Steven Yamamoto, stake president of the Honolulu Hawaii stake, said when he was engulfed in the darkness of the back of a moving van, the bright light of a small cell phone screen calmed him. He explained, “The light on the phone immediately eased my mind and I could breathe again. My anxieties and panic immediately disappeared. It was amazing that the tiny bit of light would provide such a great relief.”
He related this experience to the light of Christ people can receive when they are stuck in the darkness around them. He then asked audience members what they think they could do to increase the light of Christ in their lives.
Yamamoto encouraged students to find more ways to add the light of Christ to their everyday lives at his devotional address on Oct. 26.
Warunthon Komkajone, a sophomore from Thailand studying accounting, said she found this story about the cell phone to be one of her greatest takeaways. She recalled a time when one of her close friends messaged her to check on her well-being and said she learned how a simple act of service like that can “make someone’s day.” She continued, “The light of Christ is for everyone who shares it and who chooses to receive it.”
She urged students to find opportunities to serve those around her similar to the way her friend did by reflecting about how they can grow “spiritually and mentally” during their time at BYU–Hawaii. She said one way to grow is “To help others and be the light that can help and bless other people’s lives [and] serving others as Jesus Christ would do if he were here.”
Chris Martin T. Manongdo, a senior from the Philippines studying economics, shared it is important for people to protect, share and nourish the light of Christ they have within them. He explained, “There is no one specific way to increase that light, for some are required to do more than others. I encourage others to ask God what they can do to better increase the influence of the Holy Ghost in their lives and ponder how they can integrate that into their own lives.”
He continued, “By developing that light of Christ within us, the line between right and wrong becomes much clearer. When that happens, we stop making excuses, … we stop justifying breaking the Lord's commandments, begin to be accountable for our actions and most importantly, we begin to be more honest towards ourselves, as well as other people.”
During the devotional, Yamamoto told a story about spending the night in his car at a campground during an overnight drive from Utah to Seattle. He explained he justified not paying the required fee because they didn’t use the site and only spent about four hours there. He said his wife “didn’t accept any of my bad reasons and kindly helped me understand, as she has helped teach me many times since, that we used the site and we needed to go back and pay.”
He asked the audience, “Do you desire that your posterity will be strong in the gospel? Is something as insignificant as ten dollars worth it to dim your light and get you off of your path? Take the time to figure out where you want to go.”
Martin added he believes attending the temple, ministering and doing his best in his studying will help keep him on the path and keep his light bright. “If I desire to have that clarity of identity, purpose and potential, then I have to do the things that will allow me to have that light of Christ burn brighter within me.”