The Light of Faith

I consider myself to be a very fortunate person in many ways. Like most of us I take for granted the many wonderful things that I enjoy in life. I marvel that the two eyes which I have give me so much for which I have to be grateful.

With these eyes I have seen many different countries. I have seen great mountains and beautiful valleys. I have seen rivers and oceans and many lakes. I have seen colourful plants and ornate trees. I have seen the delicate and sensitive nature of flowers and the rough and jagged edges of a cliff. I have seen beautiful blue skies and I have seen miraculous cloud formations both from the earth and from aircraft high in the skies.

I have seen massive chunks of thick ice broken up on the sea as I have travelled between two countries by boat during the winter when the seas were frozen. I have seen many beautiful moments when the first signs of spring have brought alive the growth of new green grass and marvellous summers when flowers and trees are in full bud and show off their bloom. I have seen the falling snow rest on the branches of trees. I have seen little birds fly from place to place. I have seen squirrels run and climb trees and hares romp across gardens. I have seen lazy cats sleeping peacefully and dogs waving their tails in happiness as they meet old friends.

We take for granted so much that we can enjoy in life - even to the point where the miraculous appears to be quite ordinary.

But just think what we would miss if instead of light there was darkness! All of the things that we perceive with our natural eyes would be hidden from us. Without light we would be blind. We would have to use our arms or a stick to feel our way or just to sit down or a guide dog to lead us where we want to go. We would have to listen for the sounds of the birds or the scampering of animals and imagine in our mind what they would look like. And there would be so many strange noises that we could not identify and dangers that we could not see.

Without the sight of our natural eyes we would have to learn to see our world in other ways with the aid of our other physical senses.

When Alma went to teach the Zoramites he spoke to them of faith and how to gain a knowledge of things that they could not see with their natural eyes. He taught them that the exercise of faith, even as small as a seed, would enable them to see and understand spiritual truths. Comparing the process to the planting of a seed he explained that just as a good seed, if it is planted and nurtured will sprout and grow so too will the seed of faith when it is sewn in the heart. By the exercise of faith it can be seen that the seed begins to grow and is a good seed: He taught "And now, behold, is your knowledge perfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in this thing, and your faith is dormant; and this because you know, for ye know that the word hath swelled your souls, and ye know also that it hath sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your mind doth begin to expand. O then, is not this real? I say unto you, Yea, because it is light; and whatsoever is light, is good, because it is discernible, therefore you must know that it is good.." Alma 32 v 34-35.

Just as we need light to be able to perceive our physical environment and become acquainted with it, so we need spiritual light to be able to perceive and understand things that are spiritual. Just as we become acquainted with our physical world through physical experience using our physical senses so we can become acquainted with things that are spiritual only through the spiritual sense or by obtaining spiritual light.

Jesus taught: " I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." John 8 v 12.

In modern day revelation we are instructed: "For the word of the Lord is truth, and whatsoever is truth is light, and whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ. And the Spirit giveth light to every man who cometh into the world; and the Spirit enlighteneth every man through the world, that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit. And every one that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit cometh unto God, even the Father." D&C 84 v 45-47. Further he tells us: "That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day." D&C 50 v 24.

Here we obtain several great keys of knowledge about things of the Spirit. Firstly, that it is only by faith in Christ that we can obtain spiritual light, that he is the source of spiritual light, that by receiving light, by application of it and obedience to it we shall receive more light and that finally this light will bring us back into the presence of God, our Father and also his Son Jesus Christ.

Just as when we are in complete darkness we cannot see our physical world, so, without faith in Christ we cannot see or understand the things of God. To obtain the Spirit of God so that we can be enlightened by it and receive the light of Christ we must be freely willing to exercise faith, not that which comes from constraint or compulsion, but of a willing heart. As Alma taught, "..."even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until you believe in a manner to give place for a portion of my words." Alma 32 v 27.

This is not to say that we should be willing to believe everything that we are told for it is also true that sincerity of belief does not establish the truth of a principle, only an irrefutable witness can do that - a witness that comes to the mind and heart of any one who is willing to exercise faith in Christ - a witness that comes by the power of the Holy Ghost.

The exercise of faith in Christ that leads us to receive the light of spiritual truth begins when we make room in our hearts to believe in the eternal truths of God and when we desire and promise to live in accordance with divine truth when it is revealed to us. We cannot trifle with things that are sacred. All that comes from God is sacred. We must be willing to let go of those things in our lives that keep us from receiving the Spirit of God. Which of us who are seeking in a dark room for things that we urgently need would not rather replace the tiny matchstick we hold for a bright lamp to illuminate the place we are looking in? Of course, we all would give up the matchstick for the lamp. So too we must be prepared to give up our futile attempts to understand divine wisdom by intellectual reasoning and study alone.

When we understand how the principle of faith works we can begin to examine the words of the prophets of God. The Apostle Peter wrote that: "...no prophecy of the scriptures is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." 2 Peter 1 v 20-21. And, the prophet Moroni wrote that "...by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things." Moroni 10 v 5. He challenges us and invites us to try the promise of God by making an experiment of faith, just as did Alma. His invitation is simple.

When we receive the revealed word of God to his prophets we should ponder it in our hearts. We should consider how these scriptures testify that God has acted at all times throughout the history of mankind out of his love for the benefit and blessing of man and after doing so we should pray and ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are true. He promises that if we will do so with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it to us by the power of the Holy Ghost. (Moroni 10 v 3-4).

During his mortal ministry Jesus taught that: "If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible to you." Matt. 17 v 20. Because God loves each of us his children we can trust in his promises. We can be sure that he will answer our sincere prayers of faith, even if our faith is as small as a mustard seed which is one of the smallest seeds known to man. Sometimes he will answer us immediately. Sometimes he may try our faith and see if we are truly determined and we may have to wait. Sometimes we must persevere until we receive an answer.

Jesus taught: "Seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you: Matt 7 v 7-8. He continued: "For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.". As if to emphasise this point he taught that if a man has a friend whose friends come from afar to visit him and if he has nothing to offer them and he goes to his neighbour to ask for food for his visitors, even at midnight, when his neighbour and his children are in bed, yet even so his neighbour will arise and give him what he needs regardless of the time because he is a true friend in need. So too he invites us to believe in the promises of God to respond to our sincere needs.

Why should we trust in God to hear our prayers and answer them? To the prophet Moses he said: "....behold, this is my work and my glory - to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." Moses 1. v 39.

The life of God is a life of fulfilment. It is a life of joy and happiness. He possesses all knowledge and he has all power over all things. As he told Moses: "...worlds without number have I created" and, " there are many worlds that have passed away by the word of my power. And there are many that now stand, and innumerable are they unto man, but all things are numbered unto me, for they are mine and I know them." And again: "And as one earth shall pass away, and the heavens thereof even so shall another come; and there is no end to my works, neither to my words." Moses 1 v 35, 37-38. God, who is our eternal Father, the father of our spirits desires to share all that he has with us who are his children.

He desires our happiness and the fulfilment of our lives so that we may inherit the fullness of joy that he enjoys. All this we may have if we will exercise faith in his Son Jesus Christ, follow his example and live according to his teachings. As we do so and remain faithful to Him we shall develop the same characteristics of divinity that he possesses and we shall become more like him. As the Apostle John recorded in his first epistle, chapter 2 verse 5: "...whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him." And he continues in chapter 3 verse 2: "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."

God. our Father has prepared a way for us to become like him and for us to become one with Him. Faith in Jesus Christ is the way. He is our light. The prophet Nephi taught: "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life." 2 Nephi 31 v 20. And he continues: And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God." v 21.

References to quotations from Alma, Nephi and Moroni, are taken from the Book of Mormon. References to the D&C are taken from revelations given in modern times to the prophet Joseph Smith and which are compiled in the book titled The Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. References to quotations from Moses are taken from the Pearl of Great Price, extracts of divinely revealed translations of the Book of Genesis. Other references are taken from the Holy Bible (King James Version).

The Pursuit of Happiness

I have noticed how often we speak from the pulpet about things that are close to our heart and which are important to us personally.  I am no different than you in that respect and wish to speak about things that weigh upon my heart.

Life is full of twists and turns - some are part of our daily routines - some we can predict as the consequences of decisions that we make, and some are unexpected - but almost always they have some meaning to our lives and when we stop to consider what is important to us in this life, we cannot but help to notice that we can learn something from our every day which also affects the eternal purpose of our life.

Jesus taught, that "...where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Matt. 6 v 21

The desires of our heart are generally the objectives of our life. So, if we can discover what we each want from life, we should be able to find out how to get there - how we can accomplish our goal and what kind of plan we need so that we can succeed. No one would go to sea in a boat that did not have a rudder - without one it is impossible to navigate in any direction, and likewise, everyone who wants to achieve a specific destination in life must have a map or navigation equipment, which will make it possible to plan the route.

I once asked a missionary companion, what was it that he really wanted out of life - what was the single most important thing that he wanted more than anything else. After quite some time in contemplation he replied: "I want more than anything else to be happy".

Happiness is surely everyones wish - the goal of every individual. How then can we achieve it? 

If we know what will bring us happiness then we can decide to do everything that will enable us to obtain that happiness which we seek. Making the plan and following it through can be part of it.   

If I were to ask different people what it is that would contribute to their happiness I think that most of them would say that good health is important to their happiness. It is certainly true - I can well understand how it must be to struggle and to have to live each day with physical or mental pain or anguish, or with the uncertainty as to whether this day will permit the possibility to live in health and peace of mind.

In addition we may add to the list of answers money.  Money allows us to do so much.   With money we can travel, we can buy a car,  a home,  clothes,  food and almost everything else which is important to the human soul.

But happiness alone cannot mean as much to the individual, if they are unable to share it with others,  often with one special person whose beliefs and aspirations are the same - and who can both give as well as receive love.  So knows the person who has travelled alone and seen the miracles of nature and been unable to share the feelings of awe and wonder that fill their soul with another. 

Love can bring to the soul more meaning that money or even health, and even if these other elements are missing, then the desire for love can become the most important of lifes aspirations.

The acquisition of happiness must include work - being able to do something and obtain accomplishment from it brings to the human soul a sense of satisfaction which cannot be obtained in any other way.  So knows the person who has built a house and seen the final completion after the long efforts involved in its construction. Or, a sculptor, who has learned to skilfully create from wood, metal or other material something of beauty, or a dressmaker whose completed work fits well on the figure for whom it was made.  Even an undertaker may take satisfaction from his work, which brings peace to someone at the end of a life and a place where their remains may be laid to rest for others to visit.

So many other factors also contribute to our whole picture of how we may obtain happiness.

But as we know, all of these above mentioned factors which contribute to our happiness in this life are not necessarily permanent.  Health may fail,  money may run out,  notwithstanding the amount of time spent in its pursuit or even how much of it is saved. Love may grow cold in time if it is not nurtured enough or if ones partner even decides so unilaterally.  Work may end or age press upon the individual so as to take the joy out of it or if strength to continue becomes impossible.  Even the self employed may for one reason or another lose the opportunity to continue or the energy to struggle to achieve their goals.

Even the god of all gods, beauty, may fade. As one star once said: "We all lose our charms in the end."  If the acquisition of happiness is our life goal, what then happens when everything for which we have worked, sacrificed and hoped, in the end brings no lasting satisfaction ? We can of course choose to escape from the reality of our situation. We can seek happiness somewhere else than from the acquisition of money or the security of a monogomous relationship. We might even give up working and live off social security - and there are always those who will maintain  the fabric of society if we dont and if we wish we can receive all we want without giving anything back. But how much real satisfaction can be obtained by so doing ?

In life there is only one thing that is sure and certain ..............sooner or later, it will come to an end.

Well, you might say, so what -  at least the journey was fun! And if it all ended there, we might feel satisfied and believe that the ends justify the means - our own happiness, whatever the cost!

Life is full of twists and turns and they have meaning for us and purpose as well. But, even though we may have fine dreams,  beautiful plans and the desire to obtain true happiness,  there is no guarantee that we will reach our objective if we just rely on our own knowledge and wisdom.

In his book "The Other Side of Heaven", John Groberg relates his own perspective as follows: "....I am sure that it is good, that we have better information, such as weather forecasts, raports,  predictions,  safety inspections,  auditing,  and such like,  but I sometimes feel that we are  too full of facts and numbers and possible dangers, so much so that we do less than we should. I suppose that we can all invent genuine reasons why we dont do anything because of possible dangers, such as not travelling somewhere because of a possible storm or we dont make some business solutions because we may be afraid of losses or litigation or we dont get married or have children because of possible physical, mental, social or financial reasons.

But it seems to me that the whole of life is one great risk and just for that reason we need faith. We do what is right,  regardless of the consequences.  God will help us,  of that I am sure.  We may have health problems or accidents, financial difficulties or difficulties with our family - at least we will become what God knows we need for our growth. If we protect ourselves from too much  it seems to me that we may protect ourselves right out of the Celestial Kingdom."

We cannot know in advance everything that life will bring us. We cannot predict what tomorrow will be like - we cannot know what kind of house to build when we build it because we do not know if we will be safe from the dangers of the world, from hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, unexpected changes in the weather, let alone from rising crime and other hazards. We do not know when we marry if we will have healthy children or whether our spouse will stay with us through all of life`s disappointments,  troubles and sorrows.  When we are born into this world we do not know what kind of parents we will have, loving and caring or indifferent, sober or drunks - whether we will have a secure environment or one of violence and neglect.

For sure we dont know about tomorrow yet - it is still ahead of us, it is the unknown future. But there is one who knows everything.  He knows every detail about us.  He knew us before we were  born into this world.  He knows our strengths and weaknesses.  He knows everything about our earthly circumstances from the moment of our birth.  He even knows our thoughts. He does not  desert us when we make mistakes and his love towards us knows no limits.

When we go down to the beach sometimes we may find it interesting to see what kind of stones have been washed up on the sand.  Some of them have been in the sea for a very long time. They are usually of differing types of rock - different shapes, different colours - some of them have been in the water such a long time and have weathered a lot of turbulent movements of the waves.  Many have been broken by the actions of the stormy currents.  Nevertheless, it is surprising that always among the many different stones there are those which are almost as good and as beautiful as gemstones.  They have suffered the buffeting of the seas and are washed up on the beach after having spent years in the waters polished by the abrasive actions of the water and sand.  If we knew how much the sea had tested them we would be astonished that they had endured and survived the countless years of pummeling.

Life is like the sea and we are like those stones.  God exists.  He knows that we can become as precious and as beautiful as those gemstones,  as strong and as pure even as a diamond but it has its price.

The price is the school of life.  Everyone who lives must pass through it.  And, there is no other means for us to graduate.  Life is painful,  for some it may be one long ordeal until death brings it to an end.  Or, just when we think that we have been sufficiently refined by the experiences of the sea of life and reached the safety of the beach, along comes someone, sees us and sends us skimming back to the depths from which we came, where we must again be buffeted by sand and sea and refined even further.

Life is full of twists and turns.  We all make mistakes - there is only one person who has ever lived and who lives who was and is perfect. Some mistakes are small and their consequences not so significant.  Some mistakes are serious and their consequences cause us anguish and pain to the most extreme degree.  We endure trials of all kinds, some as the result of our own stupidity, neglect or lack of desire to follow the guidance of our loving Father in Heaven.  We are tried also as the result of the actions of others.  We suffer.  We dont want to suffer and when suffering continues too long and there seems to be no end to it we may easily become broken.  Suffering is part of the refining process which makes of us valuable gemstones, eternally enduring and beautiful jewels.

From the first moment of our birth when we came forth from the safety and warmth of our mother`s womb we cried for longing.  We suffered hunger and were able to drink milk from our mother`s breast and feel again what is is like to be nurtured in a warm and safe environment. We suffered also unpleasant feelings of discomfort until we were able to adapt to the new body we had received.

We suffered to be separated from our mother`s warmth and safety and we suffered tiredness from which only sleep was able to give us relief.

A tiny tiny seed contains within its core - life. It must be buried in the ground until the protection of the earth, moisture and warmth open its shell and there grows a fragile and delicate shoot. It  must push out and upwards through earth many thousand times its own weight until it reaches the surface and can enjoy the light and warmth of the suns rays.  Just as the seed suffers its birth and growth until it has sprouted and brought forth, so we too must suffer our growth and all its attendant pains, sorrows and hurts.

We can delay the process.  We can complain and protest.  We can refuse to participate.  We can even withdraw from it, but no matter how much we do not want to suffer we must complete the school of life to the end.  It is extremely difficult to complete life without acknowledgement, faith and trust in our eternal and loving Father in Heaven, who can protect and guide us, comfort us and give us strength to endure to the end.

Depending on how we look at it,  life is either the greatest of eternal blessings and gifts or an eternal punishment and our companions in this life are all different stones which like us are in the process of refinement and which may be just in a different stage of progress than are we.  If we permit and endure the storms of life trusting in our Heavenly Father`s love and care we can obtain from him strength and wisdom, albeit sometimes after the event, so that we can endure the processes different stages and difficulties - but, if we rebel against it and prevent ourselves and others from seeing it through to the end, we will unavoidably still have to go through the school of life and all its attendant trials and complete it to the end even if it takes a thousand years.  If that happens, we may lose the possibility of participation when new worlds are born and new generations brought to be refined.

Life is unavoidable, but the action of its sea is much easier when we realise that it all has meaning.

Everything has a purpose and we are not alone unless we so choose.  Fighting against it is futile and wastes so much time and needlessly consumes so much energy, which we need to endure the storms and the unpredictable events of life.

I testify that God lives.  He loves us and he is always aware of each one of us.  He knows all our joys and all our sorrows, all of our happiness and all of our tribulations.  He is always willing to help us if we will trust in him and to comfort us and give us strength to endure the difficult times.

He has an eternal gps system.  It may be miraculous to us but he can locate us in a second no matter where on this earth we are.  We need only to extend to him the invitation.