Reading through John chapter 12 this week, I came across a scripture that I thought was very significant. Verses 35 and 36 read, "Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them."
This analogy of light and dark is often used in the church. Metaphorically, we have to walk in the darkness occasionally and put our trust in the Lord to guide us.
I remember going hiking on Mt. St. Helens when I was younger. The hike was beautiful, on the other side of the mountain from where the famous eruption occurred in 1980. On the way home we decided to take a little detour and hike through the caves that served as the passageway through which the explosion passed. The caves were massive and cold, cutting out all sources of light from above. The only light we had were the flashlights in our hands. At one point, our guide asked us to turn off our flashlights. As I sat there in the cold blackness an overwhelming fear came over me and I began to tremble. I had a dark and eery feeling that I had never felt before and I begged my dad to turn his light back on. I was starving for the light... for it's comfort and source of clarity and direction. Without it I felt empty and alone and desperate. On our way out I had the thought that no wonder we, in the church, call hell "Outer Darkness". The most terrifying thing I could imagine would be far from the light.
To be "children of light" as Christ mentions is to allow the atonement into our life, to seek it and let ourselves become his children because he is the way, the truth and the light. The light of Christ is in each person on this earth, and we are all therefore capable of becoming his children if we are willing to have his light penetrate the dark corners of our lives.

Oft-cited as the shortest scripture, John 11:35 simply reads, "Jesus wept." The next verse reads, "Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!" The him in this verse is referring to Lazarus, brother of Mary and Martha. As I mentioned in a previous post about John the Baptist, I find it fascinating to read about the accounts of Jesus' interactions and relationships with his disciples. So much is given on the places he went, the miracles he performed and the doctrine he preached, that little is given on the individuals that meant so much to him.
I don't know much about Lazarus or his relationship with the Savior, but I do know that Christ wept when he learned of his passing. Although earlier in the verse, Christ testifies that through him, all will be resurrected and have the possibility of eternal life, the passing of this man struck an emotional cord in Jesus. His life was so filled with turmoil and heartache that these close friends must have been an incredible blessing of comfort and support. Again, I don't know much about his personal relationship with Lazarus, but I do know that I have relied heavily on my friends throughout my life, and thinking about going through my trials without them would give me cause to weep. I wonder what kinds of people Christ kept as close friends. I like to think they were people from all different walks of life: rich and poor, educated and uneducated, young and old, men and women. We do know a few example of people that we spent a lot of time with: fishermen, women, the sick and afflicted, those who needed help and those who were genuinely and sincerely for answers in their life. He wasn't great friends with the powerful political leaders of the time, or the rabbis who oversaw the religious instruction of the people. He chose humble and sincere people who could support and love him. I think we can learn a lot about these "Christ-like" friends.
Through his divine power and authority Christ was able to bring Lazarus back, and I think this serves as a poignant reminder that we all can receive this incredible gift of resurrection as his friends. Last weekend, as I attended Stake Conference I heard many talks about faith in Jesus Christ and how we can better develop our relationship with him. Although he is not walking among us on earth at this time, we all have an opportunity to be close friends with the Lord. I think about the people who are alive today who have a very close, personal and friendly relationship with the Lord and they possess a lot of the same qualities shown by his friends during his mortal ministry. It is so important during this life to associate with these Christ-like people so that we can also become more humble, loving and sincere friends not only to those around us, but the Christ himself.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!

This week I was reading in the book of John chapter 9. In this chapter, Jesus heals a blind man by rubbing some clay on his eyes. The man had been blind since birth and the disciples asked the Lord, "Master, who did the sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents; but that the works of God should be manifest in him." I think this scripture can be read on multiple levels, but when I first read it, I was reminded again of how quickly we evaluate and make judgments of things and people. In school we are bred to work quickly making evaluations of problems and fast judgments. To some extent I think this spills over into other aspects of our lives.
We may jump into a situation not weighing the circumstances, we may say something without thinking and later regret, but I think the most dangerous mistake we make, as illustrated here from the disciples, is to make judgments of people before we get to understand them. As part of common belief of the time, the disciples believed that this blindness was a curse from God for either the man's sins or the sins of his parents. As Jesus clarifies, neither the man nor the parents committed the sin, but the man suffers blindness in order for some purpose of God to be fulfilled.
I remember being in France when hurricane Katrina hit the southern United States and New Orleans was buried in water. I was teaching a devoutly religious family, when the mother said, "Those sinners in the south of the United States needed a wake up call! God was behind that hurricane." I remember thinking, well if that's what God does to all sinners, we're all in serious trouble.
I think that after a natural disaster, disease, accident, suicide, or war people want to find some meaning behind it, some manifestation from God that his hand was in it. Although I believe God can and does intervene in peoples' lives on a regular basis, He loves us enough to let us suffer through our own difficulties. If injustice (sometimes severe, sometimes less severe) is dealt, God will deal justly with that person or people, but he will rarely step in and prevent it. We need to make our own decisions here on earth, and sometimes those decisions can lead to seriously detrimental consequences for ourselves and others.
A common practice among members of the church that can be used for both good and bad is reproving. Judgments need to be made by those who are in authority to make them, but so often, judgments are made by those who have no authority or reason to make them. We are our brothers' keepers but we do not and cannot tell people how to live their lives. In love, we can tell someone that their actions are hurting us, or hurting them, but once we begin to exercise unrighteous dominion we are in danger. D&C 121:43 says that priesthood holders, or those who are in authority are allowed to "Reprove betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterward an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved..." (emphasis added).
Passing unfounded judgments upon others is one of the most detrimental practices we can do in the church and has led to thousands (maybe millions) of inactive members of the church. Again, as I've said before, Christ's mission was to the downtrodden, and those who were rejected by society. We ought to show them the same love and respect that Christ showed them.

There is constant debate and struggle within religious discussion about faith and miracles. We are commanded in several places not to be a "sign-seeking" people, but to have faith through impressions from the Holy Ghost. Korihor, the Anti-Christ spoken of in the Book of Mormon wanted a sign from God, and in return, he was smitten dumb. Today, many people say to themselves, if God would just show me a sign then I would believe.
A great number of people spoken of in the scriptures and in present-day life who do receive signs do not believe, however. Think of the hypocrites written of in the Gospels who criticized Jesus for telling a crippled many that his sins are forgiven. Christ turned to them and asked why they would have such feelings in their hearts. Then, to show them that the Son of Man has power to forgive sin, he healed the crippled man from his ailment, and the man "took up his bed" and walked. Did this change the hearts of the hypocrites? What about Nephi's brothers, Lamen and Lemuel. As the savagely beat Nephi and multiple occasions, the Lord intervened and rebuked the brothers for what they did, yet they had no faith.
Even the early apostles of the Lord had little faith after seeing so many miracles. After the death of Christ, Thomas, who had been with Jesus on multiple occasions, did not believe the words of his fellow apostles that Jesus had been resurrected. He wanted proof... hard evidence that Jesus had indeed fulfilled the commandments that he told them he would.
In John 2:23-25 it reads, "Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,

and needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man." He knows our hearts and he knows the sincerity and source of our belief.
As a student of the physical sciences, I am often looking for physical proof of everything I do. I want to see immediate application of the principles I am learning, and demonstrations that prove that these scientific principles (some of them counter-intuitive) are indeed accurate. Faith has not always come easily or quickly for me, but my testimony has been founded on real and powerful experiences. Faith is the refreshing trust that I have that God is true and will keep His promises and that He knows and loves us more than we know and love ourselves.