Fireflies...

As a child, my parents would drive us around in the car and I'd look around at all the sights. When I learned to read, I noticed a lot of little things written off the side of the road. One of those things was a sign at the west end of the BYU campus that read "The Glory of God is Intelligence." Looking back, I believe I also saw this phrase on the BYU letterhead when I was accepted to the University. As I thought about this phrase today, I tried to understand it more.

What I came up with is light. The word of God is said to be light. Conscience is said to be the light of Christ. I like the metaphor that the prophets have given stating that the gospel is a lighthouse leading the way. I continued to think more about the gospel and it's relationship to light. I realized that the gospel, while taught in church, doesn't exist only in church. And the light of Christ is more like a candle than a centralized beacon, and can be shared individually one with another. The lighthouse is a great metaphor, but to expand on it...

I know that truth can be found everywhere we look. That Heavenly Father has put his seal of approval on many things around us. If we recognize them and remember Him, we can know that they are His gifts to us. I think of them as little fireflies giving off light. Little truths like being prompted to slow down, or struggling for a whole day at something and then finding the answer practically handed to you. Watching a sunset and realizing the physics involved of making the earth spin at just the right speed so it doesn't happen too slow, nor too fast. Recognizing that if Earth were any farther away from the sun how much colder we'd all be, or how much hotter we'd be if it were any closer.

I marvel at how intelligent our Father is and how we can learn from Him, even here and now. I believe the greatest inventors of history had some help from God. Our founding fathers and those who colonized the states before it was its own country...those people had God on their side and knew that they were sacrificing for something bigger than they were. Something for the greater good of all.

These little truths...little fireflies, when gathered and put together (not under a bushel) combine to form the very beacon that is the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's so nice to know that by small means come great things. That if we share a simple truth with someone, they can gather it with other truths to find what life is really all about! He loves us and wants us to remember Him and his son, Jesus Christ.

Have you ever done something that you just know is right, but you can't explain it? Have you ever discovered something, but didn't know how? Do you see truths and recognize their Author? Have you ever caught a firefly and wanted to share it with someone else? Did you tell God thank you?

I know I do...everyday.