We are children of God. Receiving light, continuing in God, and receiving more light are what we are created to do. From the very beginning, we followed the light; we followed our Heavenly Father and His plan. Seeking the light is in our spiritual DNA.
heard this eternal truth taught beautifully in an unexpected place. While I was working for a large bank, I was invited to attend an executive program at the University of Michigan. During the program, Professor Kim Cameron taught the concept of positive leadership and its heliotropic effect. He explained: “This refers to the tendency in all living systems toward positive energy [light] and away from negative energy [darkness]. From single-cell organisms to complex human systems, everything alive has an inherent inclination toward the positive and away from the negative.”
I like that description.
Brothers and sisters, please take comfort that there is light available to us. May I suggest three areas where we will always find light:
- The Light of the Church
- The Light of the Gospel
- The Light of Christ
Look, the Church will always have its critics. It has been that way from the beginning and will continue to the end. But we cannot allow such criticism to dull our sensitivity to the light that is available to us. Recognizing the light and seeking after it will qualify us for even more light.
In a darkening world, the light of the Church will shine brighter and brighter until the perfect day.
You cannot speak of the light in the world without speaking of the Light of the World, Jesus Christ. A manifestation of a loving Heavenly Father is that everyone who comes to this life is blessed with the Light of Christ to help them return home. President Boyd K. Packer taught: “The Spirit of Christ is always there. … The Light of Christ is as universal as sunlight itself. Wherever there is human life, there is the Spirit of Christ.” The Light of Christ “inviteth and enticeth to do good continually” and prepares all who seek goodness and truth to receive the Holy Ghost.
The Savior teaches that He is the light that “enlighteneth your eyes,” “quickeneth your understandings,” and “giveth life to all things.” The Light of Christ will help us see others through the Savior’s eyes. We will be more loving and understanding of the struggles of others. It will help us be more patient with those who may not worship as we do or serve as we might. It will help us understand the great plan of happiness more fully and see how we all fit into that great loving plan. It gives life, meaning, and purpose to all that we do. Now, with all the happiness that will come to us as we more fully understand the Light of Christ, it will not match the joy that we feel when we see the Light of Christ working in others: family, friends, and even complete strangers.
I felt that joy when I heard about the efforts of a brave group of firefighters who fought to save a burning stake center in Southern California in 2015. As the fire raged, a battalion commander called an LDS friend to ask where the sacred relics and sacrament cups were kept so they could be saved. His friend assured him that there were no sacred relics and that the sacrament cups were actually very, very replaceable. But the commander felt he should do more, so he sent firefighters back into the burning building to pull every painting of Christ off of the walls that they might be preserved. They even placed one in the firetruck in the hope that the firefighters might be watched over. I was truly touched by the commander’s kindness, goodness, and sensitivity to the Light during a dangerous and difficult time.
We are sorely mistaken as latter day saints of we ever think that we have greater respect for the Savior than those not of our faith.
I again echo the words of Paul: “Let us put on the armour of light.” I testify of Christ. He is the Light of the World. May we be strengthened by the light that is available to us through greater participation at church and greater application of gospel principles in our families. May we see the Light of Christ in others constantly and help them see it in themselves. As we receive that light, we will be blessed with more light, even until the perfect day when we again see “the Father of lights,” our Heavenly Father. I so testify in the holy name of the Light of the World, even Jesus Christ, amen.
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