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16 Stones

I've been pondering on my personal goals for this year, and as I was reading in the Book of Mormon the other day, I was struck by the story of the Brother of Jared. I've thought on this quite a lot over the years, but this time, what jumped out at me was how he counsels with the Lord over how to have light in the barges they'll be building for their journey to the Promised Land. He thinks about it and the solution he lands on is to prepare 16 small stones, 2 for each vessel, with the intention that the Lord will touch the stones, and make them give off light, enough to last the length of their journey.

 This time of year I often struggle to see and feel light. It's cold, and dark, and the inversion makes it even more so. To avoid these, I often don't go out as much. However, the lack of light can sometimes impact me both physically and spiritually. So I'm usually needing to find ways to keep light in my life. And here's where the Brother of Jared's 16 stones come into play. Using the metaphor of the stones, what are some things I can do to motivate myself, that will make it possible for God to bless me with a feeling of light? I'm still thinking on it, but here are a few I've thought of so far. I'm calling them my "Stones".
  • Gratitude
  • Charity
  • Service
  • Temple
  • Laughter
  • Thinking Happy Thoughts
The hope is that as I focus on these things this year, I feel more joy, and in effect will have more light in my life.

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