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Have the Courage to Go to the Edge of the Light

Sometimes you need to go to the edge of the light. The Lord will test your faith. The Lord gives us knowledge and inspiration line upon line. We must hearken, or act upon what He says to demonstrate our faith.  He said, “I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom: for unto him that receiveth I will give more” (2 Nephi 28:30) 

One of the marvelous things about President Hinckley and the General Authorities I’m acquainted with is their great courage to step forward into unchartered paths.  They’re courageous leaders because they know how to move forward in faith. They can see to a point, and then they must move forward.

President David O. McKay told a story about a train engineer. He said:
“The engineer pulled his train into a station one dark night.  A timid passenger inquired of the engineer if he was frightened to pull his train out in the dark with 400 or 500 passengers’ lives at stake. The engineer said, pointing up to the bright headlight, ‘I want to tell you one thing: when I pull out of this station I won’t be running in darkness one foot of the way. You see that light a thousand yards ahead? I run my engine just to the edge of the light, and when I get there it will still be on a thousand yards ahead.’

Having said that, President McKay added: ‘I want to tell you something. Through all this dark night of uncertainty, I want to tell you that this Welfare Program will not be running in the dark one foot of the way. You remember it. We can only see the next October as the first circle of light. We have told you what to do six months from now. By the time we get there the light will be on ahead of us, but every step of the way that light will be there.  . . .’ ” (“Preparation for Tomorrow,” Bishop Victor L. Brown, Ensign November 1982)
Elder Gary B. Porter, BYU Idaho Devotional, February 2007 
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