Light

I get to sit in on the Teachers' Quorum lessons at church. We have 10 or so Teachers in our ward, and they're a pretty good gang. Often, they will take the conversation and run with it, and it can be a chore to bring them back around to the topic of the lesson, but yesterday the instructor, Brother Call, captured their attention pretty well. He did so by being excited about the topic and telling them that the lesson was about a fascinating concept and that really engaged his mind and would be very interesting to the boys. His approach made it clear that he loved the subject he was about to present.

I remember when I was 17 or so and sitting in Priests' Quorum. Bishop Graves would open the Book of Mormon and be so enthusiastic about the stories it contained that I just couldn't help but get excited about the book myself. There is definitely something to be said for the way in which a lesson is approached. When the instructor loves and has personally invested in the subject the students are more likely to take it seriously and listen.

With those thoughts as a backdrop, Bro Call delved into the lesson and taught from the scriptures. Although the Teachers did have their off-topic moments, for the most part they were fully invested in the lesson--eager to look up scriptures and asking and answering intelligent questions. It was one of those good days where gospel knowledge expanded and testimonies grew.

The topic of the lesson was light. Many avenues were explored, but the predominant aspect on which I focused was light being of God and it is truth. The Doctrine & Covenants was utilized extensively--particularly sections 76 and 88. As the discussion carried on, my mind turned to the scripture about the light of the body being the eye. I looked it up subsequently and it can be found in both Matthew 6 and 3 Nephi 13. It clicked in my mind that a person's countenance is directly related to the light that is in their eyes. I recall so often sitting on the stand with Bishop Newman, and he would point out that someone's countenance seemed down or off from where it usually was. He would subsequently talk to them and learn of something amiss or that they needed help in a particular area. I loved being able to see how the Spirit can work in people's lives--either through someone else's help or through the person helping him/herself. And so often help from others can come because it shows in our countenances.

So, I loved putting those experiences together with the scriptures we discussed yesterday and recognizing that the light in our eyes is directly related to how much of God we have in our life and people can tell that by our countenance. The Spirit is a powerful teacher and a powerful guide. This brief post does no justice to the lesson or to the depth of the topic, but it was a small takeaway that was just an "aha" moment for me, and I appreciate those!