Light will always penetrate the darkness
For those individuals who choose to do works of evil, the presence of light is never welcome. The security guard's flashlight or the police helicopter's bright searchlight cuts through the blackness to expose the scene of the crime and sometimes even illuminates the criminal while he is engaged in the very act of committing it.
Light penetrates darkness and enables us to see our way. Many a ship tossed upon the waves of the sea on a dark and stormy night has found its way to a safe harbor because of the steady beacon of a lighthouse pointing the only proven navigable way to shore. We cannot avoid the reality that in this world good and evil, light and darkness, and right and wrong co-exist side by side. During the course of our lifetime, we will be exposed to both.
Living and working in a high crime area like Baltimore, Sister Lindsay and I and the other Church missionaries assigned by the Lord's servants to serve here are well aware from our own personal observations and experience that there is crime and violence around us. It was just about a year ago when we ourselves stood face to face with an assailant who demanded our cash while pointing a gun at us. Just in the space of the past few weeks there have been several incidents to remind us of the need to exercise good judgment, caution, and faith as we go about the Lord's business of bringing souls to Christ:
- Two of our young elders were mugged and robbed by a half dozen cowardly teenagers who jumped them on a city street.
- A man was shot and seriously wounded at the light rail train station in Lutherville. Missionaries frequently use this station when traveling downtown to the inner city.
- There was a double shooting that left one man dead and the other in critical condition at East Monument and North Milton Avenue. We sometimes pick up elders at this spot at night after they have completed a teaching appointment.
In contrast to these cold crimes of darkness that threaten life and well-being, light brings warmth and is basic to physical life. Neither the coldness nor hate nor the darkness of deceit can overcome the power of light. Light overcomes darkness just as good overcomes evil.
Neil L. Anderson of The Quorum of the Twelve says that our faith is centered in God, our Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer:
Neil L. Anderson of The Quorum of the Twelve says that our faith is centered in God, our Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer:
I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
- John 12:46, 8:12
Elder Anderson suggests "Fiery trials are designed to make you stronger, but they have the potential to diminish or even destroy your trust in the Son of God and to weaken your resolve to keep your promises to Him. These trials are often camouflaged, making them difficult to identify. They take root in our weaknesses, our vulnerabilities, our sensitivities, or in those things that matter most to us. A real but manageable test for one can be a fiery trial for another."
Missionaries must learn to face real life danger with faith. Although bad things can happen to good people, still we must remember that having been commissioned of Jesus Christ, we have been assigned to serve in that part of His vineyard where He wants us to be at this particular time and to declare His Word to all who have been prepared to receive it. We have every right to expect that God's angels are watching over us as we are on the Lord's errand.
His unwavering protection reminds me of a child's lullaby that I learned as a child:
All night, all day.
Angels watching over me, my Lord.
All night, all day.
Angels watching over me.
Sun is a-setting in the West;
Angels watching over me, my Lord.
Sleep my child, take your rest;
Angels watching over me.
Now I lay me down to sleep,
Angels watching over me, my Lord.
I pray the Lord my soul to keep,
Angels watching over me.
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