Light and Dark

At the end of our testimony meeting today I got up and shared a few thoughts.  After I began sharing a few thoughts the boys followed me up.  As Andy approached the podium he asked me if he could share his testimony.  I said sure.  Anyway, I finished and Jack got up.  He began by saying his testimony was going to be a little different.  Not in those exact terms mind you.  I didn't write down his words but can offer an idea of what he said.  Anyway, after explaining that his message would be different he said he wanted to talk about light and dark.  He went on to mention the light bulb and how the light chases away the dark.  He talked about a room with no windows and how it can be very dark and he is very, very afraid of the dark.  He then got on the subject of the sky and how water molecules give the sky a blue appearance.  He also mentioned lights on trains a few times and got into early trains and how they didn't have light bulbs but they had flames and flames can be dangerous if we are not careful.  He had a lot of thoughts in his head while he was up there and I could tell where he was trying to go with it but he was just struggling to get it out.  Anyhow, he closed after a bit and Andy went up to share his testimony.  He asked for my help and so he shared a brief testimony.  Then we went to primary and remembered that he had a talk.  We wrote a quick talk on serving God with our heart, might, mind and strength.  It was a fine talk.  After church when we were walking to the car Jack told me that in his testimony the point he was trying to make was that Heavenly Father is the light and Satan is the dark.  I love that boy.  In his own way he gets it.  That way may include lights on trains or comparing faith to riding a bike or whatever he has shared in the past.  He gets it, more than I think he does sometimes.  

Speaking of getting it, Natty shared some thoughts on the way home from Church today.  She had learned and felt some things in her Sunday school class today.  Her friend Regan had shared some thoughts about how some people act differently at school then they do at church and asked how someone could call themselves a member of the church and then conduct themselves in a manner that was completely different.  That seems to have struck a cord with Natalie.  She talked to me about some of her struggles last year and being easily influenced by friends.  She talked about making better choices now, standing for truth and wanting to do what is right.  She then said something to me about how she felt like she had to be a different person for her mother than she needed to be for me.  She doesn't like feeling that way.  My comment to her was that the most important thing she could do was to be the person Heavenly Father wants her to be and that if she focuses on that she will be exactly who she should be and that both her mother and I would be happy with that.  Sure makes me grateful to see righteous young men in our ward standing up for what is right and to see the effect their examples have on Natalie.  Grateful to see Natalie recognizing that her choices can lead her towards Heavenly Father and the light, or they can lead her down darker paths.  She has the ability to choose the path she will follow.  My hope is that she will choose to walk in the light as is my hope for each of my children.