The Darker the Night, The Brighter the Stars

I don't really have much to write in my own words today.  I've been searching through talks by the Brethren this morning and have just tried to absorb it all.  I feel as if I do a lot of "talking the talk." I love to share what is in my heart, to share my testimony...  And I guess that's a good thing, as long as it's moving to my feet and I "walk the walk." Just absorbing the words from the Brethren this morning fills me with so much gratitude for the Priesthood leadership and guidance that is available to us in this Church.  I know it comes from a very loving Father.

Here in this glorious Gospel, there are baskets full and overflowing with the doctrines and principles that will set us free. These wonderful fruits of light and truth come in such abundance that there is "not room enough to receive it." I am grateful to be able to feast and be filled, to know and be known, to pray and be heard, to learn and to feel loved.  God is good and I am happy.

-Alicia

Here's a portion of a talk I soaked up this morning:

Opposition Reveals the Truth
Tasting the Light by, Elder Lynn G. Robbins

"We are taught in 2 Nephi 2 that there “must needs be … an opposition in all things” (2 Nephi 2:11). Humankind “taste the bitter, that they may know to prize the good” (Moses 6:55). Health, for example, is primarily the study of its opposite, sickness and disease; freedom, the study of oppression and slavery; happiness, the study of sorrow; and so on. And like the tiny miracle of fireflies, light goes unappreciated without a dark backdrop.

Opposition is indispensable to our education and happiness. Without opposition, the truth remains hidden in plain view, like taking air for granted until the moment you are gasping for it. Because the Light of Christ is ever-present, many people don’t notice the Spirit in their life, like those Lamanites in 3 Nephi 9:20 who “were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not.”

Opposition not only reveals or unveils the truth but manifests its inherent power, joy, and sweetness. For example, it took a taste of the bitter life for the prodigal son to realize what a sweet life he had abandoned back home and had taken for granted in his youth.

It is only through pain and sickness that we come to value our health. As a victim of dishonesty, we treasure integrity. Experiencing injustice or cruelty, we cherish love and kindness—all with a “perfect knowledge,” having tasted the fruit of each by the light which is in us. The perfect knowledge comes fruit by fruit, through opposition in all things. Obedience to God’s commandments promises ultimate happiness, growth, and progress through opposition, not bypassing it. “Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.” -African Proverb

Consider this insightful statement from the Prophet Joseph Smith: “By proving contraries, truth is made manifest.” 

And this one from Brigham Young: “All facts are proved and made manifest by their opposite.”