Follow the Light

Now, I think, I should probably blog about Elder Clayton's talk itself. He began his talk, Choose to Believe, by sharing the tragic story of a girl who survived an airplane crash and got help by walking about a mile over "very rough terrain," "wading through creeks, crossing ditches, and braving blackberry briars," on "a cold, rainy Kentucky's winter's night," "wearing only shorts, a T-shirt, and one sock." The story of her survival is as inspiring as it is heartbreaking, but the focus of Elder Clayton's talk was, surprisingly, not on the challenges we face in mortality, but on the one thing that can get us through them. As the young girl trudged across unfamiliar ground in the dark and icy rain, there was one thing that gave her a sense of direction - a distant light and the hope that when she reached it, she would find help.

Our lives are rarely so discouraging as the long night that girl faced, but whether our futures look just as dismal or comparatively rosy, there is a light in the distance, and it shines beyond the brightness of whatever light we may be in now and beyond whatever darkness we may have to pass through to reach it. Whether we are comfortable or wretchedly uncomfortable, we need to summon our courage and follow that light.

As the girl followed the light, there were times when the light was hidden from her view by a hill or a clump of bushes, yet, even when things seemed utterly dark, dreary, and hopeless, she pressed forward in the direction in which she had last seen the light, trusting that if she kept moving in the right direction, she would see the light again and eventually reach it. In our lives, it's sometimes the case that we can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, but when that happens, we must not give up and remain in the tunnel. There is a light ahead of us, and we can reach it, but to do so, we must be steadfast and exercise faith, if only in our memories of having once seen the light.

Mortality is fraught with challenges - few as desperate as that of the girl, but still, faith and courage are both needed to face them. Thankfully, we have felt the Spirit confirm to our hearts that there is a purpose to God's plan. We have seen the light, and though we may not be able to see it all the time, we know that it's there. Let us exercise our faith and put forth every effort required to follow the light we've seen. There is hope and help ahead of all of us, even if we have to face a long, hard walk to reach it.