Blinded by Lesser Lights

I just heard a story about a nighttime blackout in Los Angeles. Those whose houselights and streetlights just went out also went out(side), and were startled by what they saw. Stars, countless and brilliant, shining beautifully in the dark night sky. We don't see that many stars very often, not in cities. Our electric lights create a sort of "light pollution" that makes it difficult to see the stars. Ironically, the dim lights of our own creation blind us to many of the brilliant lights God has made.

Naturally, it's easy to draw the analogy to other kinds of light, like knowledge and wisdom. The world is full of wise and intelligent people, and modern science has made some miraculous progress, but it's important not to forget that God is more wise and intelligent than any of us, and that His works are more miraculous than any of ours. We should be careful to not be so blinded by our own lights that we can no longer fully appreciate the light that God offers us.

Granted, I don't think it's wise for us to shut off our lights completely. God still wants us to think for ourselves rather than relying on Him to do all our thinking for us. But it's still wise to acknowledge that His light, when available, is far brighter than ours. We still need to use our own lights most of the time and to seek to brighten them, but no matter how bright our own lights get, God's light will still be brighter. So, when God's light is available, whether it be through prophets, the scriptures, or personal revelation, it would be foolish to blind ourselves to His light by relying solely on our own.