I really appreciated Elder Bednar's analogy on light in his Conference talk yesterday, in which he compared two different examples of perceiving light to receiving personal revelation.
In the first example, a light switch is turned on. A dark room is immediately filled with light. This parallels instances in which we ask God a question and receive an immediate, unmistakable answer, or we otherwise receive a message from God that is clear and instantaneous. I have experienced this kind of revelation, although relatively infrequently.
In the second example, we watch nighttime turn to day. The change from dark to light as the sun rises is "gradual and steady," "slow and almost imperceptible." On some days, the fog might make it impossible for us to determine exactly when the light appeared, though we cannot deny it is there.
I was struck by this analogy, especially because personal revelation has often seemed elusive and hard to recognize, yet there are solutions to questions and problems that have become increasingly clear to me over time. Where there was once darkness, I have light, although I can't tell exactly when the light appeared. Elder Bednar said that the guidance we receive will come "often so delicately, you may not even consciously recognize it." However, if we "press forward obediently and with faith in the Savior. . . [we] cannot go amiss."
I am grateful for the confidence we can have in the Spirit of revelation--confidence that the Lord will guide our steps. I'm grateful for my baptismal covenants and the Gift of the Holy Ghost.
