Light

The Christmas season has snuck up on me and I am sad to say that I haven't really been able to enjoy it just yet as I am incredibly busy with school right now. But I did get up to see the lights this year and all of a sudden my finals and papers and stresses disappeared as I smiled in the light of the Christmas decorations surrounding the temple. So many lights. So beautiful. I love light... it reminds me of so many things. Light overpowers darkness... no matter what. Light trumps coldness... no matter what. Light dispels confusion... no matter what. Light overcomes disbelief... no matter what. Light triumphs over despair... no matter what. Light always triumphs in the end... no matter what. The Lord is referred to as the Light of the world. This is why. When He asks us to follow Him and let OUR light shine, this is what He is asking us to do. Every significant event in the spiritual history of the world is in some way connected to light. A burning bush, the feeling of fire, a marvelous understanding, 3 days of continual sunshine, a bright star... a pillar of light.

 I was in Florence one cold and stormy day sitting in the big Duomo (cathedral) in the middle of the city. The Duomo doesn't have lamps- light pours into the beautiful windows at the top of the church illuminating the room. But on days when the sky is dark and sun is gone, the cathedral is dark and freezing. I like to watch people (especially Italians because they are so expressive) and I watched as this young Italian couple entered the Duomo with their daughter. Once inside, this little girl instantly began squirming to get out of her dad's arms. He let her down and it was obvious that she had recently learned to walk. As soon as her little shoes hit the cold tile floor, her little legs took off. She was racing towards the middle of the Duomo, almost falling over herself she was running so fast. A few times she was a little unsteady on her feet and she fell once but got up and kept at it. I looked at what she was running towards. In the middle of the huge room, there was a huge table covered in tiny lit candles... she was running for the light. We are innately uncomfortable in darkness and drawn to light and this little girl was a perfect example of that. She ran. She fell but she kept running. And that, my friends, is what Christmas is all about. Recognizing the light (synonyms being hope, goodness, understanding, spirit, love, joy, life, charity, faith, and warmth) that Christ brings to the world and then doing all we can to attain it (run to it) and then share it with others.

Ammon put it pretty well. "Yea, they were encircled about with everlasting darkness and destruction; but behold, he has brought them into his everlasting light, yea, into everlasting salvation; and they are encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love; yea, and we have been instruments in his hands of doing this great and marvelous work."

This is only one of the reasons I love Christmas.