"their souls were illuminated by the light of the everlasting word"
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| photo credit: Becki Simonsen |
I am a lover of light! I decorate more with light than things. I eagerly throw open the shutters each morning allowing the morning sun to fill our home with light!
Sitting with the majestic view of Mount Timpanogos in front of me studying my Come Follow Me one morning this week, I was reminded of my first visit to her cave many years ago. Have you ever visited a cave? The darkness, the change in temperature, and the unique formations can make you feel as if you have entered another world. The only way to see the Timpanogos cave system is on a tour. There are lights highlighting the cave formations and helping to light the way. Many of the walkways and staircases are narrow with very low ceilings. The natural beauty inside the cave is breathtaking. On my last trip, I remember thinking this must be the “awesome wonder” the familiar hymn describes (“How Great Thou Art,” Hymn #86). At one point, in the middle of the tour, the rangers turn off all the lights. All those years ago, I was frightened as I found myself in the middle of the darkest dark I had ever been in. I kept thinking my eyes would adjust, but they never did. I think of this every time someone uses the words pitch black. After a while, the ranger turned on his flashlight and pointed it at the ceiling while our eyes to adjusted. With the introduction of even just this small amount of light, the cave suddenly seemed illuminated.
Reading Alma 5 again this week, the word illuminated stood out to me. In verses 4 and 5, Alma reflects back on when Alma the Elder delivered those baptized in the waters of Mormon “out of the hands of king Noah” only to have them “brought into bondage by the hands of the Lamanites.” And then in verse 7, he compares this time to darkness when he says, “… they were in the midst of darkness; nevertheless, their souls were illuminated by the light of the everlasting word.”
As you have gone through this crazy year we call 2020, have you found your soul illuminated amid the darkness that envelopes our world? Just as it did for Alma and his people, our faith can enlighten our hearts and minds about how to proceed and endure. President Nelson has “urge[d] [us] to stretch beyond [our] current spiritual ability to receive personal revelation.” Even filled with hope, President Nelson is “not naïve about the days ahead.” He continues, “If we are to have any hope of sifting through the myriad of voices … that attack …, we must learn to receive revelation” (“Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives, General Conference, April 2018).
Elder Bednar teaches how personal revelation can and will illuminate our souls. “As you appropriately seek for and apply unto the spirit of revelation, I promise you will ‘walk in the light of the Lord.’ Sometimes the spirit of revelation will operate immediately and intensely, other times subtly and gradually, and often so delicately you may not even consciously recognize it. But regardless of the pattern whereby this blessing is received, the light it provides will illuminate and enlarge your soul, enlighten your understanding and direct and protect you and your family” (David A. Bednar, “The Spirit of Revelation,” General Conference, April 2011).
I have found my soul illuminated time after time this year as I have studied Come Follow Me. I am astounded just how closely our reading each week has mirrored the circumstances we face. Immersing myself a little each day has “illuminated … and expanded [my] soul” (Alma 5:7, 9). It has brought peace and focus in a very crazy time. We love you and pray you are finding strength in your own studies. Keep inching forward, illumination will come.
Reading Alma 5 again this week, the word illuminated stood out to me. In verses 4 and 5, Alma reflects back on when Alma the Elder delivered those baptized in the waters of Mormon “out of the hands of king Noah” only to have them “brought into bondage by the hands of the Lamanites.” And then in verse 7, he compares this time to darkness when he says, “… they were in the midst of darkness; nevertheless, their souls were illuminated by the light of the everlasting word.”
As you have gone through this crazy year we call 2020, have you found your soul illuminated amid the darkness that envelopes our world? Just as it did for Alma and his people, our faith can enlighten our hearts and minds about how to proceed and endure. President Nelson has “urge[d] [us] to stretch beyond [our] current spiritual ability to receive personal revelation.” Even filled with hope, President Nelson is “not naïve about the days ahead.” He continues, “If we are to have any hope of sifting through the myriad of voices … that attack …, we must learn to receive revelation” (“Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives, General Conference, April 2018).
Elder Bednar teaches how personal revelation can and will illuminate our souls. “As you appropriately seek for and apply unto the spirit of revelation, I promise you will ‘walk in the light of the Lord.’ Sometimes the spirit of revelation will operate immediately and intensely, other times subtly and gradually, and often so delicately you may not even consciously recognize it. But regardless of the pattern whereby this blessing is received, the light it provides will illuminate and enlarge your soul, enlighten your understanding and direct and protect you and your family” (David A. Bednar, “The Spirit of Revelation,” General Conference, April 2011).
I have found my soul illuminated time after time this year as I have studied Come Follow Me. I am astounded just how closely our reading each week has mirrored the circumstances we face. Immersing myself a little each day has “illuminated … and expanded [my] soul” (Alma 5:7, 9). It has brought peace and focus in a very crazy time. We love you and pray you are finding strength in your own studies. Keep inching forward, illumination will come.
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