"Little Light"

Jesse Lacey sings, “Little light, lead us through the night…carry us, those distances we cannot walk.” I listened to that one minute of song a few times on my way to work this morning, and can’t help but be moved by its power. Two things come to mind when I think of the “little light”.

First, is the powerful testimony and discourse that Elder Holland delivered last Sunday afternoon during General Conference. It is true that he brought the thunder, and made it perfectly clear as to how he feels about the Book of Mormon, and the authenticity of its origins; however, the real strength of his talk comes in the truth he preaches. Elder Holland declares clinging, grasping, holding onto the rod (or in this case the word of God, the Book of Mormon, or even “little light”) and never losing focus is what will help each and every one of us from having our “hearts fail us”. These truly are times of much pestilence and mass destruction, but there are surely times of personal difficulty as well, and what better instruction on how to overcome those struggles (and be Lions) then this.

Second, and possibly even more powerful than the first thought, is the notion that we ourselves are to be that “little light” helping others navigate their way through the mist of darkness that is the Latter Days. As stated above, we all face personal struggles and turmoil, that is the purpose of being on the earth; however, the best remedy that I’m aware is to follow the command and charge to, “…bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light…to mourn with those that mourn…and comfort those that stand in need of comfort and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death...”

Elder Holland certainly qualified himself as a Lion by standing and bearing witness, but we can all do the same in our own “little” ways. Again the call rings out; who I ask will answer the call? May it be us; may we be the “little light” that shines down on those in the darkness of the night, and may we have the strength to carry those who cannot walk on their own.

We are Oysters all...

Brand New's latest album is quite a tasty treat, and on my way to work this morning a particular line jumped out at me that I hadn't heard prior, "We are oysters all, with our grain of sand." I found it quite profound, and figured I'd share it with everyone. Reminded me of something I read not too long ago:

Success begins with recognition. We must acknowledge that change must be made. Easy enough to say. After all, when our current circumstances are familiar to us they are also very comfortable. Change requires discomfort.

It’s a lot like the story of the farmer and his old hound dog. Every day a young boy walked past the farmer’s house on his way to school. While the farmer and the dog sat on the porch, the dog howled every few minutes. Finally, one day the boy stopped and asked the farmer, "Why does your dog howl?” The farmer said very matter-of-factly, "He’s sitting on a nail sticking up through the floor board." Puzzled, the boy asked, "Then why doesn't he move?" The farmer replied, "I guess it must not hurt enough yet!"

Too many times that is how we live our lives. It doesn't hurt enough for us to change, so we sit and howl. Change starts with doing the little things day in and day out. The more uncomfortable these changes are, the more effective they will be in making us successful. Every day we make a choice. Will you choose to be a hound dog or an oyster?