Developing In The Dark

Like photographic film, our souls are sensitive to light. When film is exposed to light, it can take on an image of that light, and when our souls are exposed to the light of Christ, we take on His image. In fact, we have been commanded to take upon us the countenance, or the image, of Jesus Christ. We can come to a greater understanding of how this is done by considering how film is developed into photographs. After being exposed to light, photographic prints have to be completely immersed in different chemical baths. This process must be done in what's called a darkroom, because at this stage the photos must not be exposed to any more light or the images will be ruined. Only once the photos have gone through the proper immersions and dried completely, all of this taking place in the dark, will the photos have the images permanently fixed and can then be brought back into the light without fear of losing the preserved image. When we are seeking to fix Christ's image upon our souls, we must first open ourselves to His light, but then we must have the courage to go into the darkness, acting with faith that though we can no longer see, we are developing and fixing the image of our Savior permanently onto our souls. That first exposure to light in the camera is like that first, tentative desire to believe in and follow Christ. But if we are to truly know Him and have His image upon us, then we must do His will, in the dark, with no guarantee that our faith filled efforts will develop in the way that we might hope or imagine, but trusting nonetheless as we keep pressing forward, keep immersing ourselves in our baptismal covenants and gospel principles, then our time in the dark will not be wasted but is actually absolutely vital to the process of fixing the image and the countenance and the name of Christ upon our souls in a way that will not get bleached or washed out or fade away. We can't have a perfect knowledge of all things right now. Our souls can only hold so much light at once, and the only way to develop that light is by temporarily braving the dark. But the more times we go forth with faith and carry out little slivers of light to be developed in the darkness, the more images and perspectives of Christ we will accumulate and the greater our understanding of His character and work and His love for us we will be able to carry permanently with us.