Bringing in the Light: A Remedy for the Overshadowed Soul Part 2

Okay. So last time I wrote about how it can be so easy for us to fill our hearts with Darkness. Satan has found a way to sneak in when we let our guards down or be stagnant in our progression. He has placed deceptive lures in our paths that we might mistakenly use as replacements for what we truly desire: God's presence. Satan does not want us to experience joy when we are close to God and filled with the Light of His Son Jesus Christ.  As I mentioned before, it can be a daunting task to have to be constantly striving to fill our "rooms" with Light when we have so much stacked against us. But as I said before, and as our Heavenly Father has promised us, there is cause for great hope. Jesus Christ is the foundation of that hope, and in the Doctrine & Covenants, He provides us with some things that we can do in this life to constantly be feeding ourselves with the Light that He is.

Now, the Doctrine & Covenants is a collection of the revelations given to the Prophet Joseph Smith in these modern times while he was restoring the Church of Jesus Christ according to the dictates of our Heavenly Father. The times in which Joseph Smith was receiving these revelations were difficult; persecution was raging and the forces of Darkness were assailing the fledgling Restord Gospel with all of their might. But! The Lord Himself stated 3 things that would lift us up, banish the Darkness, and bring in the Light (Jesus Christ) more fully into our lives and more importantly, our hearts. I call them the 3 L's: Look, Learn, Listen. The first is found in the first reference and the second and third are found in the second reference.

Doctrine & Covenants 6:36 - " Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not."

Doctrine & Covenants 19:23 - " Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me."

Here is very simple language from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ telling us exactly how it is that we can fill ourselves - our hearts, minds, souls, and lives - with the Everlasting Light that He is. This process of Looking, Learning of, and Listening to our Savior has helped me so much throughout my own life. Whenever I feel Darkness threatening or creeping into my life, I can go through this process and come out on top. I can Look to my Savior and think of Him when in any moment; doubt and fear (a couple of Darkness' greatest tools to attack our ability to have Light in our lives) melt away and hope and faith replace them. Learning of my Savior from the Holy Scriptures, the Prophets, and through prayer has helped me to know what He would do in any given situation so that I can follow His example and use it to influence who I am and what I become as my life moves forward. And finally, Listening to Him and His words gives me the comfort, strength, and support that I need to continue doing what is right and keeping my life as close to His as I can. These three things - all from the Savior Himself as counsel to us in order to be able to constantly fill ourselves with Light and banish the Darkness - are true principles of eternal happiness and peace.

I know that Jesus is the Christ. I know that He loves us, and desires nothing more for us than happiness, joy, peace, and most importantly to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father after this life. To help us on our way, He suffered and died for us and then rose the third day. I know that He lives. I know that we must fill our lives with His Light in order to fully overcome the Darkness that so often besets us in this mortal state. I know that if we choose Light over Darkness, if we Look, Learn, and Listen, we can and will return to our Heavenly Father. I know this with all of my heart. I invite you to do as I have done and feel His Light chase away the Darkness, no matter how overshadowed your soul may be. In His Sacred Name, even Jesus Christ. Amen.