I am deeply humbled by this opportunity and have sought after the strength and wisdom of the Holy Ghost to know what I should share with you today.
The best way I knew how to approach preparing this talk was to look carefully at my own testimony, why this gospel means so much to me, and how it has blessed my life.
When I was baptized into the Church, which was nearly ten years ago now, I remember feeling such great joy, freedom, and happiness and wishing that I could tell the whole world what I was feeling. I wanted to share this joy and the message that had been shared with me. The message that Jesus Christ lives and that there is hope and freedom through our Savior and that there is a way to find the truth; the truth to the questions: Who am I? Why am I here? And what will happen to me after this life?
Doctrine and Covenants section 128 verse 23 describes what I was feeling at this time. It reads:
“Let the mountains shout for joy, and all ye valleys cry aloud; and all ye seas and dry lands tell the wonders of your Eternal King! And ye rivers, and brooks, and rills, flow down with gladness. Let the woods and all the trees of the field praise the Lord; and ye solid rocks weep for joy! And let the sun, moon, and the morning stars sing together, and let all the sons of God shout for joy! And let the eternal creations declare his name forever and ever! And again I say, how glorious is the voice we hear from heaven, proclaiming in our ears, glory, and salvation, and honor, and immortality, and eternal life; kingdoms, principalities, and powers!”
Many people in this world spend a great deal of time wondering if it is possible to be happy and have peace in this life. And if it is possible to be happy, they wonder how. Many struggle to find strength and guidance that they feel they can rely on. I had all of these same questions, thoughts, and struggles before I learned about the gospel. But I have learned since then, that even with our knowledge of the gospel in this life, it takes daily devotion and commitment to retain a remembrance and assurance of all that we believe to be true. We cannot afford to settle into an attitude of complacency or allow ourselves to be overcome with despair or discouragement. We must seek out the light of Christ to light our path and lift our hearts. This gospel is a gospel of covenants in which we bind ourselves to the Lord and to one another in goodness and love. In order to make this possible, repentance needs to be a means of overcoming our weaknesses and struggles, and allowing the Holy Ghost to help us in searching out the hope and promise of eternal life. Most important of all, we need to do all we can to proclaim the gospel and share the light of Christ with others.
In Matthew 5:14-16 we are taught:
“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.”
“Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.”
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
There are many ways that we can share our feelings for the gospel with others. We all have been given gifts and through these gifts we can lift one another and together declare our joy and happiness that we know who we are, where we came from, and that we can return to our Lord and Savior if we continue in this path of hope and commitment to the gospel.
I consider the light of Christ and the gift of the Holy Ghost to be two very critical elements of my daily life that have tremendously influenced my growth, understanding, faith, and love of the gospel. If we are devoted to gospel learning and striving to become a more tolerant and understanding people, it is necessary to continually strive to realize what an active part the light of Christ and the Holy Ghost can have in our daily lives.
The Light of Christ
The light of Jesus Christ is the direct influence of the Savior. It is not only luminous, but a contagious and heavenly source of energy. It was through the light of Christ that I was converted to the gospel. This light reflects happiness and joy. It reflects hope and the knowledge or experience of something good and wonderful. It reflects safety and peace and it reflects compassion and love.
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin describes the Light of Christ, “[a]s the sun [that] gives life and light to the earth, a spiritual light [that] gives nourishment to our spirits. The Light of Christ will lead the honest soul to ‘hearkeneth to the voice’[1] to find the true gospel and the true Church and thereby receive the Holy Ghost.”
President Jospeh F. Smith described the light of Christ in this way:
“[T]his Spirit of Christ ‘strives with…men, and will continue to strive with them [if they will resist the enticings of Satan], until it brings them to a knowledge of truth and the possession of the greater light and testimony of the Holy Ghost.”
In Doctrine and Covenants section 88, verses 6 and 7 it reads,
“He that ascended up on high as also he descended below all things, in that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth;
Which truth shineth. This is the light of Christ.
Bruce R. McConkie taught that there are, “at least three ways...in which our Lord is the Light of the World.” These are:
- “Through the Light of Christ he governs and controls the universe and gives life to all that therein is.”
- “By this same immensity-filling light—and also, to certain faithful ones, by the power of the Holy Ghost—he enlightens the mind and quickens the understanding.”
- “By his own upright, sinless, and perfect course, in preexistence, in mortality, and in resurrected glory, he sets a perfect example and is able to say to all men: 'Follow thou me'.”
Being touched by and seeking after this light of Christ opened up many doors to my future. At the time the gospel came into my life I felt as though I was being ministered to by angles of light. Very special people came into my life to tell me about this message of hope and good news and that there was greater meaning and fulfillment to be learned and enjoyed while in this mortal life. I could see and feel this light of Christ reflected through these special people. Their light touched my being and I knew that something very important was happening within me. I didn’t feel as uncertain, alone, or weary of the future anymore. Instead I felt a protective power embracing me and I felt the greatest sense of hope I had ever known.
The first of these angels that came into my life clearly had a testimony of the Savior and was not afraid to share this testimony with me. This special individual was close enough to the Spirit to know that I would accept the gospel.
The other sweet angels who touched my life at this time, were an elderly couple who invited me into their home to begin my first discussions of the gospel with the missionaries. The wife of the couple had been a member all her life, but the husband had been baptized just three months before I walked into their home. They were beautiful. Their light radiated and filled their home and I immediately felt consumed by their love and warmth. There was nothing uneasy about the next several weeks that I enjoyed being taught by the missionaries in their home.
At this time I did not have the gift of the Holy Ghost, but I did have the light of Christ working within me and around me. The feelings of joy and hope that I was experiencing encouraged me to seek after more light and more truth. I wanted to know more and feel more. I was discovering the light of Christ within me and recognizing this light in others as something that seemed familiar to me.
Elder Dallin H. Oaks teaches from the scriptures saying:
“His light is “the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world”. The scriptures call this universal light “the light of truth”, “the light of Christ”, and the “Spirit of Christ”. This is the light that quickens our understanding. It is “the light by which [we] may judge”. It “is given to every man, that he may know good from evil”.
Seeking after and discerning the desires of our heart especially in times of uncertainty can at times be a real struggle and test of faith, but our path will be illuminated as long as we retain a remembrance of our conviction that Jesus Christ is the light of the world and that through his teachings we can draw closer to him and feel his love. It is through the continual process of having faith, exercising repentance, and renewing our baptismal covenants that we can be assured the companionship of the Holy Ghost.
The Holy Ghost
The Holy Ghost is the eternal light of truth, it is the greater light, and it is the third member of the Godhead. It is also a divine gift from our Heavenly Father.
Doctrine and Covenants section 130 verse 22 teaches:
“The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us.”
The Holy Ghost is the source of our testimony and spiritual gifts. President Hinckley has taught, “How great a blessing it is to have the ministering influence of a member of the Godhead.” When the Melchizedek priesthood holders laid their hands upon your head with the divine authority and power from God to confirm you a member of the Church, the words, “Receive the Holy Ghost” were spoken. When we are worthy and prepared, we have the right and privilege to “the ministering influence” of the Holy Ghost.[2]
In the True to the Faith manual we learn that the Holy Ghost, “witnesses of the Father and the Son’ and reveals and teaches ‘the truth of all things.’[3] You can receive a sure testimony of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ only by the power of the Holy Ghost. His communication to your spirit carries far more certainty than any communication you can receive through your natural senses.”
“As you strive to stay on the path that leads to eternal life, the Holy Ghost ‘will show unto you all things what [you] should do.’[4] He can guide you in your decisions and protect you from physical and spiritual danger.”
“Through Him, you can receive gifts of the Spirit for your benefit and for the benefit of those you love and serve.”[5]
“He is the Comforter.”[6] As the soothing voice of a loving parent can quiet a crying child, the whisperings of the Spirit can calm your fears, hush the nagging worries of your life, and comfort you when you grieve. The Holy Ghost can fill you ‘with hope and perfect love’ and ‘teach you the peaceable things of the kingdom’.”[7]
Elder Wirthlin has taught,
“I fear that some members of the Lord’s Church “live far beneath [their] privileges with regard to the gift of the Holy Ghost. Some are distracted by the things of the world that block out the influence of the Holy Ghost, preventing them from recognizing spiritual promptings. This is a noisy and busy world that we live in. Remember that being busy is not necessarily being spiritual. If we are not careful, the things of this world can crowd out the things of the Spirit.”
“[T]hings of the Spirit …are choice, precious, and capable of enlarging the soul, expanding the mind, and filling the heart with inexpressible joy.”
The adversary does not want us to have this gift because it draws us nearer to Christ.
The evening before I was baptized and received the Holy Ghost, I was kept awake by a powerful struggle of the adversary. I was about to go to sleep when this darker force was able to find a way to eat at me in an attempt to weaken my heart and confuse my understanding about being baptized. Up to that point throughout my study with the missionaries, I had had an unwavering conviction that this gospel was more true than anything I had known and that being baptized was the one thing in my life I hadn’t any uncertainty about. Now all of a sudden these feelings of light, love, and joy seemed under attack. This was my first experience in seeing how clever, how deceptive, and how powerful the work of the adversary can be, especially when he realizes he is about to lose as great an influence over another of Heavenly Father’s children. I had such comfort and peace knowing that I was making a good decision and yet I was blind sighted by this distressing force of darkness. This was a great lesson to me that the work of Satan is very real and can be very powerful, and in a cunning manner. He knows how to get at the deepest and most tender parts of our heart to hurt us if we let him. This is why it is so important to be truly faithful in our discipleship and to continually strive to draw closer to the love of God.
The following day I was blessed with a great gift. I received the Holy Ghost to be a protector, a comforter, and a teacher of light and truth.
President Joseph Smith taught, that the Holy Ghost, “will whisper peace and joy to their souls; it will take malice, hatred, strife and all evil from their hearts; and their whole desire will be to do good, bring forth righteousness and build up the kingdom of God.”
Good Desires and Seeking After Light
When our desire is to do good, our hearts are then free and willing to do what is needed to build the kingdom of God. Individual preparation and commitment are necessary ingredients for building Zion which can be accomplished only among those who are pure in heart…a selfless people. Not a people who are pure in appearance, rather a people who are pure in heart.”[8]
I have been blessed to be a young women’s advisor for five of the ten years that I have been a member of the Church. I am so grateful for this opportunity since I did not have the opportunity to participate in the young women’s program as a youth. Each Sunday that the sisters meet for Young Women’s, we have the opportunity to recite the Young Women’s Theme which reminds each daughter of God who they are, that they are loved by Heavenly Father, and what they must do to prepare to be a true disciple and return home to him. The theme states that each daughter of God, “will stand as witnesses of God at all times, in all things, and in all places as [they] strive to live the young women values.” Each month a value is the focus of lessons and activities that the young women take part in. I know you sisters will remember these values. They are: faith, divine nature, individual worth, knowledge, choice and accountability, good works and integrity. The young women learn and know that each of these values is central to becoming a faithful and virtuous daughter of God, living a life that will allow her to reach the potential the Lord gave her, and help her to keep the covenants that she makes with the Lord. These values are divine attributes and are a source of our Savior’s light and should be valued and cultivated by every faithful son and daughter of God.
A Covenant People and Being a Light to Others
If we allow the light of Christ to work within us and allow ourselves to be prompted by the gift of the Holy Ghost in seeking after goodness, light, and truth, we can become a covenant people. A people who are united and of “one heart and one mind” who will look to one anther because we truly do care and desire others to be as happy as we are. When Alma taught the people at the waters of Mormon about the commitment of baptism he said,
“Behold, here are the waters of Mormon and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light; Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, 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 in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life- Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?”[9]
The Lord needs us to desire good and strive to understand the eternal perspective of all the covenants we make with him so we can know how to minister to his children. There are so many of his children who need to be touched by the light of his word and the hope that the gospel can bring into their lives.
Elder Eyring has said, “We never entirely see the impact our desires can have on others who know us.”
“All of us in the pursuit of our duty touch the lives of others. To each of us in our respective responsibilities the Lord has said: ‘Wherefore, be faithful, stand in the office which I have appointed unto you; succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees”
“The life you touch in your service will be as valuable to God as any other life. And how you touch a life is as serious a matter for you as it would be for any other servant of God. Your responsibility is to touch people so that they will make the choices that will take them toward eternal life. And eternal life is the greatest of all the gifts of God.”
Elder Eyring continues:
“If this responsibility seems overwhelming and you feel challenged by feelings of inadequacy, be comforted knowing that the lives you touch will come as, ‘the natural result of your choosing to follow [Jesus Christ].’ All that is necessary is for you to love the people you serve. You will need to be humble and full of hope. You will need to have the Holy Ghost as your companion to know when to speak and what to say and how to testify.”
Through our good desires, our sincere love for others, and our commitment to seek after the light of Christ, we will be given opportunities to share the divine plan of happiness and salvation.
Good desires keep us on a safe path looking to the light. Good desires keep us humble before the Lord as we search for his guidance and to understand his will. When we desire goodness, we are searching, hoping; we are believing in something better and allowing the light of Christ to fill our existence, and allowing the Holy Ghost to guide our path. It is important that our desires be true to who the Lord has intended us to become. The desire for unselfishness and to do good and have goodness around us will help us draw closer to the Lord and to increase our capacity to do good continually. We need to believe that we can have joy and that in our own individual way each of us can share and communicate this joy with others. When we can no more than desire to believe, we exercise a “particle of faith”, and faith as we know is the first and most basic principle of the gospel. Having simply the desire to believe may be a small step, but it is an important step toward hope and takes us further away from doubt, fear, or despair. This first step is necessary in allowing the gospel to take deep root in our hearts and gives the Lord the opportunity to guide us with his light.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland has said, “it seems clear that the essence of our duty and the fundamental requirement of our mortal life is captured in [the] brief phrases from any number of scenes in the Savior’s mortal ministry. He is saying to us, “Trust me, learn of me, do what I do. Then, when you walk where I am going,” He says, “we can talk about where you are going, and the problems you face and the troubles you have. If you will follow me, I will lead you out of darkness.” He promises, “I will give you answers to your prayers. I will give you rest unto your souls.”
In Matthew 11: 28-30 we are taught, “Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Joy
I would like to take a moment and share an example of one woman’s great faith, and her commitment and desire to devote her life to serving mankind in her own individual way:
For much of my life, Mother Teresa has been an example to me of someone who was touched by the light of Christ and chose to share that light by serving others with tremendous love and compassion. Her strength and love for the most lonely and needy of God’s children came as a result of her unrelenting devotion to and remembrance of her Savior. She lived a life “within the depths of humility.” All of her time was spent either in prayer or selfless work for the complete benefit of others. She saw poverty and loneliness in it’s most extreme, and yet she felt great joy in her work. She has said:
“If in your work you have difficulties and you accept them with joy, with a big smile, in this, like many other things, you will see your good works. And the best way to show your gratitude is to accept everything with joy. If you are joyful, it will shine in your eyes and in your look, in your conversation and in your contentment. You will not be able to hide it because joy overflows. Joy is very contagious. Try, therefore, to be always overflowing with joy wherever you go. Joy must be one of the pivots of our life. It is the token of a generous personality. Sometimes it is also a mantle that clothes a life of sacrifice and self-giving. A person who has this gift often reaches high summits. He or she is like a sun in a community. We should ask ourselves, ‘Have I really experienced the joy of loving?’ True love is love that causes us pain, that hurts, and yet brings us joy. That is why we must pray and ask for the courage to love.”
Mother Teresa is an extraordinary example of one human being’s love for others, but can we not all strive for this kind of compassion and understanding for others? How important is it to us that we take time to be with those who’s greatest desire and need is to feel the love of the Savior through another’s loving kindness? I have seen many of you students share this similar kind of love with one another. It is a beautiful sight to see and the love you are sharing is a result of your desire for goodness and your willingness to follow Jesus Christ.
Elder Eyring has also said, “We can influence someone’s choices for the better if we can touch a life with faith.”
Freedom and the Atonement of Jesus Christ
Seeking after the light, living a life with light, and being a light to others depends upon our humility and reliance on the atonement. I see the atonement as a lifeline to freedom and goodness. The atonement can make us whole. It is the absolute core of the gospel.
In the last April General Conference, Elder Eyring taught us,
“There is danger in the word ‘someday’ when what it means is ‘not this day.’ ‘Someday I will repent.’ ‘Someday I will forgive him.’ Someday I will speak to my friend about the Church.’ ‘Someday I will start to pay tithing.’ ‘Someday I will return to the temple.’ ‘Someday…’.”
“The scriptures make the danger of delay clear. It is that we may discover that we have run out of time. The God who gives us each day as a treasure will require an accounting. We will weep, and He will weep, if we have intended to repent and to serve Him in tomorrows which never came or have dreamt of yesterdays where the opportunity to act was past. This day is a precious gift of God. The thought ‘Someday I will’ can be a thief of the opportunities of time and the blessings of eternity.”
“Amulek warns that procrastinating your repentance and service can cause the Spirit of the Lord to withdraw from you.”
“Serving Him invites the Holy Ghost to be with us. And the Holy Ghost is a cleanser of sin.”
“All of us will need His help to avoid the tragedy of procrastinating what we must do here and now to have eternal life. For most of us the temptation to delay will come from one or both of two feelings. They are polar opposites: one is to be complacent about what we have already done, and the other is to feel overwhelmed by the need to do more.”
Our faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ can make us whole if we remember the great sacrifice of our Savior and allow the sanctifying and cleansing power of the atonement to nourish and replenish us.
King Benjamin pleads with his people in Mosiah 4: 11-12 saying,
“As I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your soul, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you , … and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel.”
“And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true.”
Through the atonement the Lord took “captivity, captive” and gave us the opportunity to be free. To do this he “descended first into the lower parts of the earth,” to experience all human suffering. We have been given the light by which may choose between freedom or bondage. Using our agency to willingly choose goodness allows us to experience true freedom. If we can learn and remember that the Lord wants us to experience joy and that through the growth and change in our hearts that comes with understanding our sacred covenants we can be free, we can be happy, and we can have the desire to share this great truth with others.
We have been blessed with the opportunity to perfect ourselves, and edify and serve one another according to the light and teachings of Jesus Christ and his apostles. We are not left to wonder who we are, why we are here, and where will we go after this life. We are not left to wonder about the truth of things without the Holy Ghost and therefore susceptible to deception. We have been given truth and a way to know and feel what is true.
Of all the things I possess the testimony, the witness, the burning confirmation I have experienced that God lives, that this is His Church, that He gave his only begotten son for the betterment and salvation of mankind, this is the most cherished gift I possess.
The beauty about this gift is that it is not meant to be kept to ourselves, but it is a gift to be shared throughout our lives with our family, our friends, and those who will come into our life needing and seeking for goodness and truth.
John 3:16 & 21 reads:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” “But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.”
May we remember our Savior who gave us light and may we hold our covenants sacred that we can have the greater light of the Holy Ghost to abide with us throughout our life. And may we strive to be a light to others and do all we can to lift and strengthen one another.
This is my humble prayer and testimony. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] D&C 84:46
[2] Wirthlin, The Unspeakable Gift
[3] 2 Nephi 31:18
[4] 2 Nephi 32:1-5
[5] D&C 46:9-11
[6] John 14:26
[7] Moroni 8:26; D&C 36:2
[8] Building the Latter-day Zion, B-7
[9] Mosiah 18:8-10