Got A Light?

In the Parable of the Ten Virgins, the wise virgins tell the foolish virgins that they are unable to share their oil, or they themselves will run out. This is a strong lesson about each individual’s personal responsibility for securing their own testimony and salvation. But I think that sometimes we may assume that not only should we not share our oil with those who have foolishly neglected to fill their lamps with oil, but that neither should we share our light. We may be too busy or timid or self-absorbed to notice that one of our brothers or sisters has a lamp that’s filled to bursting with oil, but they need someone to share their light to ignite the testimony that they have been cultivating. Or maybe someone is so lost that not only do they not have enough oil in their lamps but they also don’t have any lamps at all. We may not be able to give them our lamps or share with them our oil, but we can certainly pick them up off the ground, dust them off, put our arm around them and help them to walk in the light of our testimonies until they manage to get their own lamps and their own oil and their own light. The Good Samaritan saw a man whose lamp had been broken and whose oil had been spilled out, and he bound up his wounds and poured oil in and got his lamp shining again. The man with palsy had friends who took him right to the Savior so that his lamp, which was already full of faith, could be lit by the light of forgiveness and healing. We may not always be able to share our oil, but we should always be ready to share our light.