The parable of the Two Lamps

 I heard this story in church today, I have heard it before but loved the simple message that it brought.

The Parable of Two Lamps by James E. Talmage

Among the material things of the past—things that I treasure for sweet memory’s sake and because of pleasant association in bygone days—is a lamp. …

The lamp of which I speak, the student lamp of my school and college days, was one of the best of its kind. I had bought it with hard-earned savings; it was counted among my most cherished possessions. …

One summer evening I sat musing studiously and withal restfully in the open air outside the door of the room in which I lodged and studied. A stranger approached. I noticed that he carried a satchel. He was affable and entertaining. I brought another chair from within, and we chatted together till the twilight had deepened into dusk, the dusk into darkness.

Then he said: “You are a student and doubtless have much work to do of nights. What kind of lamp do you use?” And without waiting for a reply, he continued, “I have a superior kind of lamp I should like to show you, a lamp designed and constructed according to the latest achievements of applied science, far surpassing anything heretofore produced as a means of artificial lighting.”

I replied with confidence, and I confess, not without some exultation: “My friend, I have a lamp, one that has been tested and proved. It has been to me a companion through many a long night. It is an Argand lamp, and one of the best. I have trimmed and cleaned it today; it is ready for the lighting. Step inside; I will show you my lamp; then you may tell me whether yours can possibly be better.”

We entered my study room, and with a feeling which I assume is akin to that of the athlete about to enter a contest with one whom he regards as a pitiably inferior opponent, I put the match to my well-trimmed Argand.

My visitor was voluble in his praise. It was the best lamp of its kind, he said. He averred that he had never seen a lamp in better trim. He turned the wick up and down and pronounced the adjustment perfect. He declared that never before had he realized how satisfactory a student lamp could be.

I liked the man; he seemed to me wise, and he assuredly was ingratiating. “Love me, love my lamp,” I thought, mentally paraphrasing a common expression of the period.

“Now,” said he, “with your permission I’ll light my lamp.” He took from his satchel a lamp then known as the “Rochester.” It had a chimney which, compared with mine, was as a factory smokestack alongside a house flue. Its hollow wick was wide enough to admit my four fingers. Its light made bright the remotest corner of my room. In its brilliant blaze my own little Argand wick burned a weak, pale yellow. Until that moment of convincing demonstration, I had never known the dim obscurity in which I had lived and labored, studied and struggled.

“I’ll buy your lamp,” said I; “you need neither explain nor argue further.” I took my new acquisition to the laboratory that same night and determined its capacity. It turned at over 48 candlepower—fully four times the intensity of my student lamp.

Two days after purchasing, I met the lamp peddler on the street about noontime. To my inquiry he replied that business was good; the demand for his lamps was greater than the factory supply. “But,” said I, “you are not working today?” His rejoinder was a lesson. “Do you think that I would be so foolish as to go around trying to sell lamps in the daytime? Would you have bought one if I had lighted it for you when the sun was shining? I chose the time to show the superiority of my lamp over yours, and you were eager to own the better one I offered, were you not?”

Such is the story. Now consider the application of a part, a very small part, thereof.

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” [Matt. 5:16].

The man who would sell me a lamp did not disparage mine. He placed his greater light alongside my feebler flame, and I hasted to obtain the better.

I think what I love the most about this story is that he got to know the man to whom he was selling to first, and he became his friend, sincerely cared about him. Plus, he praised the lamp that the man already had, he did not try to be little his lamp, and then he simply shared his light! I think that is what Christ meant in the scripture Matt 5 :16 when He counseled us to share our light and good works with others.

 I was a full time missionary for our church ( The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints ),30 some years ago.  People asked me back then...why I would leave my family for a couple of years to serve a mission? The answer was simple, I felt like I had been blessed my whole life because of my relationship with the Savior, it has made all the difference in the world to me and my family. I was excited to share that with others (who may not have had the opportunity to know Jesus Christ or understand what it would feel like to follow Him).
 I am  proud to be a Mormon, although most of my life I have been judged harshly because of it. I am always amazed how people judge something hard, especially if they no nothing about it. But I have many friends of all different beliefs. I think they know that I am very respectful of what they believe, and as long as we can love and respect each other then life is good. But I did have a lady once asked me why I am so happy? And right when I started to open my mouth she said " and don't tell me it has to do with God or anything like that". I closed my mouth, because she really didn't want to know what made me happy and I couldn't lie, it had everything to do with God and His Son Jesus Christ, but that is not what she wanted to hear.
 I do think that many of us need to share our light with those in the world who are so caught up in the world that they can't see anything except what they own or what problems they have. It doesn't take having the TV on the news for 5 minutes, to realize there are a lot of people out there, really struggling in the darkness and don't know how to find peace or hope of any kind. For those of us who do believe, may we all be more willing and ready to share that light with others. That is the challenge I got today in church and I am grateful for it!

To learn more about what I believe you can go HERE:
Good night dear friends!

What I should have said!

I was talking to a co worker the other day and I said ( after seeing yet another beautiful quilt that she had just designed and made ) that I really envied her. Now, on more than one occasion, I have said something in the wrong context. After looking up the word and reading the synonyms, I realized that is not what I meant at all. I am not jealous, and I do not want to take away something that she has. I don't begrudge her, because I know she has worked a long time to get where she is. And I am not unhappy or resentful because of her talents.
I thought more about this conversation I had with my friend after reading an article about the parable in the scripture Matthew chapter 20. The article pointed out some neat observations and so I am going to share them with you. Now many of you know the story, it is where the householder "went out early in the morning to hire labourers." After employing the first group at 6:00 in the morning, he returned at 9:00 a. m., at 12:00 noon, and at 3:00 in the afternoon, hiring more workers as the urgency of the harvest increased. The scripture says he came back a final time, "about the eleventh hour" (approximately 5:00 p.m.), and hired a concluding number. Then just an hour later, all the workers gathered to received their day's wage. Surprisingly, all received the same wage in spite of the different hours of labor. Immediately, those hired first were angry, saying, "These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day." When reading this parable, perhaps you, as well as those workers have felt there was an injustice being done here.
Then the author goes on to, go over some of the things we might not have seen when we first read the parable, such as...
1st... It is important to understand that no one has been treated unfairly here. The first workers agreed to the full wage of the day, and they received it. As for the last workers to be hired, probably were the most discouraged, for not being able to be picked to work except for an hour. Still they accepted it without even knowing the wage, probably knowing that anything is better than nothing. How blessed they must have felt when they got a full day's wages. What compassion the householder had on them.
Then he goes on to talk about ..that there will be times when someone else will get an unexpected blessing  and it is important for us not to be upset or hurt and certainly not to feel envious---"So lesson number one from the Lord's vineyard: coveting, pouting, or tearing others down does not elevate your standing, nor does demeaning someone else improve your self-image. So be kind, and be grateful that God is kind. It is a happy way to live."
Last he reminds us that" this parable ---like all parables--- is not really about laborers or wages any more than the others are about sheep and goats. This is a story about God's goodness, His patience and forgiveness, and the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ.  The Savior's concern is for the faith at which you finally arrive, not the hour of the day in which you got there."
To read the whole article you can go HERE:




So, what I should have said to my talented friend was ..."I really admire your talent and could only hope to learn how to do that some day, you do an amazing job! " Why is it, I always think too late... of what I SHOULD HAVE SAID? Oh well, it was a great lesson learned! Good night dear friends!


“Use those talents you have. You will make it. You will give joy to the world. Take this tip from nature: The woods would be a very silent place if no birds sang except those who sang best.” ~Bernard Meltzer

Parable of the Treasure Vault

 I love this parable. Enjoy and good night dear friends!

 What is the worth of a soul? It’s priceless and must be kept safe.

The Parable of the Treasure Vault

09282_000_03 Among the news items of recent date was the report of a burglary, some incidents of which are unusual in the literature of crime. The safety-vault of a wholesale house dealing in jewelry and gems was the object of the attack. From the care and skill with which the two robbers had lain their plans, it was evident that they were adept in their nefarious business.
They contrived to secrete themselves within the building and were locked in when the heavily barred doors were closed for the night. They knew that the great vault of steel and masonry was of the best construction and of the kind guaranteed as burglar-proof; they knew also that it contained treasure of enormous value; and they relied for success on their patience, persistency, and craft, which had been developed through many previous, though lesser, exploits in safe-breaking. Their equipment was complete, comprising of drills, saws, and other tools, tempered to penetrate even the hardened steel of the massive door, through which alone entrance to the vault could be effected. Armed guards were stationed in the corridors of the establishment, and the approaches to the strong room were diligently watched.
Through the long night the thieves labored, drilling and sawing around the lock, whose complicated mechanism could not be manipulated even by one familiar with the combination, before the hour for which the time-control had been set. They had calculated that by persistent work they would have time during the night to break open the safe and secure such of the valuables as they could carry; then they would trust to luck, daring, or force to make their escape. They would not hesitate to kill if they were opposed. Though the difficulties of the undertaking were greater than expected, the skilled criminals succeeded with tools and explosives in reaching the interior of the lock; then they threw back the bolts and forced open the ponderous doors.
What saw they within? Drawers filled with gems, trays of diamonds, rubies, and pearls, think you? Such and more they had confidently expected to find and to secure; but instead they encountered an inner safe, with a door heavier and more resistant than the first, fitted with a mechanical lock of more intricate construction than that at which they had worked so strenuously. The metal of the second door was of such superior quality as to splinter their finely tempered tools; try as they would they could not so much as scratch it. Their misdirected energy was wasted; frustrated were all their infamous plans.
Like unto one’s reputation is the outer door of the treasure-vault; like unto his character is the inner portal. A good name is a strong defense, but though it be assailed and even marred or broken, the soul it guards is safe, provided only the inner character be impregnable. ~ James E. Talmage The Parable of the Treasure Vault (1862 -1933 )



"The essential thing is not knowledge, but character."
Joseph Le Conte
 
"Who you are speaks so loudly I can't hear what you're saying." Ralph Waldo Emerson