Tight Like Unto A Dish

This week as I have been reading in the book of Ether I was moved by the story of the building of barges and the coming to the land of promise by the Jaredite people.  There are lots of details about the barges and how they were constructed.  As I have thought about why that is included in the Book of Mormon  I have come to an understanding about how the barges and the journey are symbols for our lives here in this dispensation.

As the Lord commands the brother of Jared to go about building the barges he continues to describe the construction of the barges as TIGHT LIKE UNTO A DISH.  He describes each part of the barge and then comments that it is to be tight like unto a dish.  What does that symbolize in our lives?  I believe that we are like the barges that will set out on the journey to our promise land, that of eternal life with our Father in Heaven.  We need our lives to resemble that of the barge.  Tight like unto a dish.  There will be many winds and waves that will crash upon us as we travel the water of this earth.  And we will need to have our vessels tight as unto a dish to withstand these trials. 

One of the greatest ways that we can fortify our lives against the storms of this life is to seek the Holy Ghost as our constant companion.  The Holy Ghost protects us from temptations, it makes the good things of this life more appealing and the temptations less attractive.  The Holy Ghost gives us the power to discern truth from falsehood.   President Henry B Eyring teaches us this about the power of the Holy Ghost, “confirmation of truth comes to a son or daughter of God who has claimed the right to receive the Holy Ghost.  Since falsehoods and lies may be presented to us at any time, we need a constant influence of the spirit of Truth to spare us moments of doubt.” The Apostle Peter warns, “Be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).  President Monson encourages us to “Open your hearts, even your very souls, to the sound of that special voice which testifies of truth.”

As we navigate the waters of life we will need to gain knowledge and light that can only come through the Holy Ghost.  It is like unto the light that was sought by the Jaredites as they began their journey.  In Ether 6:3 it reads, “And thus the Lord caused stones to shine in darkness, to give light unto men, women, and children, that they might not cross the great waters in darkness.”  The Lord does not want us to travel the waters of this life in darkness and will provide the light that we need to have peace and joy in our journey.  We also have the obligation to share the light that we are given to others that are traveling along the path.  Sister Ardeth G Kapp said this about the light that is in our lives, “You have light within you.  You can shine in darkness.  You can light up the world.  You can dispel the darkness; you can make a difference.”