Truth Shines!

I wasn't really afraid of the dark when I was a child. But I had, maybe, a little too much imagination, and sometimes I would wake up in the middle of the night and see shapes and silhouettes that looked menacing to me. I could convince myself logically that there was no crooked-backed man standing at the foot of my bed, or no misshapen monster in the corner of the room. But I usually had to get out of bed and turn on the light to see that I had thrown my clothes on the vacuum cleaner, or left a sloppy pile of books on my little desk.

Now, some forty years later, I really am afraid of the dark. My cancer and its treatment have left me with very poor vision, and I need more light to see than most people do. Because I also have a problem with balance, standing in a dark place is terrifying to me. I get disoriented, and at great risk of losing my way or falling.

Because of these problems, my clever and caring husband bought several portable motion-activated lights. Now I can step into the darkness, knowing that the little light will turn on. And if need to, I can carry the light with me to get safely to my destination.

 But even for those with good vision and balance, light is an important commodity – and it always has been.

Without sunlight, no plants could grow. No animals could survive without plants. And that means we couldn't live. Even while the sun is doing its job well (as it almost always does) it could be difficult and even dangerous to do things in the darker hours. So, over many years, we've used candles, kerosene lamps, and electric lights to light our homes and our work.

We know that the first words of God recorded in the Old Testament are about light:

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. 

And He has been sending light ever since.

O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles. (Psalms 43:3)

For the Restored Church of Jesus Christ, the dispensation opened with light:

"I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me."

That Light cleared away the darkness and the malicious feeling of evil that Joseph Smith had felt moments before.

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It is important that we understand the significance to each of us when Jesus taught “believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light.” We must have faith and know that we are children of light and that through faith in Jesus, our Savior, and obedience to his commandments we may have his Spirit, his light, to be with us to guide us always. If we are to be children of light, we must walk in the light and, with our agency, choose the right. Yes, walk in the light and shun darkness; we must choose the right and defend the right when the choice is placed before us. (Robert D. Hales, Nov. 3, 1996)

When Jesus Christ came to earth to fulfill his mission as our Savior and Redeemer, the heavens gave great light.

 

And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. (Luke 2:6 - 7)

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:8 - 11)

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.

When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. (Matthew 2:10)

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This was the Greatest Event of Light – the Light of the World had come to save us all. And we, in song and scripture, still celebrate His Light.

"Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth."

The day dawn is breaking, the world is awaking,

The clouds of night's darkness are fleeing away.

While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. (John 12:36)

Teach me to walk in the light of His love . . .

And again, verily I say unto you, and I say it that you may know the truth, that you may chase darkness from among you. (D&C 50:24–25)

Let the Holy Spirit guide;
Let him teach us what is true.
He will testify of Christ,
Light our minds with heaven’s view. 

 "How can anyone read this touching story of the birth of Jesus Christ without wishing to forsake his sins? Have we permitted it to permeate and influence our lives? Have we accepted it in its full meaning without reservations? Do we believe that this babe was in very deed the only begotten Son of God in the flesh? Do we have abiding faith in his mission and are we willing to obediently follow him?"  (Joseph Fielding Smith)

One of my favorite scriptures – one that always gives my heart a little lift – is in D&C Section 88:

He that ascended up on high, as also he descended below all things, in that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth; Which truth shineth.

This is the light of Christ.  As also he is in the sun, and the light of the sun, and the power thereof by which it was made. 

Truth Shines! Truth is light that dispels darkness. The light that helps us see truth during difficult trials. It gives a path to follow leads us to eternal live and everlasting joy.

The word of the Lord is truth, and whatsoever is truth is light, and whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ (D&C 84:45).

    

Maybe remembering this will help us step out of our "comfort zones" even if it seems dark and scary – knowing that the light will come. We can, in our own small way, divide the light from the darkness in our lives.


And when we do that, we can share His light.

 

 

 

  

 

 

“Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I am the life and the light of the world.” 

He lives and while He lives I'll sing – He lives my Prophet, Priest, and King!

If you have a an extra three or four minutes to spare, I highly recommend watching this choir sing their touching song. This isn't the most professional choir you'll ever see, and not the best-looking, either, but I love their beautiful message of following the Lord's light and being willing to follow His call to share it.

https://youtu.be/gcL9S5a3weU

Spinning My Wheels

If it had been a woman who called me—the Relief Society president, for example—I think I would have said no.

But it was not a woman. It was a very nice man who had recently returned to the church after a long period of inactivity, and he was serving as the Elder's Quorum president. So I said, yes, I would take dinner to a neighbor that night, because, he told me, she was pregnant and she was having a hard time.

I guess the fact that I, too, was pregnant and was having a hard time was not something this man had considered. I dragged my tired, swollen body to the kitchen and went to work. Three hours later, I took a large pan of lasagna, a batch of homemade breadsticks, and a salad to my neighbor, grumbling all the way. Then I drove home, fell into bed, and told my kids to eat whatever they could find.

Some years later:

I took a trip with some friends to a town where we knew there was a great thrift shop. After scoring some great deals in the basement, we went upstairs, where the “nicer” (aka more expensive) items were on display. I looked around for a few minutes, but I didn't see anything I wanted there, so I sat in the lobby and waited for my friends.

A man came in smiling and cheerfully greeted me in a voice that carried a strong Spanish accent.

Halfway through the lobby, he stopped. His eyes were fixed on a woman's winter coat, a very nice coat in good condition. I heard him ask the woman at the desk what size the coat was, and how much it cost. He seemed delighted about the size—perfect for his wife—and although the price was more money than he had, he didn't let that get him down for long. He asked if could pay half of the thirty dollar price tag that day, and come back on Friday with the rest. The sales clerk agreed, and the man beamed as he left the store.

Suddenly I had the idea to pay the rest of the coat. How nice it would be, I thought, for the man to come back to the store after cashing his paycheck on Friday and find that he didn't owe a penny. This was certainly a case where the fifteen dollars I gave would be multiplied for his happiness. And I would tell the woman at the desk that if the man asked who had paid his bill, she should say, “just someone who who is trying to be more like Jesus.”

I was very happy about my plan, but there was one small hitch: I had no cash with me at the moment. But had some in my big bag, which I had left locked in my friend's car.

I found my friend and asked her if she could help me get my money from the car. She asked me what I had found to buy, and I somewhat hesitantly told her why I wanted the money. I was surprised when she responded with some scorn. “What? He doesn't need your money. He'll be fine. And we need to leave soon, anyway.” The other friend that had come with us agreed, and they moved to the checkout station to pay for their things.

I was surprised. These were warm-hearted, kind, generous women, and I didn't understand why they reacted so negatively. I didn't see that had a choice, though, so I reluctantly followed my friends out of the store.

We were about halfway to the car when I happened to put my hand in my pocket. I felt something, and was stunned when I pulled out two bills—a five and a ten. 

As I looked back toward the thrift store, I heard my friend saying, “Come on, Marnie! I'm supposed to meet a guy in ten minutes to buy some skis!”

I put the money back in my pocket and got in the car.

If, perhaps, there is some Grand Council keeping score, I don't believe either of these events will get me any points. In the first one, I did the charitable act, but I did it grudgingly, without love. In the second one, I had charity in my heart, but I didn't have the courage to act.

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When I was a teenager, a teacher taught our class about the doctrine found in James 2:26: “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”

The teacher explained that faith without works—and I'll include works without faith—is like rowing a boat using one oar. You'll be moving, but you won't get anywhere. That's just how I felt after these events. I'd been moving, but really I was just spinning my wheels, and I didn't—and still don't—feel good about the way I handled these two situations.

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I wrote this several years ago, but looking at it now, I see a lesson I hadn't found before—a message about ministering.

The work of ministering is to do the work of the Lord on the earth—to represent Him among the people. Ministering is motivated by Christlike love. It requires both a compassionate heart and willing action.

And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.
For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind? And behold, even at this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a remission of your sins. (Mosiah 2:16-17)

Jesus Christ served others throughout His mortal life. He did so by teaching, healing, praying, and being compassionate. He loved those He served. He wanted them to be happy. During His life, He challenged people to follow Him (see Luke 9:23). 

Christ encouraged all who would listen to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick, and provide all kinds of service to one another. 

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Can we—imperfect, sometimes fearful, occasionally self-absorbed, maybe judgmental mortals really find a way to minister like our Lord and Savior did?

Maybe.

We can't feed 4,000 hungry people—but we can take a loaf of bread to a busy friend, or make a generous donation to a local food pantry.

We can't heal the blind—but we can drive a neighbor to a doctor's appointment.

We can't care for all the suffering children in the world—but we can take a restless toddler on our lap during a church meeting.

We can't change the fact that there are poor people in the world—the Savior himself said, "For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good . . .  but we can be generous in our fast offerings and support organizations that serve the needy.

We cannot cleanse the earth of its physical and spiritual pollution—but we can mop a floor or wash a window for someone who is overwhelmed for a season. And we can stand as witnesses to the truth to those who seem to need a little firmer foundation.

We can't turn back time to restore youth. But we can visit and minister to those who've had a little more time on this planet than we have.

I was struck by the of this wisdom and truth of this statement from Sister Bonnie Parkin: 

"Most ministering opportunities are spontaneous, not planned in advance. Much of the Savior’s ministering seemed almost incidental, happening while He was on His way to somewhere else—while He was doing something else."

To minister this way requires that we have an eye turned outward, a heart open to compassion and the courage and faith to act. When we do this our opportunities to serve increase, and our love for those we minister to—and our love for Savior—blossoms and grows.  

So, let's open our eyes, open our hearts, and open our arms. I think we just might find ourselves part of some ministering miracles.



Sources:

https://www.mormon.org/blog/christianity-is-about-serving-others

Bonnie D. Parkin. "Personal Ministry: Sacred and Precious" BYU Devotional, Feb. 13, 2007