Walk in the Light

            Our Relief Society lesson last Sunday was based on a conference talk given by Sister Sharon Eubanks, first counselor in the Relief  Society general presidency, titled “Christ: The Light That Shines in Darkness.” Sister Eubanks began her talk by sharing a personal story about looking out the window of her office and discovering that the temple was dark. Normally, lights come on at dusk, but this night they did not come on. Eventually, the technicians at Temple Square solved the problem, but it was a little startling to Sister Eubanks.

Seeing darkness where I expected to see light reminded me that one of the fundamental needs we have in order to grow is to stay connected to our source of light – Jesus Christ. He is the source of our power, the Light and Life of the World. Without a strong connection to Him, we begin to spiritually die. Knowing that, Satan tries to exploit the worldly pressures we all face. He works to dim our light, short-circuit the connection, cut off the power supply, leaving us alone in the dark. These pressures are common conditions in mortality, but Satan works hard to isolate us and tell us we are the only one experiencing them.

            Continuing with her talk, Sister Eubanks discussed five ways Satan tries to use to lessen our ability to see the Light of Christ and explains how Christ can help us: (1) Some of us are paralyzed with grief [with all kinds of tragedies], but Christ heals wounds. (2) Some of us are just so tired and our expectations overwhelm us, but Christ is rest. (3) Some of us feel we don’t fit the traditional mold, but Christ sees us in our situation. (4) Some of us are splintering with questions, but Christ is light to see. (5) Some of us feel we can never be good enough because of our sins and weaknesses, but Christ make wool as white as snow. She concludes her talk with these paragraphs:

It’s hard to get the lights back on by yourself. We need friends. We need each other. Just like the temple facilities staff, we can help each other by showing up in person, recharging our spiritual batteries, repairing what went wrong.

Our individual light may be like only one light bulb on a tree. But we still shine our small light, and all together, like Temple Square at Christmastime, we attract millions of people to the house of the Lord. Best of all, as President Nelson has encouraged, we can bring the Savior’s light to ourselves and the people important to us by the simple act of keeping our covenants. In a variety of ways, the Lord rewards that faithful act with power and with joy.

            As I pondered Sister Eubanks talk about the importance of keeping the light of Christ in our lives, I realized that the talk supported an article I read the same morning. The article by Sister Cecily Smith is titled “Living in Grace and Gratitude” and discusses the importance of the Savior in dealing with depression. 

            At her “worst time of darkness and discouragement,” Sister Smith fell to her knees and pleaded with Heavenly Father, “‘What did I do wrong [to have such deep depression come]?’
As I knelt there in silence, I felt something. It was as if someone came into the room with me, knelt by my side, and wrapped their arms around me. Then this very quiet, comforting, gentle thought flooded into my mind: ‘You did nothing wrong. Just take care of yourself.’”

            While striving to discover how to take care of herself, Sister Smith discovered these five guiding principles that have helped her for the past fifteen years: (1) Live gratefully – keep a gratitude journal, (2) Live gracefully – recognize your need for the Savior’s Atonement,

(3) Live in love – learn the two great commandments and live them, (4) Live simply – learn to balance your life, and (5) Live faithfully – stay on the covenant path.

            By following Sister Smith’s guiding principles for taking care of ourselves, we can overcome trying situations, such as those mentioned by Sister Eubanks. Both sisters testify of the importance of staying close to the Savior and walking in His light.