You Are Radiating

I changed the Words of Encouragement today. The quote I posted is one of my all time favorite quotes. It came from President David O. Mckay. “There is another responsibility correlated and even coexistent with free agency, which is too infrequently emphasized, and that is the effect not only of a person’s actions but also of his thoughts upon others. Man radiates what he is, and that radiation affects to a greater or lesser degree every person who comes within that radiation.”

We’ve all been in the presence of someone who lifts and encourages us just by being. It isn’t the words they say or the stories they tell. It is something tacit that radiates from them and empowers us. On the other hand, we have all been in the presence of someone who depletes us, sucks power from us, and drains us. This empowering or depleting is the effect of the radiation that President McKay is talking about.

When we consistently use our agency to choose righteousness, we become strong and that radiates to influence others. When we consistently use our agency to choose evil, we become weak and needy and that radiates to influence others. It is a mistake to think that we are just one little person and so what we do or say or think doesn’t matter. We do matter. We influence all those we come in contact with and we add to the righteousness or evil in the world. That is why it is so important to remember what King Benjamin said, “Watch yourselves and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds” (Mosiah 4:30). Our thoughts determine our words and deeds and are the source of what we radiate. If we live in Truth and watch our thoughts and feelings we will radiate goodness and love and will be a powerful influence for good in the world—especially to those around us.