Standard Candle

Astronomers designate certain stars as Standard Candles. These are stars whose luminosity has been precisely determined so that astronomers know just how bright and how far away these Standard Candles are from Earth. They can then use these Standard Candles to calculate the brightness and distance of the next group of stars. And then those stars can become Standard Candles as well. This process is called the Cosmic Distance Ladder. Each rung of Standard Candle stars serves as the jumping off point for the next farther out rung of stars. We can approach discerning and understanding the thoughts and ways of our Heavenly Father in a similar fashion. We pick the very closest source of light that we can see - the gospel principle that is the easiest to believe, the commandment that is the easiest to keep, the temptation that is the easiest to resist. Once we have exercised faith and done the work and gained the testimony of that first Standard Candle, we can then use that testimony to advance out to the next rung. Line upon line, precept upon precept, Standard Candle upon Standard Candle, we can advance our knowledge and understanding of our Heavenly Father and His plan for us. Sometimes we want to hie straight to Kolob and skip all of the boring stars in the middle, but that's not how it works. If we skip straight to the end, without first carefully and slowly expanding our minds through every single Standard Candle, then we won't have room to fit the truly huge truths that await us at the end of our journey. Every commandment and act of faith builds on the last one. This Standard Candle reinforces that one and our understanding of each is deepened and enriched by the synergy that flows back and forth. Each new light grows a little brighter, until one day we can gaze without blinking or shying away from the fullness of God's everlasting glory.