Light and Darkness - Entrance to Enlightenment

President Uchtdorf (Yes, him again) has in his office a painting titled Entrance to Enlightenment. The painting shows a dark room with an open door. The doorway, as well as a small area just in front of the door, are brightened by light, while the rest of the room is filled with darkness. To President Uchtdorf, "the darkness and light in this painting are a metaphor for life." In life, we often feel that we're locked in a dark room with no way to escape, but Jesus Christ has opened the door, making it possible for us to escape the darkness that surrounds us and come into an area of light.

Nevertheless, spiritual light rarely comes to those who merely sit in darkness waiting for someone to flip a switch. It takes an act of faith to open our eyes to the Light of Christ. 

So how do we open our eyes to the hope of God’s light?

He gives three suggestions:

First, start where you are. 

The perfect place to begin is exactly where you are right now. It doesn’t matter how unqualified you may think you are or how far behind others you may feel. The very moment you begin to seek your Heavenly Father, in that moment, the hope of His light will begin to awaken, enliven, and ennoble your soul. The darkness may not dissipate all at once, but as surely as night always gives way to dawn, the light will come.

There is really nowhere else we can start to seek the light than where we are right now, unless we want to wait for things to get worse. The only way to truly escape the darkness of this world is by coming unto Christ, and the sooner we make the choice to do that, the less darkness we'll have to fight through to get to the door. By human nature, our carnal selves are always pulling us deeper into the darkness, unless we exercise the strength of our spirits to pull us closer to the light. It will be a struggle, but the sooner we start seeking the light, the less of a struggle it will be.

Second, turn your heart toward the Lord. 

Lift up your soul in prayer and explain to your Heavenly Father what you are feeling. Acknowledge your shortcomings. Pour out your heart and express your gratitude. Let Him know of the trials you are facing. Plead with Him in Christ’s name for strength and support. Ask that your ears may be opened, that you may hear His voice. Ask that your eyes may be opened, that you may see His light.

I've never heard prayer spoken of this way. President Uchtdorf's method seems to combine many different ideas about prayer, including talking to God the same way you'd talk to another person (explaining your feelings, even though you know that He already knows how you feel), humbling yourself before Him (by acknowledging your shortcomings),  and not being afraid to ask for blessings. With this method, you would speak to God as you would speak to a friend, to a king, and to a helper. It's hard for me to imagine anyone, even God, filling all three of those roles at once. I can see God as a king and as a friend, or as a friend and a helper, or maybe even as a king and a helper, but not all three. I can't wrap my head around how anyone, even God, could be that multi-faceted. I guess I need to understand the nature of God better. But first, Uchtdorf's third piece of counsel:

Third, walk in the light. 

Your Heavenly Father knows that you will make mistakes. He knows that you will stumble—perhaps many times. This saddens Him, but He loves you. He does not wish to break your spirit. On the contrary, He desires that you rise up and become the person you were designed to be. 

To that end, He sent His Son to this earth to illuminate the way and show us how to safely cross the stumbling blocks placed in our path. He has given us the gospel, which teaches the way of the disciple. It teaches us the things we must know, do, and be to walk in His light, following in the footsteps of His Beloved Son, our Savior.

The Savior is our exemplar. When we follow Him, we're following God's path for us. The Savior Himself said it best: “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”