Saturday, April 5, 2014

How is the Holy Ghost always to be with each of us when there are many of us?


You may have heard someone ask this question, or you may have asked it yourself--
"How can each member always have the Holy Ghost to be with them when there are so many members of the church?"
This is a good question, and there are probably things the Holy Ghost can do as a spirit that we don’t know much about, and I think we need more revelation on how it is done, but I can share a metaphor that has satisfied me so far so that I have faith that he is with worthy members, each and all.

When I was in high school, we got to go see a laser light show.  At the beginning, they showed us a single green dot on the screen and explained this was the only laser they used.  They moved the dot back and forth slowly in a line, then faster and faster until the path of the dot blurred together and appeared to become a solid line.  To our perception that single dot was everywhere on the line at once.  Then they took that line and began to form it into all kinds of curving shapes and designs that morphed from one thing to the next, and the whole show consisted of this kind of thing set to music.  As I considered that all of that laser animation was made of a green dot moving faster than my eye could follow, my brain just about exploded.

http://karenducey.photoshelter.com/gallery/Laser-Lights-by-John-Borcherding/G00005dL26uXRWAc/
Perhaps the Holy Ghost moves among us faster than we can detect.  Yes, this is speculation, and the mechanics by which the Holy Ghost can be simultaneously with us may be something different, but this metaphor helps me have faith that the promise about having the presence of the Holy Ghost can be fulfilled.  If a laser dot can seem to be everywhere in a line, it’s definitely a cinch for the Holy Ghost to be everywhere the members are.

2 comments:

Corine Moore said...

I absolutely LOVE this! This is something I have wondered about, and really appreciate your speculation. :) I don't understand how it works, but I too have faith that it does. There is so much that our minds have yet to learn and so much science that we don't yet understand; but evidence of millions all over the earth feeling His presence and being guided by Him are evidence enough to me that His influence IS over all...

Michaela Stephens said...

I'm glad this helped you, Corine. I certainly look forward to learning more about these things. (Nice to know that someday the questions will be answered.) And you are right; the evidence of millions being guided by the Holy Ghost is evidence that God's influence IS over all. We only hear the smallest fraction of stories about this. (Won't it be lovely someday to hear all those stories?)