Chandlers’ Light

   As a kid I  walked home in the dark after basketball practice most nights. Though I  only trekked about one mile, the last half of the walk took me on an isolated gravel road. I passed only one house (the Chandlers) on that road and it lay so far back in the trees that I could barely see it.

   And it was dark—country dark—I couldn’t see anything farther than two feet in front of me. My older cousins had impishly told me that wild dogs roamed the countryside. So the deep dark, combined with the fear of wild dogs, terrified me.

   As I warily walked down that dark gravel road, I suffered from all sorts of imagined dangers—wild dogs, snakes, skunks.

   Just past their farm home Mr. Chandler had installed a street light. I don’t know its purpose, but it blessed me with relief from the terror of the darkness. When I finally reached that light I the feelings of safety. For five minutes I stood in the very center of that circle of light before taking a deep breath, summoning my courage, and launching back out into the dark void. Finally I reached the safety and bright lights of our sweet little home.

   My years leading up to finding the gospel of Jesus Christ were filled with deep darkness—as dark as that gravel road. I craved security and safety. I felt alone on a dark road—as dark as that gravel road. But once I found the truth, joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, light filled my life. It felt familiar. It felt like I made it home from a long, dark journey.

   Jesus Christ is the light. Following His teachings and receiving and honoring his covenants can bring light to our lives—not five minutes of light—but a light that lasts through all eternity.