Thursday, March 20, 2014
A Fresh Start
This world is getting darker and darker and for many it's hard to find sources of goodness and light. This blog is going to start highlighting the lives of people just like you and how they have found light and hope in their lives. No one wants to be in the dark so why not share in the light with others? Send in your story and help to spread hope to others!
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Reflecting His Light
Recently I've run across several people who have been bogged down with the gloom and doom that is polluting our world. It's easy to see how much darkness has entered the world. It's everywhere we turn. We see it when we turn on the TV, read the magazines in the line at the grocery store, or even just read the bumper stickers on cars. So how in the world are we supposed to stay bright, cheery, and hopeful in a world that seems to be in a dangerous downward spiral? I thought you'd never ask!
In Matthew 5 it says:
14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15 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.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
And in 3 Nephi 18 it says:
24 Therefore, hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up—that which ye have seen me do. Behold ye see that I have prayed unto the Father, and ye all have witnessed.
Christ asks us to hold up our light, which is Him. Reflect that love that He has for each of us. We are so blessed to have a light to follow. I learned of an analogy at girls camp that helped me understand this concept. There was a young boy who found a piece of a mirror and began playing with it. He soon learned that the mirror could reflect the light anywhere it was directed, even into very dark places. All he had to do was point it at the sun and then aim the light into the shadows. This became a game of sorts for him, seeing how much light he could reflect into the dark shadows. He later observed that the mirror was not the source of light, but it did have the capacity to reflect the light and to dispel the darkness. We are each like a piece of a mirror. None of us are perfectly round or smooth. Some have chips and others are quite small, but each retains the capacity to reflect Christ's light and brighten the world. In the dark shadows that threaten to consume our lives, we will find light as we are pointed toward the Son.
Ted E. Brewerton said, "We can be like a mirror and direct light even into dark places. We are not the sources of light; nevertheless, through us light can be reflected to others." I know that Christ is the light of the world and that we can find direction and peace through reflecting His light. I know that He loves each of us and will always be there as long as we are willing to point ourselves to Him!
In Matthew 5 it says:
14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15 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.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
And in 3 Nephi 18 it says:
24 Therefore, hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up—that which ye have seen me do. Behold ye see that I have prayed unto the Father, and ye all have witnessed.
Christ asks us to hold up our light, which is Him. Reflect that love that He has for each of us. We are so blessed to have a light to follow. I learned of an analogy at girls camp that helped me understand this concept. There was a young boy who found a piece of a mirror and began playing with it. He soon learned that the mirror could reflect the light anywhere it was directed, even into very dark places. All he had to do was point it at the sun and then aim the light into the shadows. This became a game of sorts for him, seeing how much light he could reflect into the dark shadows. He later observed that the mirror was not the source of light, but it did have the capacity to reflect the light and to dispel the darkness. We are each like a piece of a mirror. None of us are perfectly round or smooth. Some have chips and others are quite small, but each retains the capacity to reflect Christ's light and brighten the world. In the dark shadows that threaten to consume our lives, we will find light as we are pointed toward the Son.
Ted E. Brewerton said, "We can be like a mirror and direct light even into dark places. We are not the sources of light; nevertheless, through us light can be reflected to others." I know that Christ is the light of the world and that we can find direction and peace through reflecting His light. I know that He loves each of us and will always be there as long as we are willing to point ourselves to Him!
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Hope upon a Star
Christmas is a joyful time of year when everyone is a little more kind, a little more giving, and a little more loving. At Christmas time we feel of Christ's love which brings light into our lives. This light comes from the hope that this little baby boy brought to a world lost in darkness.
The star on that first Christmas night was an announcement of Christ's birth and marked the beginning of a brighter future for mankind. To me the star symbolizes hope, which is exactly why Christ came to earth. He came to bring hope to a fallen world condemned to suffer in sin, were it not for Him. Christmas is one day where we celebrate His birth - the grand beginning of the redemption of us all. At the time of Christ's birth we are told about a bright star that appeared in the heavens.
In Matthew 2 it reads:
Christ was the literal light of the world and thus it was fit that a bright star appeared at His birth. He brought light and hope to each of us. The star that appeared that first Christmas will bring hope to us, for a better world. We each can "follow the star" and make our own journey to Bethlehem to feel of Jesus Christ's hope and love.
The star on that first Christmas night was an announcement of Christ's birth and marked the beginning of a brighter future for mankind. To me the star symbolizes hope, which is exactly why Christ came to earth. He came to bring hope to a fallen world condemned to suffer in sin, were it not for Him. Christmas is one day where we celebrate His birth - the grand beginning of the redemption of us all. At the time of Christ's birth we are told about a bright star that appeared in the heavens.
In Matthew 2 it reads:
"...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...
"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."
These kings followed the light of the star to find the Christ child. They followed the light that led them to the Light and Life of the World. This Christmas season we can find hope in the Light of that first Christmas; hope from the literal and eternal Light of the World.
"When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy."
These kings followed the light of the star to find the Christ child. They followed the light that led them to the Light and Life of the World. This Christmas season we can find hope in the Light of that first Christmas; hope from the literal and eternal Light of the World.
Christ was the literal light of the world and thus it was fit that a bright star appeared at His birth. He brought light and hope to each of us. The star that appeared that first Christmas will bring hope to us, for a better world. We each can "follow the star" and make our own journey to Bethlehem to feel of Jesus Christ's hope and love.
That's what Christmas is truly about, finding hope, peace, and love in the life of Jesus Christ!
Merry Christmas!
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