Why do We Choose to Walk in the Dark?

At night, I sometimes foolishly walk around my home in the dark, even though I know where to find a light switch that would make it much easier to navigate safely around. Unfortunately, I’m often distracted by my temporary goal, so my lack of patience or my overconfidence in my abilities overrides my better judgment. I often regret it when this unnecessary stumbling causes me to make a mess or I inadvertently hurt myself.

This is not unlike those who have enjoyed the guidance and light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but later become distracted by other things that they feel are more important. Isaiah describes them as being guided only by sparks from a fire of their own making and this dim light leads them off the gospel path and to eventual sadness. 

2 Nephi 7:10-11 (Isaiah 50:10-11)

10 Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light?  

11 Behold, all ye that kindle fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks which ye have kindled.  This shall ye have of mine hand – ye shall lie down in sorrow.

When we follow the Lord’s prophets or servants, we are given enough light to show us the way back to our Heavenly Father.  When we choose other sources of light like when we get distracted by other priorities, we may stumble. I felt like we were reminded of this idea many times during our last General Conference as we are encouraged to spend more time in the temple. President Nelson said:

Now is the time for us to make our discipleship our highest priority. In a world filled with dizzying distractions, how can we do this?…

Regular worship in the temple will help us. In the house of the Lord, we focus on Jesus Christ. We learn of Him. We make covenants to follow Him. We come to know Him. As we keep our temple covenants, we gain greater access to the Lord’s strengthening power. In the temple, we receive protection from the buffetings of the world. We experience the pure love of Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father in great abundance! We feel peace and spiritual reassurance, in contrast to the turbulence of the world.

It is funny that we always look for happiness and joy in events and material things when the secret has always been made known to man.  Perhaps we should just make the effort to flip the switch so that we can see better and stop stumbling around in the dark!