Fill your lamps and prepare for the coming of the Bridegroom!

Today as I started in on my Sabbath day prep, I felt impressed of the importance to fill my lamp with oil and encourage those around me so to do, as in the parable of the 10 virgins:

1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:

4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroomcometh; go ye out to meet him.

7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.

8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.

9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.

12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

I feel like at General Conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for the past year, I have heard the cry from our apostles and prophet: Behold the bridegroom cometh. I can feel the futility of trying to fill other people's lamps with my oil. I have tried! I have seen people in front of me struggling with their testimony and understanding of God and not be able to help them. I have seen people do the same for me, trying to reach me and I just am not hearing it or getting it.

For I believe the oil is the preparation to hear and accept the Savior into our hearts. And if we don't have experience getting oil through the slow gathering of olives, the pressure and time it takes to extract the oils through daily prayer, scripture study, weekly Sabbath sacrament partaking, and regular temple attendance we are not going to recognize truth. It is like in a children's story I read my children, “With You All The Way” in which three people set out on a quest through a forest to reach the king's castle and they have to pass through this forest full of “hopenots” dark sinister creatures whose greatest weapon is imitation and deception. There is a flute played by the king daily that will help the questers on their journey if they can recognize it above the flutes of the hopenots. Only the one who took the Savior as his constant companion, who listened to the correct tune of the flute daily and even hourly sometimes, was able to make it through to the end.

I feel that way, the mists of darkness swirling around me as in Lehi's dream in the Book of Mormon, for all of us must travel through mists of darkness and see if we will hold onto the iron rod, the word of God, to make it through. I have felt the immediate relief of dark deception as I turn on conference talks to listen to or open the scriptures. Every single time I have felt the darkness depart. I may not see my way with perfect clarity (the mists are still around me) but I can feel a peace of separation from the darkness, like a shield. I feel the same way in the temple. Sometimes it is harder during prayer, because then my own voice of self-doubt resounds loudly in my head if I get distracted, which I easily do, bless Heavenly Father for His patience with me!