Be light of world in every instance
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The scriptural injunction of Jesus to His disciples to be the "salt of
the earth" and the "light of the world," recorded in Matthew 5:13-16 and
repeated in 3 Nephi 12:13-16, was given a modern application by Elder
Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve.
Speaking at April 1976 general conference, Elder Wirthlin contrasted the lives of two sisters.
"One sister married out of the Church," he related. "She had hoped to convert her husband and then be married and sealed in the temple. She had developed one of the most lovely and spiritual personalities. Her husband, however, has never caught the spirit nor acknowledged the truth of the gospel and has been a passive influence in the religious life of his family. Nevertheless, this sister set a beautiful example for her family and drew the children to accompany her in the performance of their Church duties and responsibilities. She and the children, despite what could have been a ready excuse for neglect and indifference, exemplified the admonition of Jesus when He said, 'Let your light so shine before men that [others] may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.' (Matthew 5:16.)
The other sister in Elder Wirthlin's example married a faithful Latter-day Saint, but as the years went by they neglected to worship together in the name of Jesus that He might be in the midst of their family activities. "Although always admiring the Church and its principles, they had forgotten that they were now in fact the salt of the earth that had 'lost its savor,' " Elder Wirthlin commented. (See Matthew 5:13.)
"In a conversation about their children, the second sister said to the first, 'Why have your children turned out so well, and why are they so active in the Church despite the fact that you married out of the Church?' The first sister replied, 'I took my children with me to Sunday School and sacrament meeting.' Surprised, the second sister said, 'I sent mine.' And the first sister answered with greater emphasis, 'But I took mine!' Hers was a case, as Jesus said, of 'where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them,' and this can be true for all of us wherever we may be, at home or elsewhere."
