Reflection

Sometimes I leave church feeling so uplifted I find myself saying, "THAT is why I go to church every week!" Last Sunday a returned missionary spoke and he gave a wonderful talk about Christ. He gave a beautiful analogy about becoming more Christlike...

Once there was a blacksmith who was teaching a young apprentice the tricks of his trade. The apprentice watched as the blacksmith placed the metal coin in the fire, pounded it with a hammer, placed it in cold water, and then examined what had become of the coin. The blacksmith would then place the coin back in the fire until it turned a brilliant red, pull it out only to beat it with his hammer once more, place it in the cold water, and hold it close to his face to examine it again. Back into the fire the metal would go and the process would continue: fire, hammer, water, examination. The apprentice finally asked, "Why do you keep repeating the same process again and again?" The blacksmith replied, "I will continue this process until the coin is perfect." The young apprentice then asked, "How do you know when its perfect." The blacksmith answered, "When I can see my reflection in the coin." Sometimes we feel like we have been burned, beaten, or drowned...sometimes all at once. But it is important to remember that Jesus Christ is the blacksmith and we are being perfected. And one day, He will see His reflection in the coin.

I have found myself noticing the hand of Christ in many different things this week. I know that as we are focused on the light of Christ we are able to see His reflection in the world around us. I snapped a picture of something that reminded me of heaven. The sun was just setting in the west and the very top of the east mountain was shining bright. When the rest of the world was in darkness, the peak of the mountain shone brighter than ever. I hope to live my life so that others may see the reflection of Christ in my countenance and that I may shine bright when the rest of the world is in darkness.