Elder Zachary Gehring: Light

Hi there,

So I finally can send fotos. I am so happy. I will write a little so I can send lots of fotos.

In our house we have a long driveway type thing that we have to walk upon getting home every night. Its usually really dark and you can't see much. Last night there was no difference. We opened the dark gate and went back to our dark rooms and I entered the dark bathroom. I turned the light on and felt a sense of relief as my eyes adjusted to the bright light. I thought to myself how amazing it was that the tiny lightbulb had made such a dark room so bright. I went to plan and then to bed without thinking much else of it. This morning we woke up and did exercise outside. It felt so good to be out in the bright sun in the early morning. We finished exercise and I went to take a shower in our bathroom. I entered and turned on the light. I was suprised to notice that this time, in complete opposition to the previous night, the light did nothing. I felt like the room, that just 9 hours before had been so bright, was so so dark. All this morning I was thinking about why it seemed so bright in one moment and in the next so dark.

I learned something from this. Last night my eyes were adjusted to the darkness in the night and the light of a lightbulb made me feel happy and secure. In the morning I went outside and my eyes were adjusted to an even brighter light (the sun). I then went back to the lesser light of the lightbulb and felt like I was missing something.

It is the same in our lives. We are children of God. If we expose our spirit to a greater light like the sun (repentance, read the scriptures, great personal studies, obedience with exactness, etc) we feel great!! But in the very second that we let ourselves adjust again to a lesser light (Just okay personal studies, disobedienca, reading every other day The Book of Mormon etc) we feel empty even though in one point in our lives maybe it felt like a relief. I realized that we feel discouraged in the mission when we let our spirit drop to a ''lesser light'' and we are excited when we then return to a ''greater light''.

I made myself a promise with the Lord this morning that every decision I make with be one to help me recieve the ''greater light'' I know that as I do this, I will never be discouraged, I will never worry about Chelsea getting married, and I will never feel alone or sad.

I hope each one of you will always search the ''greater light'' in your life. Christ is the Greater Light. I testify of Him. He is the Master and I serve Him.

Love you lots,

Hurrah for Israel!

Elder Gehring