Light

 “Get out this weekend.”

A simple email from a junior high science teacher to the rest of the staff minutes after the school day ended.

He followed up with details about the prominent potential for us to view the Aurora caused by the intense G5 geomagnetic storm reaching the earth and allowing people around the world to see the artistry usually reserved for the far north.

So upon returning from Ella’s last high school choir concert, we decided to head out.  

My neighbors were posting beautiful pictures of the effect literally right over our house, but when I looked to the sky with my naked eye I could see maybe a slight pinkish tinge but nothing else.  

I could have said to forget it and returned to bed.

But I knew that the light had to be captured by a device more strongly collecting light than my eyes can.  

Just because I couldn’t see it, didn’t mean it wasn’t there.  

We will all have times where we see others sharing the stories of spiritual light from their lives.  We may find ourselves frustrated as we seek to look and don’t find it ourselves. 

We may decide to be angry or quit looking.  

We may falsely decide that maybe we aren’t good enough or worthy of the light.

In discouragement we may give up, thinking  that perhaps the light isn’t real.

Instead, we can work on developing our ability to collect spiritual light, and to have an eternal perspective.  

Sister Tracy R Browning instructed, “In our lives that are often filled with questions, worries, pressures, and opportunities, our Savior’s love for us individually and as His covenant children and also His teachings and laws are available daily resources that we can depend on to be a “light which shineth, … enlighten[ing our] eyes [and] quicken[ing our] understandings.” As we seek for the blessings of the Spirit in our lives, we will be able to, as Jacob taught, see “things as they really are, and … as they really will be.”

Our individual experiences and situations may influence how often this light is apparent and to what extent.  

But celestial light is real and present even when we don’t see it at the moment with our naked eye.