This Little Light of Mine

Sometime this summer a friend's statement on Facebook shook me awake. She had spent most of the summer months posting anti-religious, pro-LGBTQ, pro-Planned Parenthood articles and memes. Most of the time I would just scroll right past those things and not give it much thought. But one day, as a comment to an article she shared, she wrote:

I posted it, not because I wanted anyone to be on one side or the other...but to challenge others to look outside of either their current paradigm or the paradigm they were raised in of the world. I am an intellectually curious person, as I would hope you are too. I challenge myself to see the world from a plethora of perspectives...because I believe we owe it to ourselves, our children, and our world to keep challenging ourselves to grow and be more understanding of how others think, what they believe. There is some black and white in the world, but there is also a whole lot of gray.

There was one phrase in there that offended me more than anything, "I am an intellectually curious person". I resented the implication that some how simply because one was religious and adhered to religious values that the person was no longer intellectually curious. But the offence actually served as a wake-up call.

I had spent the previous year trying to be accepting of everyone and all lifestyles, thoughts, beliefs, etc. On the surface that doesn't sound too bad. In fact, it sounds quite advanced and progressive. The trouble is, I actually stood for nothing. As I came to this realization, the chorus to an Aaron Tippin song came to mind:

You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything 

 You've got be your own [wo]man, not a puppet on a string

I realized in that moment, in all of my trying to be understanding and accepting of all beliefs, lifestyles, etc I had not been in any way, shape, or form "intellectually curious". I had been simple and common. Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

Jesus cautioned that Satan desires to sift us lie wheat [Luke 22:31],which means to make us common like all those around us. But Jesus taught that we who follow Him should be precious and unique, 'the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13) and the 'light of the world' to shine forth to all men (Matthew 5:14).

Yes, I was offended that my friend had implied that because I was religious I was not "intellectually curious"  but I was even angrier with myself for buying into the lie that I couldn't possibly be empathetic and loving while at the same time rejecting certain secular principles. I realized at that moment that I "needed to shake of the chains with which I was bound and come forth out of obscurity, and arise from the dust". I needed to once again become curious and remember that "The Glory of God is intelligence, or in other words, light and truth." (D&C 93:36).

And what is light? To find the answer to that question, we need look no further than to He would said "I am the light of the World, He who follows me will not walk in darkness" (John 8:12). The Light, or Christ, is who I am to follow. He is who lights my light. He is the one who taught:

Ye are the light of the world. A city on the hill that cannot be hid. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.

So now what? Well, I will continue to ask questions. I will continue to show love and respect to all because that is what Jesus has commanded me to do. Just as He has commanded me to seek for light and truth and to share that light and truth. I will also believe in the words the scriptures have taught as well as the words of our living prophets. I will also have a willingness to believe even when I don't have a fullness of light.