Eliminate the Spiritual Light-Blockers from Your Life

How can you and I improve spiritual vision so that we can grow closer to the Savior?

In the Orientation and Mobility class that Kris Belcher attended when she first went blind, she learned that she could determine what direction she was facing by using the sun. In the morning, for example, if she felt the sun on her face, she would know she was facing east.

"Spiritually," Kris writes, "we can also receive comfort and direction from the Son. If we can feel the warmth of the Son - the Spirit - then we know we are facing the right direction."

Identifying several common "light-blockers" that can impair our spiritual eyesight, Kris offers practical remedies, suggesting ways in which we can choose to face the Son and feel His Spirit in our lives. Her down-to-earth stories, keen insights, often-humorous perspective, and unswerving faith will fill your heart with light.

Contents
Introduction
• Chapter 1
  Face the Son by Remembering Your Importance
• Chapter 2
  Face the Son by Following Promptings
• Chapter 3
  Face the Son by Trusting in God's Promises
• Chapter 4
  Face the Son by Seeking Truth from the Source
• Chapter 5
  Face the Son by Seeking Joy through Gratitude
• Chapter 6
  Face the Son by Hoping Good Things to Come
• Chapter 7
  Face the Son by Turning Complaints into Prayers
• Chapter 8
  Face the Son by Listening to the Words of Living Prophets
• Chapter 9
  Face the Son by Living Vertically
• Chapter 10
  Face the Son by Looking on the Heart
• Chapter 11
  Face the Son by Seeking the Spiritual Gift of Discernment
• Chapter 12
  Face the Son by Choosing Not to Be Offended
• Chapter 13
  Face the Son by Receiving Help
• Chapter 14
  Face the Son by Using Wisdom
• Chapter 15
  Face the Son by Not Giving Up God
• Chapter 16
  Face the Son by Jumping In
• Chapter 17
  Face the Son by Relying on Christ's Atonement
Conclusion
Sources
Index

It was to be my greatest role ever! True, I was only in the sixth grade, but my part as Jumbo the Elephant in the school play would launch my acting career for sure. I was to share the large gray elephant costume with my friend Katie, who would be the two front legs and head, while I was the back legs and rear end. Hmm. I hope that wasn’t typecasting.

We were to sing a beautiful duet as Jumbo with an English accent, and we felt like stars as we practiced. But a few days before the performance, Katie got the chicken pox, and I was left to play the part of the pachyderm alone. Although I felt sorry for my friend, I was secretly thrilled for my chance to shine. I was promoted from the rear end of Jumbo to be the entire animal. I would now wear the papier-mâché elephant head as well as the tail, and it would be exclusively my English-accented song that would sound from the cardboard-paper-towel-tube trunk. I was nervous but very excited.

The big night arrived, and I sang proudly in the chorus. Midway through the play, a few minutes before I would make my debut as Jumbo, disaster struck. A student on the front row of the risers stole my thunder. Right in the middle of our performance, he threw up. Yuck! Then, as he made his way toward the wings, midstride, he once again vomited on the stage. Talk about a showstopper! The entire audience was stunned into complete silence.

For several moments, no one moved. At last, a member of the audience came onstage to clean up the mess. When his job was complete, he whispered to all of us on the risers, “The show must go on!”

That was it! All my dreams of stardom—vanished with the vomit!

The show did go on, and I sang my well-rehearsed part; however, I was not the star, as I had anticipated. When my would-be legendary night is recalled, it is the boy on the risers with the flu and the volunteer janitor (my father) who claim the spotlight.

I was very disappointed at my failed attempt at stardom. I guess Jumbo wasn’t to be my greatest role after all. There have been many times since my Jumbo days that I have wondered about the roles I fill: like when I crawl into bed after a long, difficult day with my children, certain that the Mother of the Year award definitely won’t be bestowed on me. Or when I have taught a class at church and am pretty sure it totally flopped. Ever felt this way?

These and other roles, however, are secondary, supporting roles to the most important role we will ever fill in this life. It is who we are. We are divine children of the Eternal Father. This role is glorious, and we never need feel disappointment in it. We are growing and progressing in order to become like Him, and this includes working on our ability to see spiritually.

Since I lost my eyesight, I have been asked many times, “What is the hardest part about being blind?” My answer? “Not seeing.” It’s true—sarcastic, but true. It is difficult to live in total darkness. I have no access to light whatsoever, and I’m powerless to change my situation.

Similarly, the hardest part and most spiritually damaging consequence of spiritual blindness is our decreased ability to access the light of the Son. We are directed and comforted by the Savior through the influence and power of the Holy Ghost, and unless we think and act in worthy ways, we can exclude ourselves from that influence. This can leave us without the help and comfort we may need today, as well as the direction we so desperately need to return to our Father in Heaven. However, in this situation, unlike my physical blindness, we do have power to change. We can face the Son and seek His light—the light available to us because of our role as God’s children.

Unlike some kinds of physical blindness, we are born with clear spiritual vision. As children of Heavenly Father, it is our challenge to overcome any degree of spiritual blindness we encounter in this life, and to return to Father with an increased capacity to see.

Spiritual blindness does not occur all at once. It is a process that happens over time and according to our choices and depth of repentance. Similarly, improving our spiritual vision depends on our small acts of obedience and faith.

However, because our work is so vitally important, Satan isn’t going to let us improve our spiritual vision without putting up a fight. We can expect his interference. In fact, we can count on it. How does he do this? He tries to persuade us to discount our role as God’s children by making temptation and sin seem appealing and harmless.

Now, I know that not many of us are going to wake up and go commit murder, rob a bank, or some other major sin. It is more likely that we will give in to smaller temptations that will decrease our sensitivity to the Spirit and lead us away from Christ—even, perhaps, without our realization. But whether our sins seem large or small, they are still sins, and they stand as light-blockers.

If we let them, the normal, everyday emotions, attitudes, and behaviors we experience, although natural, can become obstacles to the Spirit.

We may be tempted to become and remain angry or resentful. We may give in to the feeling of not being enough and want to quit trying. Demands upon our energies may exhaust or discourage us, and we may not see the value of our efforts. Fear can overpower faith. Feelings of guilt, regret, or longing for the past can darken our present, and we are left without the vision we need to endure faithfully.

Remembering our role as Father’s children can help us combat these and other everyday feelings and natural impulses so that our spiritual sight is not hampered. Remembering will help turn us to the Son. Light and power are available to each of us through the Atonement of Christ. No matter the situation we are in, no matter the darkness we experience, He offers us light to lead us through.

When my world went dark, every part of my life was altered. I felt as though I was on unstable ground as a mother, as a wife, as a person. The only thing that kept me moving forward and not giving up was remembering that I was in the hands of the Lord. I knew that I was a real daughter of a real God who loved me. This knowledge was the only thing that felt stable and unchanging during the most unsettling experience of my life. When I felt like giving up, I made an increased effort to turn to Christ, and He brought me to a better place emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

We have everything to gain from facing the Son. Every bit of effort we expend to do so is worth it. Christ’s light can renew, encourage, comfort, warn, direct, forgive, and restore. As we turn to Him, He will show us how to fulfill our role as children of Heavenly Father. Christ’s light will bring miracles into our lives. In fact, the Light will make miracles of our lives.