Sparkles!

Oh, that I were an expert photographer with a really great camera...but I'm not and I don't so the picture above will have to do. Today, my "something beautiful" is sparkles on the snow! They are magical! All day, everywhere I drove, the sunshine sparkled and danced on the snow-white world. It was absolutely breath-taking. And tonight, as I look out my window, the glimmer of street lights and the moon bounces off piles of crystalline snow in our front yard. Snow makes the world look like a fairy-tale. It really is enchanting. And, though I am a desert rat and love sunshine and warm weather, today I found myself basking (from a distance, inside the house and/or car) in the beauty of an icy, winter wonderland.

However, this post is not so much about snow itself, as the reflective quality that snow possesses. Today the beauty and magic of the snow, for me, were the bright, shining sparkles of light reflected upon the snow-white world. I realized that I was drawn to the shining snow because it represented something I desire to become-a reflector of a greater light.

Jesus Christ is the light of the world. The light of Christ dwells within each of us. We are all God's children, and each have our own "sparkle" of divinity. The more we come to know our Savior, to live as He lived, and to love as He loves, the brighter our "sparkle" becomes. Just as the pure white snow sparkles with the reflection of sunlight, we too "sparkle" as we reflect the light of "the Son." My hope and desire is to live so that I can reflect the love of Christ to those around me.

I noticed today that some "sparkles" on the snow were bigger and brighter than others. While they were all beautiful, the giant sparkles were like radiant diamonds. This got me thinking...I have met people who REALLY  "sparkle" with the light of Christ. These people are filled with love. They have felt the love of the Savior in their lives, and that drives them to love and serve those around them. These people are compassionate, forgiving, understanding and kind. They reflect the light of Christ to all who know them. Perhaps some people see this light without understanding what it really is. Perhaps they ask themselves, why is so-and-so so happy? What makes them so good? It is the understanding of who they are, who Christ is, and their relationship with Him that makes them shine so bright.

I'm not there yet, but someday I wish to shine as brightly as those I have referred to above. I am constantly learning to do and be better, to be kinder, to love more deeply, and to judge less quickly. I have much to improve upon, but I do know this: Jesus loves me. I feel that love right now. I know we are all God's children and we are all loved. I know that as I do my best to live in harmony with the teachings of Jesus Christ, I will be filled with His light and blessed to know how I can share that light with others.

We all have the capacity to shine bright. This life is a process. It is a place of learning, and what are we to learn? Put very simply, we are to learn to live and love as the Savior teaches. We are to become like Him. As we do so we will be blessed with His light. The more we improve, the more we love, the more we learn, the greater that light will become. I love the following scripture found in the Doctrine and Covenants 50:24. I believe it is the perfect ending to my post about sparkles. It reads:

"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."