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This address entitled Let Let Your Light So Shine, was given on March 1st of 1981 by Dean L. Larson,

then a member of the first quorum of the 70 of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

It's a great privilege to be here on the campus of this university, and more especially

tonight, here in the spirit of this fireside, I have prayed earnestly that in organizing the things I would like to say to you tonight,

I would be guided by the Spirit to come to those things that would be appropriate and helpful.

And I have earnestly sought for the power and influence of the Lord's Spirit to help me tonight

to convey to you the message that I have brought.

And I trust that that spirit will work with us and that perhaps something in these

words will prove helpful and hopefully encouraging and useful to you.

The Lord has made it clear that each of us has a responsibility to exert an influence for good

in the lives of those who share this mortal experience with us.

We cannot live in isolation from others and still fulfill the purpose of our existence here.

Our actions, our words, our thoughts, and our values will inevitably affect the souls of

those whose lives brush against ours.

In fact, the Lord himself has said that this influence may continue to reverberate

long after we have departed, even to the ensuing generations. This is an awesome prospect.

When we contemplate the power we have for perpetrating both good and evil in the lives of others,

we have good reason to reach for careful understanding of this power.

It's clear that we will be held responsible for making our influence felt.

There is no safety or sanctuary in living passively or in avoiding contact with others.

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