Brightening My Light

The second great commandment is to "love thy neighbor as thyself" (Matthew 22:39). Countless lessons and talks have focused on the first part of the commandment, loving others, so we often ignore the second part. But love for others stems from love for self. It may not seem true: there are many people who are compassionate and kind who have self-love issues. However, I believe that their capacity to love others would increase dramatically if they learned to love themselves. When someone is filled with self-hatred and other negative emotions, there is little room for positive emotions, even for others. In fact, self-hatred is selfish (note self is in both words); it's focusing solely on ourselves. On the other hand, when we are filled with self-love, we are happier, more optimistic people with greater capacity to see the needs of others and fill them. I remember first learning this lesson from watching The Buttercream Gang . A former member of the gang goes on a rampage i...

Time is a mind-boggling concept. The scriptures reveal that our time and God's time are greatly different. We obsess over it, because we know that our earthly time is a gift. Most of us are appreciative of this gift, understanding that each day on earth is precious and can be taken away at any moment. However, with so many distractions and things to do, we usually do not use our time wisely. The Lord advised us, "Let every man be diligent in all things. And the idler shall not have place in the church, except he repent and mend his ways" (D&C 75:29). We can be more diligent by being better organized, not being lazy, and quitting our addictions to less important things. I believe that last one is vital. Most of us do not struggle with excessive laziness--we are very busy and deserve the few breaks we get. I think the biggest problem we must overcome is dedicating our time to things that don't deserve it. In Conference of October 1979, before Facebook and YouTube an...

Chilly weather. Snow. Winter clothes. Cookies. Candy canes. Gingerbread houses. Hot chocolate. Fireplaces. Lights. Wreaths. Trees. Holly. Mistletoe. Green. Red. Gifts. Shopping. Parties. Decorations. Bells. Sleigh rides. Sledding. Snowmen. Carols. Music. Concerts. Santa. Reindeer. Elves. Penguins. Smiles. Laughter. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Christmas is coming! It is no coincidence that so much beauty and happiness surround the holiday celebrating Christ's birth. (And the holiday celebrating His death and resurrection, for that matter, but that's a different post.) Whether people like it or not, there is no escaping the symbolism and spirit of Christmas. Yet people forget the source of it all. Angels. Choirs. Stars. Wise men. Shepherds. Baby. Pageants. Hymns. Praise. Family. Church. Prophets. Prophecies. Scriptures. Parables. Charity. Service. Love. Joy. Peace. Humility. Hearts. Blessings. Birth. Death. Resurrection. Light. Life. King. Son. Heaven. Earth. Eternity...

Yesterday evening I watched the Christmas Devotional at our stake center. It was absolutely beautiful! It opened with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and congregation singing "The First Noel" and then after the prayer the Choir singing "For unto Us a Child Is Born" from Handel's Messiah . They sang with such contagious joyfulness. President Uchtdorf spoke first about seeing Christ with the heart. He quoted from The Little Prince , "Anything essential is invisible to the eye." Although many saw Christ with their eyes, they did not see Him with their hearts and accept Him as their Savior and Redeemer. President Uchtdorf exhorted us to unclutter our lives and let it be the season of seeking the Savior with our hearts. The Choir then sang "O Holy Night," my favorite Christmas hymn. I love when the Choir sings! President Eyring followed reminding us that the story of Christmas is a story of love. He advised us to create a small part of the Christmas s...

One of the most memorable talks from this past General Conference was President Monson's on service, entitled "What Have I Done for Someone Today?" He shared how Saints all over the world answered his birthday wish for us to serve others, including one Primary who filled a jar with warm fuzzies for every act of service they did. Service is an enormous part of being a Saint. At baptism we covenant to "bear one another's burdens, that they may be light" (Mosiah 18:8). In the temple we covenant to give all our time, talents, and blessings in building up the kingdom of God, whether that be through Church callings, missionary work, humanitarian aid, or random acts of kindness. Throughout the scriptures we are counseled to bless others in whatever way we can. President Monson bluntly said in regard to this commandment, "I believe the Savior is telling us that unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives." Howev...

Thursday night I went to a Relief Society activity with a Chicken Soup for the Soul theme. After a talk on gratitude and a tasty chicken soup dinner, a sister spoke about trials she has had throughout life, such as infertility, divorce, a brain tumor, and a child with Down Syndrome. She titled her talk "My Life with a Lemon Tree and a Bowl of Sugar." Although I have heard "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade" all my life and usually dismiss it, this sister made me see the metaphor in a new light. She talked about the tree of life from Lehi's dream, which represents the plan of salvation, and how it is the source of sugar. When we use the plan of salvation (sugar) to get through our trials (the lemons), we have lemonade. She closed with, "After a while I stopped labeling things lemons and sugar, because things I thought were lemons ended up being sugar, and things I thought were sugar were also tart. I learned to put the lemons and sugar together and ...

I love to read, so often when I am bored or have time on my hands, I pick up a book for some light reading. If it's a good book, I get hooked and make time to read. I usually end up reading for a few hours. This is how we should read the scriptures. We should feel like picking up the scriptures for some reading when we are bored or have time. We should make time to read the scriptures like we do a bestseller because we are hooked. We should read for longer periods of time instead of the typical few minutes a day. In the scriptures you will find all that makes a good book: heroism, war, love, growth and change, sorrow, happiness, good and evil, inspiration, warmth, drama, suspense, and mystery--and most important, the gospel. The scriptures truly are light reading: they hold light and truth; they light the way back to Heavenly Father; they fill us with light and happiness. They have been preserved for our benefit, so let's read them! Challenge: Next time you feel like reading a ...