Sabbath Devotional :: Lead, Kindly Light

light and darkness - Mormon Women for Ethical Government — .

My grandpa passed away a couple weeks ago. Of course, given the current circumstances, we couldn’t gather as a family to mourn his passing and celebrate his life (though we did “gather” via Zoom). But over these past few weeks I’ve felt comfort from the words of his favorite hymn, which have been playing on an almost perpetual loop in my mind:

Lead, kindly Light, amid th’encircling gloom;
Lead thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home;
Lead thou me on!
Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene — one step enough for me.

For reasons both global and personal, I have felt almost overwhelmed by “encircling gloom” over the past month. Job loss, family loss, uncertainty, isolation, feelings of helplessness — both for my own circumstances and those around me — it is all too easy to feel encircled by gloom right now.

With the words of “Lead, Kindly Light” still buzzing in the back of my mind, these words from President Nelson last Sunday struck straight at my heart: “The increasing darkness that accompanies tribulation makes the light of Jesus Christ shine ever brighter.”

In these moments of darkness and tribulation, I have to remember that the Savior is the light of the world, who promised, “he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness” (John 8:12).

Right now, the path feels dark and obscured for me. I don’t know what the future holds for me and my family, or for society as we face these difficult times. I don’t know what the next steps are on this path. But I am trying to focus on having faith, to say “one step enough for me” when I cannot see the distant scene.

Proverbs 3:5–6 reminds us to “trust in the Lord with all thine heart… and he shall direct thy paths.” This is a promise I am holding on to right now — that the Lord will direct my path when I can’t see where to go. That he can see it, and will guide me with his light.

Elder Uchtdorf also addressed this in General Conference: “You don’t have to walk this road alone. Our Heavenly Father has not left us to wander in darkness.”

My family has been reading this week the Book of Mormon account of the crucifixion and resurrected Savior’s visit to the Nephites. When Christ was crucified, the world was engulfed in darkness. In the midst of this darkness, the Nephites hear the Savior proclaim, “I am the light and the life of the world” (3 Nephi 9:18), and on the morning of His resurrection, the darkness dispersed and the world was filled with light. He was the light that overcame the darkness.

So on this Easter Sunday, I am focusing on the light of the Savior and his glorious Atonement and resurrection, which make it so we don’t have to walk alone or in darkness because Christ knows all of our trials and struggles — and overcame them. I am remembering that “the light of Jesus Christ is stronger than any darkness we face in this life” (Virginia U. Jensen).

Because of Jesus Christ, the light of the world, there is hope this Easter Sunday. Hope that because of him, I can once again see my grandpa and all my family members who have left this mortal life. Hope that the Savior is lighting and guiding my path, that he and the Father are aware of me, and of each one of us — aware of the struggles each of us are facing right now, both individually and collectively. As we trust in him, he will direct our paths, even if it just one step at a time.