April 22, 2014 Wolf Pack

I was going through some material in the online seminary program this morning and I came across this quote by Elder Wirthlin.  I love the symbolism and I wonder how my testimony would measure up if it were converted to a fire.  Would it be sufficient to save me?  Would it protect my family through the dark night?

I remember Bishop Johnson asking me if I had a burning testimony when I was much younger.  When I said yes, he handed me missionary papers and convinced me to serve a full time mission.  I know I had a testimony before but when I returned it was a candle compared to the bonfire 18 months later.  It was the best thing I ever did next to marrying Paul.


 

“Many years ago, large packs of wolves roamed the countryside in Ukraine, making travel in that part of the world very dangerous. These wolf packs were fearless. They were not intimidated by people nor by any of the weapons available at that time. The only thing that seemed to frighten them was fire. Consequently, travelers who found themselves away from cities developed the common practice of building a large bonfire and keeping it burning through the night. As long as the fire burned brightly, the wolves stayed away. But if it were allowed to burn out and die, the wolves would move in for an attack. Travelers understood that building and maintaining a roaring bonfire was not just a matter of convenience or comfort; it was a matter of survival. (See Mary Pratt Parrish, Ensign, May 1972, p. 25.)

“We do not have to protect ourselves from wolf packs as we travel the road of life today, but, in a spiritual sense, we do face the devious wolves of Satan in the form of temptation, evil, and sin. We live in dangerous times when these ravenous wolves roam the spiritual countryside in search of those who may be weak in faith or feeble in their conviction. … We are all vulnerable to attack. However, we can fortify ourselves with the protection provided by a burning testimony that, like a bonfire, has been built adequately and maintained carefully.

“Unfortunately, some in the Church may believe sincerely that their testimony is a raging bonfire when it really is little more than the faint flickering of a candle. Their faithfulness has more to do with habit than holiness, and their pursuit of personal righteousness almost always takes a back seat to their pursuit of personal interests and pleasure. With such a feeble light of testimony for protection, these travelers on life’s highways are easy prey for the wolves of the adversary”

(“Spiritual Bonfires of Testimony,” Ensign, Nov. 1992, 34).