There is an old saying that goes something like this. “There are 2 ways of spreading light, to be the candle, or the mirror that reflects it!” Elder D.Todd Christofferson of the twelve apostles, wrote a talk entitled Becoming a witness of Christ. He said “people should be able to see in us something of Jesus Christ. the way we act, speak, look , and even think will reflect Him and His ways.” In other words we should be a reflection of the Candle (meaning Jesus Christ the light of the world). In 3 Nephi 18:24 from the Book of Mormon, we read “Hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye should hold up- that which ye have seen me do.” As you read this today, I pray that the spirit will be with you and that you will feel impressions on your heart and mind, as to how you can answer these questions. Ask yourself : 1. In what ways do I show that I am a reflection of Jesus Christ to others? and 2. What do I need to do to become a witness of Jesus Christ?
Those are some pretty big questions that hold a lot of weight with them right?! And truly when you think of a special witness of Jesus Christ we usually think the 12 apostles, who are specifically called to be “special witnesses of Jesus Christ”. But I believe, and D.Todd Christofferson does too, that it is within the capacity of each of us to become His witness! Now this certainly does not come easy and hopefully we are making it a lifetime pursuit. Very often it involves growth and change that is slow, almost imperceptible…. I have seen this happen with my husband as he learned about the gospel and that this is indeed Christ’s restored church on the face of the Earth today. His testimony began to grow little by little. He began to make small changes (well he might say the were big, haha) that began to turn his life in a different direction. We both did really, because I had gotten myself off of the path and had to make those changes to lead me to seek again for Jesus Christ in my life.
There are many ways that come to my mind when I think of being a witness of Christ or a reflection of His light. But here are a few. I think pure love (he atoned for us, it doesn’t come much purer than that) I think of compassion, a server or a servant’s heart, a healer of hearts and souls, a giver of light and so much more. As I was evaluating my life and trying to answer those question I started to think of ways that people I know have shown those types of qualities to me.
I have had many experiences throughout my life of people who have shared their witness of Christ with me. Through the ways that they treated me or things that they helped me with. The first ones that came to mind are my sweet parents! They have always worked so hard to care for me, love me, and give me the precious fruit of the gospel.
When I was going through my divorce and then when I became less active, never once did they waiver in their support and love for me. They never made me feel rejected or left alone. I always knew that I could turn to them, counsel with them, vent to them if needed and that they would never judge me. I can truly say that I have goodly parents and that has been such a blessing in my life! And through the way that they reflected the Savior’s love they constantly bore silent testimonies to me of the truthfulness of the gospel and of their witness of Jesus Christ.
Elder D. Todd Christofferson stated that “All of us who are baptized and confirmed have taken upon us the name of Jesus Christ with a commitment to “stand as a witness of God at all times and in all things and in all places (Mosiah 18:9).
He doesn’t ever say, well if your busy you don’t need to be my witness, or if your kids are sick and your house is a mess and laundry needs to be done, you can take a break for awhile, or if you are just tired of always doing what’s right and you feel like it’s all just too much, well then, just go ahead and take some time off.
He doesn’t say things like that because He knows what our potential is and He knows the fight that we are in against evil. He knows the importance of taking a stand! Standing means being strong, unwavering, leaning not unto our own understanding. We can’t afford to take breaks from being a witness of our Savior. There are too many souls that need saving, that need healing, that need something that only we can give them. They need the peace of the Gospel plan they need the peace of Christ in their lives.
In our church we have a youth program. Each year they pick a theme to follow. I love our youth theme for 2018. If you haven’t watched the video I encourage you to go and watch it. I’ve also posted it above. The theme comes from D&C 19:23 “Learn of me, listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my spirit and you shall have peace in me”. There is a great song that goes along with it. The chorus goes like this: He gives us hope when hope is gone, He gives us strength when we can’t go on, He gives us shelter in the storms of life. When there is no peace on Earth there is peace in Christ.
I came across this statement in Elder Christofferson’s talk and it really made an impression on me. He says “a prophet has told us that the witness of the Holy Ghost makes an impression on our soul that is more significant than a “visitation from an angel”! That thought just really struck me … the Holy Ghost makes an impression on our soul that is more significant than a “visitation from an angel”! We have the opportunity to help make those impressions on others souls. By having the witness borne to us through the Holy Ghost that Jesus Christ lives and that He truly is our Savior puts us in unique standing because we then in turn can bear our witness to others and then they will have that impression or that mark borne to their souls through the power of the Holy Ghost. It is through us, most likely, that others will have that witness make a mark upon their souls.
Now ultimately, we as individuals are responsible for our own personal spiritual growth! But it can come through the witnesses of others that we turn our life just a little bit more toward the Savior.
This happened for me as a certain individual truly stood as a witness to me of the Savior. Every time that I did come to church (and it wasn’t that often) she made sure that I knew that she knew that I was there. She reached out and tried to find things in common. She was a lifeline making a mark on my life that literally saved it, when the time came. When I went through my health problems, she was the one that I reached out to. She was the one that I knew, no matter what she was doing, would drop everything to come to my rescue. And she did!
What kind of mark will you make in the lives of those around you? What kind of reflection will you be? I invite you to put some real thought into those questions over this Special Christmas season when we remember the birth of our Savior. When we come to a new year and re-evaluate our lives and our priorities. What kinds of changes can we make that will help us to be that special witness of Jesus Christ for someone else? We know that because of Him, our eternal happiness is assured. As our faith in Jesus Christ shines through, we show others who “labour and are heavy laden” how to find rest in Him how to find peace.
I have shared scriptures today from what we believe as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, to be another testament of Jesus Christ. This is one of my favorites: “We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins. (2 nephi 25:26).
We must write according to our prophecies, that our children may know…. or that the world may know, to what source they need to look for peace.
I testify to you that Jesus is the Christ, the atoner, the sacrificer, the giver of light, the healer of souls. My redeemer and your redeemer He is where we go to find peace. Can we work just a little bit harder to share that peace through our witness of Him? I know we can.
XO Wendy
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