The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
Romans 13:12
I have been trying to walk a mile every morning for the past week or so so that I can get outside and get some exercise. I like to listen to something (a podcast, general conference talk, etc.) while I walk. During my walk yesterday morning, I listened to a BYU devotional talk called The Armour of Light. I thought it was so interesting and inspiring. I have been so fascinated with learning about light over the past year or so.
I loved a lot of things from his talk (and I’ll probably do some other posts about those things) but one part that really stuck out to me at the end was Dennis Largey’s challenge…
“I would like to issue a challenge: Sometime today take a piece of paper and divide it into two halves. On the right side list things that could intensify light in your life: temple attendance, attendance at all Sunday meetings, scriptures, prayers, repentance, service, and so forth. On the left side list things that you think, desire, do, say, view, or even places you go, that diminish light from your life. Then ask yourself in all honesty, “How can I improve in those things that intensify light, and what can I simply let go of that takes light away?” As in the story of Achan: “What accursed things do I do, say, think, or hold onto that drain my power?” This list can be compared to a dimmer switch that controls the intensity of light within our homes. Turn the dial to the right and light increases. Turn the dial to the left and the light dims. The decision as to which way we turn the dial is up to us.”
When I heard him talk about a dimmer switch, it made a lot of sense to me. So later on that morning, I was talking to the kids about this principle of light. I asked L if he knew what at dimmer switch was. He didn’t really know. So I just downloaded a quick app on my phone that has a dimmer switch on it. I took the kids into the bathroom (no windows so It’s completely dark) so that I could demonstrate the dimmer effect and teach them about this principle.
I taught them about how everyone is born with the Light of Christ. We all have this light that is in our minds, bodies, and spirits. When we make bad choices (sin), and don’t repent, the light slowly (or more quickly, depending on the sin) fades and we become darker and darker inside. Eventually the light inside us gets so dim that we can no longer see clearly. I demonstrated this by listing off random sins and slowly turning down the level of light on the dimmer switch. When the light was down at it’s lowest – almost completely dark, I asked the kids if they could see certain things in the bathroom. They said that they couldn’t.
I talked to them about how this internal darkness produces misery for the person.
I then taught the kids about repentance and how it is always possible to repent. It is never too late. God is always there, reaching out to you, waiting for you. I then demonstrated what happens if the person repents and steadily makes good choices, line upon line. I turned the light slowly up until it was at it’s brightest again. I then asked the kids to look around the bathroom and tell me if they could see things again. They said that they could.
I talked to them about how the light of the gospel helps us to be able to see things more clearly – as they really are. This internal light produces a radiant peace, love, and joy in the person’s life.
Even though it is always possible to repent and come back from a state of internal darkness, it is far better to never have to get to that point. It is better to obey Heavenly Father’s commandments in the first place and to not only keep the light bright, but to work towards making the light even brighter. This is where Dennis Largey’s challenge comes in. “How can I improve in those things that intensify light, and what can I simply let go of that takes light away?”
After this demonstration I talked to the kids about how, now, when they are little, is the time to practice this principle – when the choices and consequences are little. Now is the time for them to practice repenting when they make mistakes. And now is the time to practice obeying Heavenly Father’s commandments (which includes obeying their parents.)
After this little teaching moment, the boys wrote about what they learned in their Gospel Experiences books.
L’s entry (pg. 1)
L’s entry (pg. 2)
P’s entry
During my morning routine this morning, I sat down and made the list that Dennis Largey suggested. On one side of the page I wrote down things that intensify light in my life. I’m not necessarily super good at these things all the time, but when I do include these things in my life, they do intensify my light.
On the other side of the page, I wrote down some things that I struggle with that diminish my light. I am sure that there are other things that I will remember and I will add those to this list as I think of them.
I am going to be more intentional about doing more of the things that intensify the light in my life and doing less of the things that diminish the light.
