I have been looking through various pictures I have taken over the years, whether they be sunsets, landscapes, star pictures, or even pictures of people. One thing I have noticed is that slowly, over time, the quality of composition, color, and image fineness has improved. I can put two very similar photos next to each other from different years, and there is obvious and drastic improvement. In a large way, this has been due to practice, improving my equipment, and seeking out and following advice from those who know more about photography than I do.
Like any skill or hobby, I still have much improvement to make. I am not taking the kinds of pictures found in professional magazines, or such as ones which would be found in fine art galleries. I do hope to reach that level at some point in my life however.
Similarly, we must practice, improve our "equipment", and seek advice from those who know more than us if we want to continue to progress towards eternal life and exhalation.
We must practice the "little things" over and over again, simply doing them once doesn't mean much. Had I stopped at my first night sky picture, and said "Yes; that is good enough, I can tell there are stars in the picture", I would have never seen my first nebula, or enjoyed the vast expanse of the milky way galaxy spreading across the night sky.
I never would have learned how to focus on the fine points of light which indicate the uncountable stars in the sky. Had I decided that I didn't need to continue to find ways of improving my pictures of sunsets, I never would have been able to learn about balancing the size of the aperture of the camera with the shutter speed, and fine tune the sensitivity to light in order to capture not only the bright rays of the sun, but the colors of the landscape around it as well.
Likewise, if we stop at our first, simple prayer, we will never find the relationship with God which will carry us through the times when the world falls apart, and nothing makes sense. We will not be able to withstand the onslaught of influences demeaning and degrading our beliefs if we only have read the first page of the Book of Mormon. Our testimony that God lives will slowly degrade over time due to the evil influences of the world around us if we are not constantly feeding it. Our temple covenants will be meaningless if we do not remember them because we never returned.
I never would have learned how to focus on the fine points of light which indicate the uncountable stars in the sky. Had I decided that I didn't need to continue to find ways of improving my pictures of sunsets, I never would have been able to learn about balancing the size of the aperture of the camera with the shutter speed, and fine tune the sensitivity to light in order to capture not only the bright rays of the sun, but the colors of the landscape around it as well.
Likewise, if we stop at our first, simple prayer, we will never find the relationship with God which will carry us through the times when the world falls apart, and nothing makes sense. We will not be able to withstand the onslaught of influences demeaning and degrading our beliefs if we only have read the first page of the Book of Mormon. Our testimony that God lives will slowly degrade over time due to the evil influences of the world around us if we are not constantly feeding it. Our temple covenants will be meaningless if we do not remember them because we never returned.
We need to have the proper equipment in order to receive revelation from God. Fortunately, we are all given the ability to ask and receive from God. This ability is improved over time as we learn more and refine our approach to asking God for answers. Like how a basic, shaky hand held camera can only catch a glimpse of the glorious night sky, we must also learn that the basics of our talents were never intended to help us make it all the way back to God; but were the starting point.
From observing what others do with their photograph composition, asking questions and talking to others who are clearly better than me, I have learned that finding a beautiful subject is only part of the equation. Two people can take pictures of the same object, and one will have a beautiful, award winning photograph, and one will have a snapshot which happens to include a beautiful object. It is all about how the photograph is composed, colors are balanced, and how the subject is presented. Likewise, we need to "ask" those who know more than us, whether it be seeking advice from a trusted priesthood or church leader, listening to the voices of the prophets, or seeking out answers from the scriptures. One of the consistent failures of humanity is that we often are seeking to go through this mess alone. Only by turning to those who have more experience can we ever hope to have a chance of making it through.
I testify that there are things which we can, and should be doing in order to continue growing in our faith and faithfulness. I testify that God lives. He loves us. He wants us to return to Him. He knows our needs, our pains, our sorrows, our suffering. He knows why we have strayed, and he knows how to bring us back. Not only this, but He knows how to do all of this with all of the love and caring of a tender parent who is far more concerned with our well being than punishing us for our sins. However, if we fight against Him, we will not find joy, but pain, sorrow, and suffering. I testify that as we stand in holy places, we will have an increase of His spirit in our lives, and will find the answers to our prayers. As we work to improve ourselves, practice the gospel, and listen to the prophets and our priesthood leaders, we will find the safety we so desire as we return to Heavenly Father, and will be able to hear His voice saying "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."
I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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