The bishop stopped me in the hallway after Sacrament meeting and asked me to follow him to his office. I was surprised! I was visiting my brother in Maui, Hawaii. Why would his Bishop want to talk to me? He didn’t even know me!
In the office the bishop asked me if I would give a talk in Sacrament meeting. The topic was “The Light of Christ”.
Again, I was surprised! Someone told me that as a rule visitors in Hawaii were not asked to speak in Church. Hawaii was a very popular holiday destination and the wards always had visitors. I guess it took away the opportunity from local ward members if visitors spoke.
Before I could express my concerns, the bishop started explaining that he was prompted to ask me to speak. He said I reminded him of the old ladies in the village that he grew up in, in the Pacific Island of Tonga. There was something he saw in my eyes that took him back to his childhood. These old village ladies were the ones they would run to when they were sad or hurt. The bishop explained that they found love and compassion in the arms of these village elders.
I was touched by his story and felt honored to be asked to speak.
All week I struggled with the topic! How do you explain “The Light of Christ”? I searched, prayed, and studied all the scriptures referring to “The Light of Christ”.
I got stuck on D&C 88:6-14.
It was Saturday afternoon, the day before my talk. I still did not know what I was to say.
I needed to find my “grove of trees”! I drove up alone to the Makawao chapel, parked on the top parking lot and went and set on the little brick wall on the edge overlooking the valley below. It had been raining – typical tropical rainstorm. The skies were gray and overcast. The valley of Kahalui was below me. Everything was wet – the trees and grass and housetops. I was desperately seeking inspiration to know how to explain “The Light of Christ”.
As I sat pondering, suddenly the West skies opened. The clouds shifted and the sun shone through bright and clear. Suddenly I “saw” Christ in my mind’s eye, in the bright sunlight. As I followed the rays of the sun to the valley below, I noticed that everything that faced the sun, RADIATED! The surfaces glistened with the sun shining on the wet surfaces – the sides of the houses, the rooftops, the trees, and the grass etc. Everything that FACED the sun was RADIANT! And everything that was turned away from the sun was in the shadows and dark.
EUREKA! Hallelujah! “My Maui Vision”! The whole scene was the perfect explanation of how “The Light of Christ” works!
If you are focused on Christ – learning of Him, following His teachings, becoming like Him – you start reflecting or radiating the “Light of Christ” within you! But without the Light of Christ in you, you are just a shadow!
I was reminded of the story of Moses and the brass serpent on the pole that he lifted up for the Israelites to be healed from the fiery serpents (Numbers 21:4-9). All they had to do was turn and look at the serpent to be healed. But many refused not believing that was possible. The serpent represented Christ and Moses was His appointed prophet declaring that one could be healed simply by turning to Christ.
It all comes down to CHOICE!
When we turn to Christ, we are filled with His Light and Love as we are healed and redeemed through His Atoning Sacrifice. Then others can see that light in us and be led to our Beloved Savior to enjoy the same wondrous blessings.
May we each choose to turn to Christ and be filled with His glorious Light so that all around us may see and turn to Christ. Christ is the Light of the world!