A Small Ray of Light

I had been in California for five months, and in Seaside, a town situated between Monterey and Fort Ord (long since closed), for about a month.  The work was slow, and my companion repeatedly led both of us to break some mission rules.  I was in crisis and I called out to God for help.  One night I prayed to know if the church was true and received an answer.  I have written about that night previously here:

A Witness from the Spirit

When I prayed, I did not receive an immediate answer, and I at first took this to mean that perhaps the church was not true.  This led to great despair; "Why couldn't it be true?" I asked.  But then I said, "No, you know that it is true."  Finally, I was prompted to ask again, and when I did I had a feeling of peace.  I likened that feeling to a match being lit in a dark room, but I could well have likened it to a small ray of light.

When we are feeling sorrow, we might feel that we are in darkness, and when our anguish is replaced by peace, we might feel that there is a new light falling upon us.  A simple little ray of light can go a long way.  As Alma the Younger taught his son Helaman, "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass" (Alma 37:6).

There are many things that we could do as individuals that could make a great difference to others.  As President Thomas S. Monson has taught, "The needs of others are ever present, and each of us can do something to help someone."  Even so, we might not always know what it is that we can do to help.

Perhaps we think that a great effort will be required when, in fact, something small and very simple could make all the difference.  Do we realize how simple it is to smile, to greet people in a friendly manner, to wave? Yet by such simple actions we can raise spirits and build friendships.  What simpler ray of light can there be than a smile?

A friend wrote in my high school yearbook that "Every time I was down you were there with a smile on your face. You’ll never know how much I appreciated you."  Years later I heard that this friend was going through a hard time; I wondered what I could do to help, and I realized that I already had the answer.  The next time I saw this friend, I gave them a smile, a small ray of light.

A smile can let people know that they are not alone, it is a simple way to say

"We Will Stand By You"

Several years ago, when my mother passed away, I was impressed by those who came to either the viewing or to the funeral, folks who did not know my mother, but who did know a member of my family.  It is not necessary to have known the deceased in order to attend a funeral or go to a viewing, it is only necessary to know someone who is grieving.  It is a simple thing to go and give them support.

One thing we could ask is, "What would Tommy Monson do?"  The life of our prophet, President Monson, presents countless examples of things we can do to give others a small ray of light through small acts of service.

When we know how simple it can be to help others, would any of us withhold that small ray of light?  If we know that a smile could lift a spirit, would we refuse to smile?  Would we give a stone instead of bread, a serpent instead of fish (see Matthew 7:9-10)?

Is there anyone from whom we are withholding the light that we could give?  Should we not, even now, start giving that light?