All Ye that Kindle Fire – 2 Nephi 7:10-11

10 Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness and hath no light?
11 Behold all ye that kindle fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks, walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks which ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand—ye shall lie down in sorrow.
(2 Nephi 7:10-11, Isaiah 50:10-11)

I love the stark contrast between these two verses:

• If you obey the voice of God, you will walk in the light.
• If you try to create your own light, you will be disappointed in the outcome. 

It is all very simple, really. We all have daily evidence of our own fallibility and weakness. God invites us to trust Him, and when we do, our lives are blessed by His knowledge and power. But when we insist on doing it alone, when we are impressed with our own feeble sparks and imagine to ourselves that they are enough, we are fooling ourselves, and things are bound to end badly. 

Today, I will choose to trust God. I will remember that my own knowledge and abilities are very small compared with His, and I will resist the temptation to exaggerate my accomplishments and to “walk…in the sparks which [I] have kindled.” I will be obedient to Him, so that I can enjoy His light.