On the morning of the wedding I wrote these words"In these wee hours of the morning I am awakened by the realization that today, of all days, I am convinced, more than ever, that the evidence of God and the evidence of His love are found in His abundant tender mercies. I am an imperfect person, but I have an almost perfect witness that He lives, guides, blesses and loves each one of us. I will enter the House of the Lord today humbled by the wonderful opportunity to receive His greatest blessings! May my children, and my amazing wife know that my undeserving second chance is as sacred a gift as I have ever received and I covenant to love and serve them, with all my heart, every second of forever. Here's to Heaven and the amazing journey to get there!"
We are all on a journey. To get to where we need to go we need to learn how to get there. Destination requires direction. Destiny requires the same. We need a light to light our way.
In my garage I have a very powerful flashlight. It is large in size and has a 2.0 million candle beam. The light can shine a great distance and can also be seen from several miles away.
There is one problem with my large and powerful flashlight. It doesn’t work. It doesn’t work because the battery, which is built into the flashlight, is dead. I can’t use my flashlight because I have lost the AC adapter that is needed to charge the battery.
Picture in your mind, however, a different kind of flashlight. Picture in your mind a common everyday household flashlight. This type of flashlight typically has a tube or case that acts like a handle and holds two batteries in it. This type of flashlight also has a cap on the other end, that includes a lens and lamp. When the batteries are properly installed in the battery case, and the cap is screwed tightly on, and the flashlight switch is turned to the on position, the lamp begins to glow and produce a light that is visible. The light shines when it reflects from the cap and beams through the lens.
Let’s liken the smaller flashlight to our search for truth. Imagine that one of the batteries in the flashlight represents the word of God. Words are ideas, and the scriptures, the writings of apostles and prophets are filled with thousands and thousands of ideas. But ideas alone are not enough. One battery has very little use and isn’t operating at its full potential if it isn’t used correctly.
Now liken the second battery to the Spirit of God. When the second battery is connected and touching the first battery, a flow of electrons, called electricity, runs between the positive and negative electrodes of the batteries. The two batteries together work in tandem to help produce light. But without the rest of the flashlight, the surge of electricity is useless and ineffective.
Liken the handle of the flashlight to the human mind and a cap on the other end, that includes the lens and lamp, as the feelings of the heart. When an individual with an open heart and mind lets the word of the Lord in and lets in Holy Ghost, which testifies of truth, then the flashlight becomes operative, the electricity flows and the light shines forth.
We can produce and pass out countless batteries but without power of the Spirit, without an open heart and mind, great ideas alone don’t create the type of light that Alma discusses in the Book of Mormon.
Remember Alma 32? Remember how Alma likened the word unto a seed? When Alma’s good seed is planted in good soil, that is, the good soil of a willing and open mind and heart, the seed “sprouteth and beginneth to grow.” Regarding the results of this experiment Alma exclaims: “O then, is not this real? I say unto you, Yea, because it is light; and whatsoever is light, is good, because it is discernible, therefore ye must know that it is good. Alma 32: 35 (Italics added)
Like Alma testing the seed to see if it is a good seed, sometimes we have to test batteries to see if they work. Like Alma’s seed, the word in our analogy is a battery. Like Alma’s seed, we need to try an experiment on the words we hear and read. We need to test the batteries. If the ideas we ponder on are truth, and we seek the Holy Spirit to enlighten our minds and hearts to know “the truth of all things”, then our flashlights will produce amazing light.
The truth then will illuminate our mind and heart. This kind of burst of light and truth really does exist. These bursts are nuggets of pure light and truth. They are found in talks and scriptures and in quotes and song lyrics. When we taste one these little morsels of truth, our spiritual taste buds come alive, our mind expands, our heart rejoices, and sometimes we cry, or can’t stop smiling or both.
I call this experience “cognitive cold fusion”, for lack of a better description, but others have used phrases to describe it like a "light bulb moment" or a "Eureka moment" or "an aha moment" or "stroke of insight" or "it dawned on me" or "wake up call" or "flash of inspiration". When pure truth reflects upon our senses, the scriptures tell us that “the eyes of our understanding are opened”. (See D&C 138:11)
Adam and Eve had a light bulb moment. The prodigal son came to himself and had and aha moment and turned back home. Look through the scriptures for such moments. Nephi had them, Enos had them, Alma the younger had them. These light and truth moments only occur when the Holy Spirit confirms that the ideas we are contemplating are true. When we come to know truth and live it, we become beacons of light and lamps of truth. We let our light shine before men and they recognize the truth in us.
But the truth doesn't come all at once. It comes in small packages, line upon line, precept upon precept.
Picture your mind and heart as a kind of lite brite machine. In this toy there is a light bulb deep within. This light bulb represents the light of Christ and the whispering of the Holy Ghost. If this light is burned out it becomes useless and the mind and heart are dark.
Now picture the little color pieces. Each represents a morsel of truth. When a truth is presented to the mind and the light is on, the truth also radiates its light and shines its color.
As you begin to find, know and remember each small truth a larger pattern of truth begins to appear.
You begin to know for a certainty that something is truth because the truth reflects the light.
You discover each truth line upon line and precept upon precept, one here and one there.
If you treasure each truth and nurture it. Your soul will enlarge with great wisdom and understanding.
And you will come to know "the truth of all things." Moroni 10:5
