The Story of the Lightbulb

"On a dark December night 36 years ago, a Lockheed 1011 jumbo jet crashed into the Florida Everglades, killing over 100 people. This terrible accident was one of the deadliest crashes in the history of the United States.

A curious thing about this accident is that all vital parts and systems of the airplane were functioning perfectly—the plane could have easily landed safely at its destination in Miami, only 20 miles (32km) away.

During the final approach, however, the crew noticed that one green light had failed to illuminate—a light that indicates whether or not the nose landing gear has extended successfully. The pilots discontinued the approach, set the aircraft into a circling holding pattern over the pitch-black Everglades, and turned their attention toward investigating the problem.

They became so preoccupied with their search that they failed to realize the plane was gradually descending closer and closer toward the dark swamp below. By the time someone noticed what was happening, it was too late to avoid the disaster.

After the accident, investigators tried to determine the cause. The landing gear had indeed lowered properly. The plane was in perfect mechanical condition. Everything was working properly—all except one thing: a single burned-out lightbulb. That tiny bulb—worth about 20 cents—started the chain of events that ultimately led to the tragic death of over 100 people.

Of course, the malfunctioning lightbulb didn’t cause the accident; it happened because the crew placed its focus on something that seemed to matter at the moment while losing sight of what mattered most."

(President Dieter F. Uchtdorf)

This story, in a way, happens in our lives every now and again. Sometimes we lose sight of what matters most, whether to us or to God, and we pay attention to those small things. More specifically, I want to compare this to going to church. Attending church is a great focus and we all know that God wants every single one of us in His church sunday mornings. Proof that God wants us at church comes from the great promised blessings to those who keep the sabbath day holy: the fullness of the Earth will be ours along with a fullness of joy!

Sometimes we wake up Sunday mornings and there is contention in the home or we feel we need to run to the store to buy a couple of items and there is no time to make it to church. Maybe our clothes haven't been ironed and prepared. Whatever the reasons we may have, they are only "worth about 20 cents" and should not keep us from the things that matter most.

If we keep our sight focused on the Lord and what he wants for us we will always be happy. We just need the strength to overcome those small things that might keep us from the greater things.