“Be faithful, praying always, having your lamps trimmed and burning, and oil with you, that you may be ready at the coming of the Bridegroom.” ~ Doctrine & Covenants 33:17
I was reading this scripture on a Thursday. I didn’t quite get it, it seemed confusing and outdated maybe? I knew it was referencing Jesus Christ’s parable of the 10 virgins – 5 were ready and 5 were not when the bridegroom came at an unexpected hour. But how did this apply to my life now?
Because of the Covid-19 pandemic and increasing conflict in the world I’ve been thinking about what would I need to do to be prepared for Armageddon or an apocalypse or if Christ were to come again suddenly. We have been told that if we are prepared we won’t fear so I’ve also been thinking about all the various ways to be prepared. Do I have water storage? No, I need to do that. Do I have some extra food in case of an emergency? Yes. And the preparation list can go on and on.
Still, something about this scripture intrigued and wasn’t quite clear to me. What does it mean? Do I literally need to get an oil lamp?
Like all parables there is more to learn and apply in many ways so I searched online for what it means to trim your lamp and found this video…
And then I searched about why the wick needs to be trimmed…
https://www.insider.com/why-you-should-always-trim-candle-wicks-2016-11
What did I learn? Every 4 hours a wick needs to be trimmed, and trimming the wick allows the light to burn clean and bright instead of creating smoke and soot. I never knew this! I’ve had smokey candles and never liked that but didn’t know I could do something to change it!
And that is when the proverbial light went on in my mind. So maybe what God is asking me to do in this scripture is to prepare myself to allow His light to burn clean and bright in my life, and to share that light with others, and to have oil with me, which represents purity and the influence of the Holy Ghost, by constantly seeking His guidance and direction?
With these thoughts and ideas I came up with 3 questions to help me plan each day…
1 – What do I need to get rid of, modify or refine in my life today?
2 – How can I share light with others today?
3 – What help do I need to seek from the Holy Ghost today?
And maybe I need to ask myself and Heavenly Father these questions not just once a day, but every 4 hours or more to keep the light of Christ burning brightly in my life.
Will this take effort? YES! Will I need help? YES! Will God help me? YES! And that may be why he starts off the scripture with the reminder to be faithful and pray always.
Just a little something to ponder.
