"Mormonks are taught to see things not by what they are, but by what they represent." ~The Mormonk
Think about light. What does it do? What is it? Where does it come from?
Light has long been used to symbolize goodness, righteousness, and truth. Light allows us to move freely, to explore, to broaden our minds, to learn and grow. It gives us pleasure and pain. As human beings, it dominates our sensory intake. Doctrine and Covenants tells us that "That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day." A quick search of the scriptures shows us many more examples of light being used to mean understanding and/or revelation.
Consider Alma 19:6;
Now, this was what Ammon desired, for he knew that king Lamoni was under the power of God; he knew that the dark veil of unbelief was being cast away from his mind, and the light which did light up his mind, which was the light of the glory of God, which was a marvelous light of his goodness—yea, this light had infused such joy into his soul, the cloud of darkness having been dispelled, and that the light of everlasting life was lit up in his soul, yea, he knew that this had overcome his natural frame, and he was carried away in God—
Isn't the symbolism interesting? Here's one verse that's very well known by Mormonks. Matt 6:22 is part of our only daily ceremony, the Daily Cleansing;
The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
So, what does this have to do with the moon? Well, see which moon you like best;
OR
Alright, one more seemingly irrelevant point before tie it all together. 2 Nephi 7:11;
Behold all ye that kindle fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks, walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks which ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand—ye shall lie down in sorrow.
Wow, wow, hold on now; if light represents righteousness and goodness, truth and purity, what on earth is THIS verse telling us? We're not SUPPOSED to create light?
That's what I took from it, after a lot of thought.
Well, why would that be?
Because WE are NOT the source of light, truly, anymore than the moon is the true source of light. All the goodness and righteousness we have comes from God. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, is the Light and the Life. Like the moon, the light that we have comes from an external source; the moon gets its light from the Sun, and we get ours from the Son. Our job is not to create light, but to receive it and reflect it.
There's another striking similarity between us and the moon. Like the Son, the sun it always burning and creating light and warmth. It is a constant; it does not move, it does not change. If the moon was nearly as constant, it would always reflect the light of the sun, and we would always have light at night. My first vigil was during the full moon, and I can tell you; it was pretty darn bright. Hardly daylight, of course, but bright enough that I could see and find my way. We can be that, too, if we're willing to receive the light of Christ; we can become a beacon and hope to others.
But like the moon, we're not consistent. My second vigil was held on the night of the new moon, and it was very, very dark outside. What had happened to my round, glowing friend? Where was that light that I craved so? The moon was there, of course, but there was a significant difference; it had turned it's back on the sun.
Did the sun move? Did the sun change? No. The moon and the world moved. They changed. How often do we do the same thing? How often to we move away from our Father in Heaven and our Savior and then grow angry at THEM when we find ourselves in darkness?
AUSTERITY reminds the Mormonk of the consequences of trying to create light. The AUSTERITY candle is symbolic of this; in trying to create light in the darkness of sin, it consumes itself and eventually burns out. If we wish for light, for righteous and goodness, we must turn to the source.
No comments:
Post a Comment