If You Want to Give Light to Others, You Have to Glow Yourself
In the Ensign May 1999 issue, Thomas S. Monson wrote about a man named Walter Stover of Salt Lake City. “Born in Germany, Walter embraced the gospel message and came to America. He established his own business. He gave freely of his time and of his means.
“Following World War II, Walter Stover was called to return to his native land. He directed the Church in that nation and blessed the lives of all whom he met and with whom he served. With his own funds, he constructed two chapels in Berlin—a beautiful city that had been so devastated by the conflict. He planned a gathering in Dresden for all the members of the Church from that nation and then chartered a train to bring them from all around the land so they could meet, partake of the sacrament, and bear witness of the goodness of God to them.
“At the funeral services for Walter Stover, his son-in-law Thomas C. LeDuc said of him, ‘He had the ability to see Christ in every face he encountered, and he acted accordingly.’
The poet wrote:
I paused and let him light his lamp from mine.
A tempest sprang up later on, and shook the world about,
And when the wind was gone, my lamp was out.
But back came to me the stranger—his lamp was glowing fine;
He held the precious flame and lighted mine.
Perhaps the moral of this poem is simply that if you want to give a light to others, you have to glow yourself.
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