Seeing the Joy

For some time now I've felt like I've just been living a good life and things were going smoothly. I've just been content with my life. I mean I've had little ups and downs and have worked through them. I've always been grateful for what I have. I have a good life. But, my perspective has shifted recently. I have started seeing the joy in my life and that has made all the difference.

As a member of the LDS faith I love the scriptures including the Bible and The Book of Mormon. I believe that both books have been given to us by God who loves us all. I love and respect the teachings of both books and I think they compliment each other perfectly. Last summer I began a study of the Book of Mormon in which I sought references to joy. I bought one of those little blue books that are quite generic and turned it into something really special for me. In the inside cover I wrote "The Book of Joy" by: Missy Waite and began my search. Every time joy was  mentioned I marked it. All references to joy - joy, rejoicing, happiness, delight, cheer, etc. I marked everything in yellow because to me that's the most joyful color. Even the sticky notes I used to record thoughts along the way were yellow. The back of the book is filled with blank pages in which I recorded quotes I found about joy and joyful things. I began each study session with a prayer that I would find the joy in the book. Eventually my prayers turned to finding joy in my life. I was teaching myself to find joy every where. And the Lord answered my prayers!

As I worked my way through the book and found reference after reference on joy and rejoicing I began to notice that the only instances when joy was mentioned was when someone was referencing something having to do with Jesus Christ and His gospel. The prophets recorded their joy in Christ and His redeeming power. Whenever someone was happy it was because they were testifying of the goodness of Christ and His blessings. Not once did anyone rejoice when recording sad tales of rebellion and wickedness. Always the references for joy were connected to Christ and His gospel - a gospel of joy! 

At one point I had been reading for two weeks or so and found very few references to joy. I began to think, 'wow, this part doesn't have much joy in it' - I began to miss finding the joy. In my prayer that morning I mentioned this to the Lord and began to wonder why I was even doing this study. I got up off my knees and found myself reading the most joyful chapter in all of the Book of Mormon! On the very day I was thinking there wasn't much joy. It hit me! It was the most awesome experience I've had studying the scriptures. In Alma chapter 26  Ammon is rejoicing in the success he and his companions have found in their missionary work. He rejoices that they stuck with their efforts to teach repentance and forgiveness. Thousands of people had come to know the mercy and love of Christ. He rejoices that he himself was able to repent and turn to God and that he was forgiven! He was able to share what he had with others and the Lord had mercy on every single one of them that accepted His gospel and repented. My favorite verse is verse 16: "Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel." Isn't that awesome?! Such joy! 

My prayers have been answered. I have found the joy. Actually, I have not just found the joy because it's always been there. I have actually started SEEING the joy in my life. Through this study my prayers changed at some point. I began my study with requests to find joy in my life and ended my study with requests to see the joy in my life. It's there, it always has been, I just need to SEE it! My life is full of joy and I rejoice in my Savior for giving it to me. His gospel is the most joyful thing ever! How amazing is it that no matter what we do or don't do we are still loved by the Lord? He never gives up on us. Never. He's only waiting for us to come to Him and when we do, boy, we better be ready to receive all the joy that comes with it! He is amazing. Life is amazing! See the joy!

Joy and the Christmas Season

I love Christmas time. I think I have grown to appreciate it in a much deeper way than in previous years. Maybe it's because I have a daughter on a mission and I'm so blessed to hear her inspiring words each week. Maybe it's because I'm focused more on giving to my family and friends than when I was younger and focused on what I'd receive. Maybe it's because I'm approaching the end of a six month study of The Book of Mormon in which I chose to find joy - literally find joy - every time I found a reference to joy, rejoicing, or happiness I marked it. I also collected quotes from general authorities and other books of scripture to fill the blank pages at the back of the book. I think it's a combination of all of these things. But, I loved how all of these things pointed me to see the true meaning of Christmas and why we celebrate. Christ was born into this sin-filled world and brought the light that shines through the darkness.  

Sometimes I get bogged down by all the wickedness and darkness in the world. The earth truly is filled with the darkest darkness and will continue to get worse until it reaches the worst point of darkness in the history of the world. If I let it it will bring me down and I feel no hope or escape from the darkness. But, when I focus on the joy that Christ brought to the world the darkness fades. I see the great light He sends to lighten the darkness. "I am the light of the world", he says. It is so true! When I choose to look to Christ for light I can see it shining so brightly. I'm so thankful! He's the only one who dispels the evil and darkness that seem to almost engulf the world. Because He was born I can have light and happiness and JOY in my life! I see it in the eyes of my children. I see it in the love freely given by friends and family. I see it in the beautiful doctrines of the scriptures. I found so much joy in my study of The Book of Mormon! And it helped me to focus on the joy that is all around me everyday.

My life is full of joy! I have a husband who loves me and works hard for our family. I have six beautiful, healthy kids that do such wonderful things and bring joy to our family by the choices they are making. I have a warm home, food, clothing, good health, a comfortable bed and running water. I have the gift of repentance, modern revelation through a literal prophet of God, scriptures that fill my mind with goodness, and a Savior that loves me, yes me, sinful me. I'm so grateful for His sacrifice and His love and mercy. He did this for me and for those that I love and care about. There is hope after all in the world! Because of Him! "There has been only One in all the annals of human history who was entirely sinless, qualified to answer for the sins and transgressions of all mankind and survive the pain that accompanied paying for them." (President Boyd K. Packer) Oh, how grateful I am for His sacrifice!

I love the Christmas season. I love to see the world focused on the Savior a little more during this time. He truly is the light of the world and His light dispels the darkness. I choose to find joy everyday. And I'll continue to see the joy in my life through the coming years. I choose to focus on the good in the world and let the bad be taken care of by Christ in His own time. Just as the darkness increases in the world, the light will increase as well until the glorious day of His return. I look forward to that day with hope and joy. Merry Christmas, everyone!

Pride vs. Joy

A few weeks ago in Relief Society we had a lesson on President Benson’s talk entitled “Beware of Pride”. I brought up the point that I had always been confused by his statement that there is no such thing as righteous pride. Ever since I read and studied that talk more than twenty years ago it has bothered and confused me. Aren’t we supposed to be proud of our accomplishments? Proud of our kids? Proud of each other? But, here is a prophet of God saying that there is no such thing as righteous pride! What? I’ve never been able to wrap my head around this idea. But, he must be right. He’s a prophet, isn’t he?

It just so happens that in my current study of The Book of Mormon I’m on the search for any messages about joy. Every time I come across the concept of joy I mark it. I’ve also been looking for quotes from prophets and other leaders of the church on joy and writing them in my scriptures. I’ve truly enjoyed trying to find the joy in the scriptures and it has helped me find the joy in my own life. It has also lead me to a deeper understanding of President Benson’s talk on pride.

Just a day or two after our RS lesson on President Benson’s talk I sat down to study Alma 26. When Ammon begins to glory in the Lord and the success they’d been having as missionaries his brother, Aaron, tells him to be careful and not to get carried away in boasting (or pride). Ammon then tells him he’s not boasting about himself. He’s stating the joy he feels in Lord and in their success. He’s rejoicing because of the great good that the Lord has accomplished through them in bringing so many of their brethren to the Lord. He says, “…have we not great reason to rejoice?” (vs 13) Verse 16 is my favorite, in it he says, “let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full…who can glory too much in the Lord?...I cannot say the smallest part which I feel.” There is also the wonderful classic scripture that states, “…men are, that they might have joy” (2 Nephi 2:25)

I think President Benson was trying to teach us something. Maybe he was trying to get us to push past the worldly emotion of pride and experience true godlike joy. So when we want to say that we are proud of ourselves, or our kids, or of anything else for that matter what we should really be saying and feeling deeply is that we’ve found joy or that they bring us joy! Maybe we can experience this godly emotion more often when we make an effort to find joy in our lives and see it for what it is. Don’t your accomplishments, or your children, or your friends bring you joy?