Light!

The Jews in the Old World were not the only people awaiting the Messiah. On the American continent many Nephites eagerly anticipated the birth. But there were also many people who didn’t believe, and they began to scorn and persecute the believers. The persecution became so intense the wicked people proclaimed that if the sign of the coming of the Lord did not occur by a certain day, they would kill all the believers.


Samuel the Lamanite prophesies
of the birth of Jesus Christ.

The prophet at the time, Nephi, was filled with sorrow at the wickedness around him. For years he had tried to help the people but so many of them refused to believe and repent. Now as they issued their mandate, he prayed mightily all day long in behalf of his people asking that the Lord would be born so that the righteous who awaited the Messiah would not be killed. After hours of prayer he heard a voice saying, “Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfil all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets” (3 Nephi 1:13).


As promised that night the sun went down, but there was no darkness. What a strange experience to watch the sun disappear beyond the horizon and yet the sky remain as light as if it were noontime. The believers rejoiced as they recognized the sign given them by Samuel the Lamanite. But those who had threatened to kill the believers were frightened and many of them fell to the ground as if they were dead. Fear filled them for they knew that they had been wrong, and they worried about what would now happen to them. That entire night the light continued and the next morning the people watched as the sun rose on an already bright sky.

I love to think about this story and reflect on what it teaches me not only about the bitrh of Jesus Christ but about me being born again in Him. When Christ has been born again within us there is no longer darkness. When we have experienced the mighty change of heart, even a situation that the world says should bring great darkness into our lives such as the death of a loved one or any other tragedy is mitigated by the light of Christ within us. When a person loves and trusts in Jesus Christ, there is always light shining brightly. There is always hope.

The Star



Picture by
 ©Debbie Yarra  www.yarraimages.com



I’ve always thought it fitting that the Light of the World was introduced by a bright, new star.

Close your eyes for a moment and imagine being in a dark, dark room when suddenly a speck of light appears. Slowly the light grows until the room is illuminated as if by noon-day sun. Even in your imagination you can feel the light bringing with it hope and love. It is amazing how much positive feeling light introduces to a dark place, and all we have to do to get rid of the dark is to let in the light.

On that first Christmas night, far above and untouched by anything worldly, the new star pierced the darkness testifying to all nations that hope had come.

But this symbol is more than metaphor. Christ is the Light of the World. His light, the Light of Christ, still shines to guide wise men and wise women to find Him and live forever in a place where there is no darkness but only light and the love and joy that accompany that Light.

Confidence

One of the most amazing things I’ve discovered about Living in Truth is what it does to me. There is something very liberating that occurs when you acknowledge Truth and simply do what needs to be done. Communion with the Spirit, gifts of the Spirit, miracles, and blessings are all available when we are living in Truth and are absent when we are living in Illusion. One of the greatest of these blessings that I’ve experienced when living in truth is confidence.

I have a favorite quote from Marianne Williamson that sums up what I mean by confidence and the realization that comes to you when you Live in Truth. She says, “’Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.’ We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we’re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

When you Live in Truth you automatically become a light to others. Without conscious effort, you naturally do what the Savior instructed when He said, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matt 5:14-16).

Hurray for Confidence

One of the most amazing things I’ve discovered about Living in Truth is what it does to me. There is something very liberating that occurs when you acknowledge Truth and simply do what needs to be done. Communion with the Spirit, gifts of the Spirit, miracles, and blessings are all available when we are living in Truth and are absent when we are living in Illusion. One of the greatest of these blessings that I’ve experienced when living in truth is confidence.

I have a favorite quote from Marianne Williamson that sums up what I mean by confidence and the realization that comes to you when you Live in Truth. She says, “’Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.’ We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we’re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

When you Live in Truth you automatically become a light to others. Without conscious effort, you naturally do what the Savior instructed when He said, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matt 5:14-16).

Christmas in the Book of Mormon

The Jews in the Old World were not the only people awaiting the Messiah. On the American continent many of the Nephites eagerly anticipated the day. But there were also many people who didn’t believe, and they began to scorn and persecute the believers. The persecution became so bad the wicked people proclaimed that if the sign of the coming of the Lord did not occur by a certain day, they would kill all the believers.


Samuel the Lamanite prophesies
of the birth of Jesus Christ.

The prophet at the time, Nephi, was filled with sorrow at the wickedness around him. For years he had tried to help the people but so many of them refused to believe and repent. Now as they issued their mandate, he prayed mightily all day long in behalf of his people asking that the Lord would be born so that the righteous who awaited the Messiah would not be killed. After hours of prayer he heard a voice saying, “Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfil all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets” (3 Nephi 1:13).


As promised that night the sun went down, but there was no darkness. It must have been a strange experience to watch the sun disappear beyond the horizon and yet the sky remain as light as if it were noontime. The believers rejoiced as they recognized the sign given them by Samuel the Lamanite. But those who had threatened to kill the believers were frightened and many of them fell to the ground as if they were dead. Fear filled them for they knew that they had been wrong, and they worried about what would now happen to them. That entire night the light continued and the next morning the people watched as the sun rose on an already bright sky.

I love to think about this story and reflect on what it teaches me not only about the bitrh of Jesus Christ but about me being born again in Him. When Christ has been born again within us there is no longer darkness. When we have experienced the mighty change of heart, even a situation thatthe world says should bring great darkness into our lives such as the death of a loved one or any other tragedy is mitigated by the light of Christ within us. When a person loves and trusts in Jesus Christ, there is always light shining brightly.

The Christmas Star



Picture by
 ©Debbie Yarra  www.yarraimages.com



I’ve always thought it very fitting that the Light of the World was introduced by a bright, new star.

Close your eyes for a moment and imagine being in a dark, dark room when suddenly a speck of light appears. Slowly the light grows until the room is illuminated as if by noon-day sun. Even in your imagination you can feel the light bringing with it hope and love. It is amazing how much positive feeling light introduces to a dark place, and all we have to do to get rid of the dark is to let in the light.

On that first Christmas night, far above and untouched by anything worldly, the new star pierced the darkness testifying to all nations that hope had come.

But this symbol is more than metaphor. Christ is the Light of the World. His light, the Light of Christ, still shines to guide wise men and wise women to find Him and live forever in a place where there is no darkness but only light and the love and joy that accompany that Light.

Fleeing Darkness

I don’t remember ever being afraid of the dark, but several of my children were. I think one of the reasons I wasn’t afraid of the dark is that I was seldom in total darkness. Total darkness may have scared me, but when I was in darkness there was always a sliver of light coming under the door or wisps of light floating in through a window or some light, however vague, was somewhere. And as long as there was some light, I wasn’t frightened.

I’ve been thinking about this light and dark thing a lot lately and it dawned on me (I love puns!) that darkness isn’t really anything. It isn’t an entity in and of itself at all. Instead it is the absence of something—the absence of light. When you want to get rid of darkness you don’t attack it, or destroy it, instead you add light and the darkness flees.

By the same token, fear isn’t something. Instead it occurs when faith is lacking and when we shine faith onto the fear the fear flees. When we Live in Truth, therefore, it isn’t a matter of chasing away the darkness or even avoiding darkness. Instead Living in Truth means shining light on every aspect of our lives. When we do that the darkness flees.

The Longest Day

Today is the longest day of the year here in the Northern atmosphere. That means more sunlight than on any other day of the year. Being a person who is always looking for something to celebrate, I’m using this “Longest Day” to celebrate light. As we are taught in D&C 50:24, “That which is of God is light, and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light and that light growth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.”


While I soak in the sunlight of this day, I’m going to think about and take note of every good thing I encounter. I’m going to count the good that is and has been mine. I’m going to glory in the light that is mine.

Isaiah tells us to “Eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness” (55:2). Nephi also tells us to feast upon the word and to “let your soul delight in fatness.” (2 Nephi 9:51). In other words, you can binge all you want on the “soul food” of the scriptures and you will never get fat. Likewise you can bask in the light of Christ and never get sunburned.

So enjoy this longest day and let it remind you of God and the light He sheds upon you.

New Light

I love the symbolism in the scriptures and today I found something I’ve never noticed before. In the account of Adam and Eve being expelled from the Garden of Eden, we are told that after they left, God placed “at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life” (Genesis 3:24).

The Cherubim (The “s” on the end in the Genesis account is a King James translation error because “im” is already plural in Hebrew.) “turn every way” so they guard the north, the south, the east, and the west. But we are specifically told that they were placed at the east. From this scholars have assumed that Adam and Eve were expelled to the east. But why not expelled to the north or south or west? And why, when so much other detail is left out, are we told the specific place in which the Cherubim were placed? The story would be easily understood by just saying they were cast out.

The reason details matter is always the same. When there are details, God is trying to teach us something. And what is He teaching us here? By casting them out to the east, He sent them in the direction of the light. He had to cast them out because of their disobedience, but because He loved them, He sent them on a path that moved them toward the sun.

Thus even though mankind has fallen from paradise or been cast out of Eden, if we will walk toward The Light, the place where the Son rises, we will find the Promised Land and be safe again.

Shed Light

In the Sermon on the Mount the Savior told the People, 

“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel,
but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works,
and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).

To understand better what this means I went to my trusty dictionary and looked up the word light. 

I found three definitions that shed some light :) on these verses. Light is: 

(1) something that makes vision possible. 

(2) Spiritual illumination 

(3) something that enlightens or informs.

This made me think of the amazing people who have been a light to me. Without exception these people have increased my vision, especially my vision of myself. They have taught me the gospel by their words, but especially by their deeds. And they have all enlightened me. Unfortunately, many of them have moved on from this world and I can’t thank them, but some still live and to them and others who daily cross my path shedding their light on me, I will be forever grateful. 

People with light, warm my soul and make my path brighter.

Afraid of the Light

Marianne Williamson in her book Return to Love, says, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world.” I love this quote and what it teaches us about ourselves. 

I once heard a student say, “I don't want to get A’s because then the only place to go is down.” That philosophy is flawed. I like the thought that if you shoot for the stars and fall short and hit the moon, you are still far above earth where you started. 

But this attitude of mediocrity is being fueled by something besides our attitudes about ourselves. Sometimes it is other people’s light and not their darkness that we fear.

The self-esteem movement led us into the “everyone gets a trophy” era, and that way of thinking has become detrimental. We have stopped giving children and ourselves models of what light is. Therefore, mediocrity has become the standard. We have stopped praising and acknowledging the light of others. Thus in subtle ways we have stopped encouraging our children and each other to shoot for the stars. We avoid touting other people’s accomplishments because it might make someone else feel bad. We cringe at the very thought that laying out several people’s accomplishments side by side might make one of them feel bad. But while this may sound like it is a Christian, charitable thing to do, it contributes to the problem of no one understanding what constitutes lights or having models of what can be accomplished or what possibilities of achievement are out there.

When we live in Truth, instead of avoiding any mention of a person’s “brightness” or their accomplishments, we recognize the truth that we aren’t going to reach every star every time. But we also realize that by studying, learning from, defining the “stars” and seeing how others have reached those stars we are all helped to grow closer to them. No one is helped by hiding other people’s light or pretending it isn’t there. Everyone is illuminated when we not only allow others to shine, but we acknowledge and help share their light.Playing others as small or all alike does not serve the world.

Sunshine in My Soul--Wow!

I woke up this morning with a song playing in my head: “There is sunshine in my soul today.”  The bad news is that my head just kept playing that one line over and over and over. The good news is that it made me stop and think. That hymn is one I’ve heard all my life—heard so much that I don’t stop to think about the words. It just conveys the idea of being happy. But this morning I stopped to think about what sunshine in my soul really means.

Sun is fire and so sunshine in my soul doesn’t just mean being in a good mood; it means being on fire. Sunshine warms others; it means being so on fire that the warmth is shared with others. But what is that fire? It is the love of Jesus Christ. It radiates and warms and encourages. It fills every cell of my being and emanates from me to warm and encourage others. It glows in me so that my countenance is soft and warm.

But there is more! Sunshine bleaches away color and stains and kills germs to make everything it touches clean and pure. Sunshine is a source of Vitamin D which helps the immune system and builds strong bones. Sunshine is a purifying agent that nourishes and makes me strong. And it is in my soul!

In short, I think today can't help but be a very good day!

Out of the Pit!

Today half of our planet experiences the longest day of the year while the other half experiences the shortest day of the year. This is good timing for me. I’ve been in the Pit of Illusion and need to get out! It’s dark in there and I don’t like it. And since I’m on the longest-day side of the planet I’m using that fact to help me get out of the Pit. I’m celebrating light today! I’m determined to climb out of the Pit and get back into the Light. So I’m celebrating the warm touch of light on my face as I walked this morning, the encouragement light gives me when greeting me each morning through my bedroom window, the way light illuminates the beauty around me so I can see it, and especially how it makes the flowers and trees and vegetation grow. Sun light is life to this planet.

And this longest day helps me remember the other light—the light of Christ which gives life to me. That light surrounds me, the love that is part of that light enfolds me, and the power of that light protects me if I stay in Truth. I’ve been slipping lately, but no more! This is the day of sun and light and truth! This is my day!

So with a heart full of gratitude I celebrate sun light and the light of Christ and recommit myself to shine in order that others can see the Light that is the Good News!

As the great preacher said, “The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose” (Ecclesiastes 1:5). I take that to mean that dark days will come. We all fall into the darkness of the Pit once in awhile, but when in the Pit we need to hasten to the place where the light rises again. I’m hurrying!

Walking West

In the days of Moses the Tabernacle, which was their temple, was always assembled so that it faced East. This means that as the priest entered the temple and proceed he was walking toward the west, or in other words he was following the sun. I’ve always loved that analogy that I, too, should be traveling West or following the light. So for me the phrase “Traveling West” is synonymous with following the path of righteous or following truth and light.

Just recently I began to think that Walking West is a better metaphor. Too often the thing that gets me down is that I feel like I’m not progressing fast enough or that I’m not perfect enough. But the phrase Walking West is what the pioneers did and they did it one step at a time, ten to fifteen miles a day, but eventually they arrived. How silly it would have been to sit down at the Muddy, and start to cry, “I’m not there yet. I’m never going to be there. This is too hard. I can’t do it.” Instead they just kept putting one foot in front of the other. They kept pushing on to the West knowing that if they continued to follow the light they would eventually arrive.

The key is to remember that it doesn’t matter how fast you go. All that matters is that you never turn your back on the sun but constantly walk into it. So I’m going to keep walking West—one step at a time.

Picture: http://miriadna.com/desctopwalls/sky%20&%20clouds/max/Follow%20the%20sun.jpg

Bring on the Light!

In the first Epistle of John we read that “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). I’ve always understood the metaphor in that verse, but lately I’ve been pondering on how literal that is. I think of the things I equate with darkness in my own soul. Obviously sin and fear are darkness as are depression, discouragement, and doubt. But there are other things like worry and stress that fill me with darkness. Too often I think of these as just part of life unlike sin which has to be overcome.

But when I read John’s words I began to rethink the matter. If there is no darkness in God then obviously He doesn’t get depressed, discouraged, or doubt. But He also must not worry or stress.

Learning that is helping me. Lehi taught that “Man is that he might have joy,” (2 Nephi 2:25), and worry and stress are not part of joy. So when I begin to feel worry and stress darken my day, instead of just accepting them like I do sunshine or rain, I realize that they are choices and that I have the ability to choose them or joy and that God wants me to have joy. Then I use one of the Truth Tools to escape the dark and live in the Light of Truth where joy is found in great abundance.

Turn On The Good!

One of the most amazing things about this beautiful world is how much good there is in it. Any where you look you can find beauty and goodness and wonder. I know if you listen to the political talk shows or read the newspaper it sometimes convinces you otherwise, but there is so much good in life that no one is talking about or noticing and that is a shame.

There is an old story of a young girl who is afraid of the dark. Knowing this her grandmother always tucked her in bed and turned on a nightlight to keep her company while she slept. But one day the grandmother died and the young girl went to bed early crying over the loss of her grandmother. As she laid in her bed crying the dark came and added to her sorrow. Her sorrow turned into fright and she sobbed violently. “Go away dark!” she pleaded through her tears. “I don’t like you. Go away and never come back. I hate you!” But the dark just got darker and darker.

“Go away!” the girl cried again, and suddenly a deep, dark voice bellowed through the room, “You can’t fight the dark! Dark is dark and will always be dark.”

“No!” the girl cried louder and sobbed harder. “No, go away!” But as she spoke a soft, quiet voice that sounded a lot like her grandmother's whispered, “Just turn on the light.” Taking courage, the girl climbed from her bed, switched on the light,and the dark disappeared. “It is true; you can’t fight the dark,” the quiet voice whispered. “But dark can’t exist where there is light.”

Likewise when we dwell on and fight the negative things of life, we often create more negative. But when we dwell on the good and positive in life, we fill our lives with good so there is no room for the negative. So turn on the good!

The fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth. (Eph. 5:9).

Finding Light

Hundreds of years ago God had Isaiah write, “Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged” (Isaiah 51:1). Here we are taught that those who desire to be righteous should look to the rock and to the pit. So what is the rock and the pit?

The rock from which we were hewn is God. As the spirit children of God we are hewn from the same divine “rock” as our Father. We have a modern day saying that expresses the same thing. When we encounter a child who is very much like a parent we say he or she is a “chip off the old block.” Therefore, we should look to our Father with the idea in mind that we are "genetically" like Him.

The pit refers to the Fall. Because of the Fall of Adam you and I are in a dangerous pit that we have no way of climbing out of, but Jesus Christ has rescued us--He has digged us from the deep pit. Thus what Isaiah is telling us to hearken to is our divine origins—the part of us that is good and is of God, and to the Atonement of Jesus Christ that makes it possible for us to overcome all the factors in life that could keep us from our divine heritage. The Lord wants us to focus on the good not the bad. He wants us to focus on Him and His Son and our relationship to Them.

Focusing our attention and thoughts on these two things centers us in Truth. Think about it. You’ll never discover light by studying darkness; you’ll never discover your brilliance by dwelling on what you can’t do; and you’ll never discover your divine connection by constantly thinking thoughts of what you don’t like about yourself.

For Good!

When the Jaredites finally boarded the ships and sailed forth to the Promised Land, we are told that a “furious wind” began to blow “thus they were tossed upon the waves of the sea before the wind.” And “they were many times buried in the depths of the sea, because of the mountain waves which broke upon them, and also the great and terrible tempests which were caused by the fierceness of the wind” (Ether 6:5). We can only imagine the fear and worry this might have caused. But they were following the light and so they had no need to fear.

In symbology storms represent the adversity we encounter in life. But if we are steering by the light (like the light the Brother of Jared went to the mountain to receive), we have no need to fear. But there is more, we are also told that “the wind did never cease to blow towards the promised land while they were upon the waters; and thus they were driven forth before the wind” (Ether 6:8).

Yes, even the adversity takes us home to the Promised Land! (If we continue to follow the light!) As the Lord has promised, “all things work together for good to them that love God” (Romans 8:28).

I knew this before, but my adventure with Grizelda has confirmed it. Even the smallest bits of suffering are turned to our good when we stay close to the Lord. It is true.

Our Promised Land Journey

When the Lord commands the Brother of Jared (Ether 2-3) to build ships to take his people to the Promised Land, he obeys. But as the ships are completed the Brother of Jared realizes that there are some problems. The first problem is that the ships are air tight and the people inside will suffocate. The other problem is that the ships are dark inside. The people sailing in the ships would not even be able to see to steer the ships! So the Brother of Jared prayed to know how to solve these two problems.

In answer to his prayer the Lord told the Brother of Jared to cut a hole in the top and in the bottom of the ship so that they could be opened when needed for air. The Brother of Jared does as he is instructed, but then prays again saying that he has obeyed the Lord’s instructions and cut the holes, but there is still a problem in that they have no light.

This time instead of telling him what to do, the Lord asked the Brother of Jared what to do about the problem. So the Brother of Jared pondered on the problem and came up with a solution. He climbed a high mountain, prepared 16 stones out of molten rock, and then prayed and asked the Lord to touch the stones so that they would give off light. The Lord answered his prayer and the 16 stones are placed in the ships where they light the way.

In Hebrew the word spirit and the words wind or breath are the same word, ruach. So symbolically we find in this story a metaphor. Our bodies are the vessels and when we are born, the Lord puts into our bodies the breath of life or our spirits so that we can make this journey through life. But as we commence the journey, we are in the dark as to how to steer our way back to God. To solve that problem we need to ask the Lord to touch our souls so we will have the light necessary to steer our vessels back to the presence of God. He gives us our spirits, but we must find the light.

There is more symbolism in just this much of the story. Ponder on it and let me know what else you learn!

Steering By Kindled Light

Martha’s comment the other day reminded me of the rich symbolism in the story of the Jaredites as they make their way to the Promised Land. I’ll write more about that tomorrow, but wanted to share this quote with you from Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen’s book My Grandfather’s Blessings. In the Epilogue of the book she says:

"In the Book of Mormon, there is another version of the Exodus story. In it, the Jaredites, forced from their homes by conditions that stifle their freedom, set out across great uncharted waters to reach the land of promise in boats sealed up tightly against the sea. Jared speaks to God about the difficulty in steering these boats in total darkness. He is told that if he brings stones with him, God will touch them and they will shine forth light.

The voyage is long and difficult in the extreme; there are mighty storms, and the boats are plunged deep beneath the water over and over again. But their seal holds, and the stones, touched by God, continue to shine. According to Jung, the stone is one of the two archetypal symbols for the soul. This image of a people sailing through heavy seas in search of freedom, steering only by the light that the touch of God kindles in their souls, is a particularly beautiful one for me."[My Grandfather's Blessings, P. 375]

This symbolism is especially beautiful for me also. And there is so much more!