…a man whose soul did joy in the liberty and the freedom of his country, and his brethren from bondage and slavery; Yea, a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God, for the many privileges and blessings which he bestowed upon his people…
Alma 48:11-12
My neighbors showed their “souls’ joy” in their brethren being free “from bondage and slavery” by giving to local refugees this week for Tim’s Eagle service project. It was an overwhelming experience to witness so much generosity.
For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
Psalms 30:5
Again and again, the scriptures link repentance to joy. Here is another beautiful example.
I also like this scripture because everything seems to look better in the morning. When I am burdened and sad at night, I try to remind myself that after some rest, I will be able to see solutions more clearly.
I read a book this year about the science behind sleep. There is real, restorative work that happens in our brains as we sleep. What a blessing from God.
Behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God. Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.
Alma 26:11-12
I like these words of Ammon, “In his strength I can do all things.” This phrase is actually an echo of the words of Ammon’s convert, Lamoni. In Alma 20:4, Lamoni tells Ammon, “I know, in the strength of the Lord thou canst do all things.”
We think we go about doing good, but really, it is the Lord working in us, and we come off as beneficiaries. Sometimes the Lord blesses us through the people we serve. In this case, Ammon’s friend Lamoni gave him a phrase full of truth that Ammon remembered years later as he reflected on his missionary work.
Today I praise God for the strength to face difficult things alongside my friends. I rejoice in the things I have learned about myself, what’s important in life, and the power of God.
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves: we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
Psalm 100
The phrase I love is, “It is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves.”
I look at this little video of our children and reflect how their qualities have matured over the years. I see they carry, and are developing, many qualities that can only be traced to heavenly parents.
Blessed art thou…therefore, lift up thy head and rejoice, for thou hast great cause to rejoice; for thou hast been faithful in keeping the commandments of God…
Alma 8:15
I like this scripture because these words are given at a time when Alma was weighed down with sorrow and cast out for teaching the gospel. The Lord says something similar to Lehi, “Blessed art thou Lehi, because of the things which thou hast done; and because thou hast been faithful and declared unto this people the things which I commanded thee, behold, they seek to take away thy life.” (1 Nephi 2:1)
This is the Lord’s direction for his righteous, imperfect children: rejoice. As our counselor and comforter, our Prince of Peace, he can help us rejoice even though there are empty places at church or at the table. The fact we are sad for others is a sign our hearts might be closer to the Lord than we know. And as for those we think we have failed to help, I know the Lord has things covered. He knows their needs and will give them the right number of opportunities to choose Him.
“O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips.”
Psalms 63:1-5
Nothing captures my ideal prayer more than this Psalm, and yet, I find my lists of needs and names dominate my prayers more than my gratitude and longing for God. How would a prayer like this change me? Perhaps it would make me less selfish. Perhaps it would help me trust Him more.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
Galatians 5:22-23
These are the young men who showed up to help Timothy begin his Eagle service project on Saturday. They match this scripture because they walked around in the cold for three hours asking for donations for local refugees. Nobody complained. Many stuck around longer, hoping to do more. I loved the joy they brought to our home and to Timothy, who is sweating out the final details of his project.
“And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world. Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death. And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more. And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain! Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy.”
Alma 36:17-21
One of my favorite lines in the new Young Women theme is, “I cherish the gift of repentance and seek to improve each day.” YES! To repent is to be reintroduced to Jesus Christ. How joyful is that?
And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel. And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true.
Mosiah 4:11-12
Self esteem, as the world peddles it, is not scriptural. There are scriptures that say we are children of the Most High, and that God so loved the world that he gave His Only Begotten Son, but there is nothing I have found that says that men and women are great in any frame of reference that excludes God. So, what can I do to be more dependent on him this week? What can I do to be more childlike in my humility?
Wherefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves—to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life.”
2 Nephi 10:23
Is it just me, or do you get the idea that Nephi’s brother Jacob in the Book of Mormon was a little depressed? He was definitely a little down on the day he engraved on the plates that they were wanderers, mourning out their days (Jacob 7:26). So, when somebody like Jacob who has felt quite low tells us to cheer up our hearts, I think he knows something of what he speaks. He knows the power of mindset.
Hey, I can cheer up my heart when someone is thoughtless towards me because I have power to choose my reaction. Hooray for agency! And I can cheer up my heart because I can pray silently anywhere, anytime. I am never alone! I can cheer up my heart because the path to eternal life isn’t closed when I mess up. The Savior can help me with every step.
