by giving more consideration to temple attendance, worldly noise and distractions, prayer, scripture study, sacred music, and home evenings, we can bring more of the "unspeakable gift" of the Holy Ghost into our lives. Each individual and family would be blessed by a sincere consideration or discussion of how we can do that!