By Kaylene P. Harding
Primary General Advisory Council

On an early Monday morning, a group of willing volunteers
gathered to help clean the Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple.
Assignments were given, and as several volunteers and I
followed our assigned supervisor, we quickly realized she was
leading us to the celestial room.
When we entered the room, we immediately noticed that
the huge, tiered chandelier which normally hung high above
our heads had been lowered near the floor. Our responsibility
was to clean it. This was no small task, since the chandelier
consisted of thousands of individual crystals! Each person
was given white gloves, and we were shown how to remove the
dust by carefully rubbing every crystal one by one between our
gloved fingers. The delicate process was very labor intensive,
but we enthusiastically went to work. Several hours later, the
newly cleaned chandelier sparkled radiantly! After admiring
its beauty, we began cleaning the smaller chandeliers in the
celestial room.
Suddenly something astonishing happened! The morning
sun rose over the eastern mountaintop, and its bright rays shone
directly through the large round window in the celestial room
at the perfect angle to illuminate the magnificent chandelier.
Each shiny crystal caught the sunlight, and innumerable prisms
of light spontaneously scattered everywhere! Brilliant rainbows
streamed across the floor, ceiling, furniture, walls, and the
people, and some beams even danced through the air! We were
catching rainbows in our hands! It was spectacular! I have
often pondered on that unforgettable moment and have come to
understand more clearly that the light makes all the difference!
Like the crystals, when we receive the light of the Son and reflect
it outward, His light is magnified, and the joyful effects are
astonishing!
During His mortal ministry and again following His
Resurrection, the Savior declared that He is the Light of the
World (see John 8:12; 3 Nephi 15:9; 3 Nephi 18:24). He invited
His disciples to “let your light so shine before men, that they
may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in
heaven” (Matthew 5:16; see also 3 Nephi 12:16). As disciples of
Jesus Christ, we each might ask ourselves, “How can I more
intentionally let the light of the Son shine through me?”
We might consider beginning to answer this question by
becoming more gratefully aware of the abundant ways Jesus Christ has shared His light with us.

Look around! His light is
everywhere! We see it in the beauty of a sparkling raindrop and
the miracle of a golden sunrise. We feel it in times of hardship
when we recognize His merciful hand that enables us to bear
our burdens and rise above the darkness of pain or fear. We
embrace it as we realize that every breath we take and every day
on earth is an opportunity to become more like Him: “The light
and the life of the world, a light which shineth in darkness and
the darkness comprehendeth it not; “Who so loved the world
that he gave his own life, that as many as would believe might
become the sons of God” (Doctrine and Covenants 34:2–3).
When we “live in thanksgiving daily” (Alma 34:38) for the light
we have received, our desire to share His light with others will
increase.
As our desire to receive and share light grows, we can ask
Heavenly Father to help us act in small and meaningful ways
to let the light of His Son shine through us. Perhaps the Spirit
may prompt us to offer a genuine smile to brighten someone’s
day, pray for a stranger in need, be kind in our thoughts about a
neighbor, or listen intently to a child. As we heed the promptings
sent especially for us, more personal revelation will come. We
might be inspired to choose to be cheerful; send a message to
uplift a friend; tell a family member, “I love you”; truly forgive;
or ask forgiveness for an unthoughtful act. In whatever unique
ways we are led to reflect the light of the Son, our acts of
kindness and love will bring great joy to us and others—and
with the Lord’s help, the combined effects will be astonishing!
I’ve come to understand more clearly that the light makes
all the difference. I’ve realized more fully this profound truth:
“That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and
continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth
brighter and brighter until the perfect day” (Doctrine and
Covenants 50:24). With humble gratitude, I gratefully offer
thanks unto the Father for His Beloved Son and for allowing us
to help Him light the world!