Joy is available to us right now.

By Christian P.

I was listening to NPR the other day and there was a piece about research that had been done on the effects of parenting on parents. As parents, we often talk about the happiness that our children bring us. Yet, this research had failed to find any greater levels of happiness among people with children versus those without. The article goes on to describe a book that explains this phenomenon with the concept that the ‘category’ of happiness parents feel about their children is better described as ‘joy’. “That [feeling] you're feeling when your kid laughs or when your kid says something that's so totally, like, amazingly weird, or insightful, or sensitive — it's not the same as like getting a good laugh out of watching a movie or having a really nice time with a friend.” 

This jives up with my experiences pretty well. I love having my children in my life but I can’t say as that I enjoy every minute of it. There is a lot of time that is tedious, aggravating or frustrating whether it be asking them to get dressed for the 45th time or sweeping up the broken crystal statue of the Washington DC temple that was our wedding cake topper that one of them decided to throw across the room. Yet, I can’t think of anything that I love more than those maniacs or anything that has changed me more for the better.

One of the things we bang on pretty hard as Mormons is the idea that Heavenly Father wants us to be happy. He gives us commandments because He wants to teach us how to be happy, He blesses us because He wants us to be happy, He sent His son Jesus Christ to show us how to be happy. Yet, when I look in the scriptures, I can’t find a reference to our Heavenly Father promising us happiness in his life. There is a lot of talk in the Book of Mormon about the great plan of happiness but it seems to only promise happiness in the next life. Alma promises us:

Alma 40:12 And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow.

Mormon and Mosiah make similar promises concerning a never-ending happiness awaiting those who are faithful. What I do see is a lot of talk about this word ‘joy’.

2 Nephi 2: 25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.

John 15:11 These things  have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

Alma 26:11 ...I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God.

The lesson I’m learning is that despite how difficult day to life might be for each of us, despite our own individual trials and challenges, the satisfaction and deep contentment that we call joy is available to us right now. Not everything works out for my immediate enjoyment but I have found enough joy in both family service and church service to bolster my trust in the Lord and know that Heavenly Father really does want me to have joy.

The teachings of the Proclamation apply to you.

By Teresa W.

Imagine with me, if you will, an airplane leaving an airport with a complete journey mapped out. The pilots and crew know where they are going, and they won’t get off course or fail to reach their destination, unless weather or mechanical troubles interfere. Now, imagine another airplane with a captain and crew but no flight plan. The engines are started, and the plane moves down the runway. Yet as it begins to climb, the pilot doesn’t know whether to turn east or to turn west. If you are on that airplane, you will have little to no chance of arriving at your destination. It is clear on your journey that you probably want to be on a plane with a flight plan.

And so it is with our lives.  For Latter-day Saints, there is a flight plan based upon God’s commandments called the Plan of Salvation which explains where we came from before we got on the plane, why we are on the plane, and where we are going while traveling on the plane.  Because we have been blessed with an understanding of the plan of salvation we have a unique perspective on marriage and families.  It would be correct to describe Latter-day Saints as "family- oriented" people.

The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles in years past knew the importance of the family unit and the challenges that families were facing then and would eventually face within society.  As a result, The Family: A Proclamation to The World was written.  Before reading the Proclamation at the General Relief Society Meeting in September 1995, President Hinckley stated:

"With so much of sophistry that is passed off as truth, with so much of deception concerning standards and values, with so much of allurement and enticement to take on the slow stain of the world, we have felt to warn and forewarn. In furtherance of this we of the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles now issue a proclamation to the Church and to the world as a declaration and reaffirmation of standards, doctrines, and practices relative to the family which the prophets, seers, and revelators of this church have repeatedly stated throughout its history."

In our last General Conference, Dallin H. Oaks summarized the contents of The Proclamation by saying:

“Our theology begins with heavenly parents, and our highest aspiration is to attain the fullness of eternal exaltation. We know this is possible only in a family relationship. We know that the marriage of a man and a woman is necessary for the accomplishment of God’s plan. Only this marriage will provide the approved setting for mortal birth and to prepare family members for eternal life. We look on marriage and the bearing and nurturing of children as part of God’s plan and a sacred duty of those given the opportunity to do so. We believe that the ultimate treasures on earth and in heaven are our children and our posterity.”

I am certain that most of you have read the Proclamation, probably on more than one occasion. In the last few years, it has almost been like a second patriarchal blessing for me because I have turned to it for comfort and direction, much like I would my own patriarchal blessing. It is scripture that has helped me sort through some personal challenges and has hopefully helped me comfort and direct others.

In President Hinckley’s quote, I want you to notice that he proclaims that the Proclamation is for members of the Church as well as the World.  I know of or have spoken to a number of people who struggle with the teachings of the Proclamation.  

I have a good friend who says the Proclamation is not for him.  His father died when he was a young boy.  His mother raised him and his numerous brothers and sisters with little help from extended family. His family did not fit norm. I know there are others who feel that they do not fit the norm-single moms and dads, childless parents, singles members who have not had the opportunity to marry. Heavenly Father’s plan still applies to you. Study the Proclamation and find out how it applies to you. You may not fit the norm at this particular time in your life, but the teachings of the Proclamation apply to you.

I have other friends and extended family members who struggle with the Proclamation because it does not recognize same gender relationships as family units.  This has become an even greater struggle since the legalization of same gender marriage in some states and countries. Bear in mind that legalization should not bolster our attitude toward social trends. There are a number of activities that are legal in which members of the church do not participate nor do they promote such as smoking, drinking, adultery, gambling, abortion, etc.

Our commitment to love and serve God requires that we look to His law for our standard of behavior and that we keep His commandments.   Matthew 22: 37 reminds us: 

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”  

The second commandment is a reminder to be kind and respectful to those who disagree with our resolve to be obedient.  President Monson encouraged us to remain obedient when he said:

“Let us have the courage to defy the consensus, the courage to stand for principle. Courage, not compromise, brings the smile of God’s approval. Courage becomes a living and an attractive virtue when it is regarded not only as a willingness to die manfully, but as the determination to live decently. A moral coward is one who is afraid to do what he thinks is right because others will disapprove or laugh. Remember that all men have their fears, but those who face their fears with dignity have courage as well.”

It is not always popular to stand by your standards and your convictions, but we must.  It is not always easy to be unique and to stand out, but Latter-day Saints do.  In a recent Facebook conversation a group of mothers were swapping stories about different reactions they have gotten from people in public places when they see these moms out with their children. The stories were about comments they had gotten from total strangers about the number of children they had, others were comments about the closeness in age of their children, and some were comments about the courage these moms possessed to even go out in public places with all of their children.  The stories were all told in a spirit of fun, but LDS women are unique and are noticed for their commitment to home and family. I could sense that these women were happy to a part of God’s plan.  They are living the dream. They are the mothers that are talked about in the Proclamation, nurturing and  teaching children in homes built upon faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. They are part of families that are blessed by the power of the priesthood with loving husbands who are protect, provide and rear  families in homes of righteous. Are these families perfect? No!  But they are following the plan.

Material possessions and honors of the world do not endure. But the union that I have with my husband and my children can endure through blessings of the temple.  At the beginning of this year I could not think of one single New Year’s Resolution that I wanted to take on.  There are plenty of things that I certainly can certainly do, but I wanted some spiritual direction in making my decision so I did pray about what I should do.  I wanted a goal that would be significant and something I wouldn’t abandon.  A few weeks ago, it came to me as clearly as if light coming on in a room. I decided to get the information I had already collected for my father’s genealogy and enter it into Family Tree. As I have been working, I have had my ancestors’ spirits sitting with me, helping me find and organize their information so that their temple ordinances can be completed for them. I’ve had a few glitches that the kind people at Technical Support have walked me through as well. But, I know that my ancestors understand the importance of families and I am grateful for the opportunity to serve them so that they can be eternal families.

When we understand the plan of salvation, the Proclamation on the Family brings peace and certainty. The message of the Proclamation brings comfort to parents who may be questioning their roles in the home.  It will bring security to children as they are raised by parents who love them and understand them. And it will bring lasting joy to families. It is a Christ-centered plan that allows us to follow the teachings of the Savior and ultimately return to our Father in Heaven if we are obedient.

How do the teachings of The Family: A Proclamation to the World impact you?

Conversion, the Atonement, and the Change of Heart

By Allie D.

One thing we know from the gospel is that the ultimate goal of everything we go through is to bring us back to God's presence. The things that separate us from God are sin and death. Alma taught that the Atonement bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead. The Atonement, however, also offers us salvation from the damning effects of sin, which preclude us from joining God. We overcome sin by accessing the Atonement through repentance. These aspects of Jesus's atonement give us the opportunity to overcome both sin and death, and live with God, happily, forever, in our eternal families, as we make and keep sacred covenants such as the ones we make at baptism. Because of the Atonement, we can be assured of the possibility of happiness in the eternities, having perfect bodies, being united with God and all our loved ones.

However, a truly miraculous aspect of the gift of the Atonement is that we don’t have to wait for the Resurrection, after we are dead, to enjoy it--and make no mistake, the Atonement is a gift that is meant to be enjoyed. We are meant to enjoy it. God yearns for us to take this gift with both hands, and clasp it to our hearts, and cling to it and use it every single day. He longs for us to love this gift and use it to find joy in our day to day lives, here and now.

God begs us to use the Atonement to repent, to receive divine forgiveness of our sins. This forgiveness is one of the many reasons we chose to be baptized with the authority of the priesthood, and why it feels so breathtakingly amazing to get out of that water, knowing that you've left your sins behind. God wants us to feel that post-baptismal joy all the time. That’s why we meet here every week, to renew our baptismal covenants through the taking of the bread and water, and hopefully to find the same joy each week as we partake of the sacrament as we did when we were baptized. God loves us and wants us to consistently experience the joy that comes from His forgiveness.

God wants us to use the Atonement to find joy in our forgiveness of others. A few years ago, my family found out that my disabled brother had been horribly and intentionally hurt and that he would suffer the consequences of another person’s evil for the rest of his life. This was after he broke his hip. I was asked not to tell my other brother, Sam, who was serving a mission at the time, out of concern for his state of mind. But I felt strongly that I should tell him, and I did. And that knowledge broke his heart just as it broke ours.

But he wasted no time in accessing the Atonement. He knelt down to pray and gave that burden over to Jesus Christ, whose Atonement enabled Him to take the weight off my brother’s shoulders. And that night, my younger brother was filled with forgiveness for my older brother’s assailant. Through the miracle of the Atonement, in the darkest hour my brother was able to find peace. It was through the Atonement that I myself eventually found peace regarding that situation. You can’t have joy without peace in your heart. God desires for us to seek that peace, so we can feel that joy.

The Atonement heals us from our sorrows, when we use it for that purpose. As part of the Atonement, Jesus became one with each of us, personally and literally experiencing everything that each of us has gone through and will go through. Because of his intimate and first-hand experience with our personal trials, He knows exactly how to comfort us. When we are brave enough to hand over the angers and the sorrows, the disappointments, the doubts, the regrets that we cling to--when we are brave enough to pry our fingers off those things and hand them with open palms to Jesus Christ, He takes them from us. The more completely we turn our burdens over to Him, the more completely He takes them from us.

If you’ve ever been motivated by anger, or revenge, or guilt, or bitterness, you know it can feel as though those things are occupying important and irreplaceable parts of your heart. It can feel as though without those things, you’ll be left with just a hole. But in reality, when we give those poisoned pieces of our hearts to Jesus Christ, He heals us, and fills our hearts with love and light.

When Adam and Eve first partook of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and first realized the difference between right and wrong, the first thing they realized was that being naked in public is wrong. So they tried to hide their nakedness by making themselves clothes of leaves.

When The Lord found them and they confessed what had happened, and that they were trying to hide their nakedness now that they knew public nudity was wrong, He was understanding of their clothing predicament and made for them garments of skins, to keep them safe from both the sin of being inappropriately nude, and from physical discomfort. When we show The Lord our own spiritual nakedness, He clothes our hearts in figurative garments just as He first clothed Adam and Eve, and for the same purpose: The Lord longs to offer us the warmth and the protection and the strength and the peace that come from being enrobed in His forgiveness, His love, and His righteousness--but, like Adam and Eve, we have to seek Him, give up our fig leaves without reserve, and accept His offering to us in return.

We can use the Atonement in our daily lives: it is as simple as asking God for help in its application. If you don't know how to use the Atonement, pray and ask. God wants to answer that question. He wants you to use the Atonement every day and love it.

Preach My Gospel states that everything that is unfair about life can be made fair through the Atonement. In the eternities, God uses the Atonement to repay us with joy for every sorrow we experience on earth. And God delights in the chance to reward us with joy for our sorrows.

The Atonement enables us to experience the mighty change of heart that makes us more like Christ--the change of heart crucial to our salvation. As the first prophet of the Restoration taught, a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has the power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation. Taking advantage of Jesus's sacrifice for us requires sacrifices of our own, as we give away all our sins to know Him, as Lamoni of old. No unclean thing can enter into the kingdom of heaven. Jesus's Atonement enables us to repent so that we can become clean, new creatures in Christ, and return to God's presence. When we repent, we allow God and Jesus Christ to change our hearts so we no longer desire to do evil.

It is one thing to believe that Jesus is the Christ, and another to let that belief work in us until we are changed. We are saved by His grace when we are changed by His grace.

I know that Jesus is our Savior, the only means whereby man can be saved and receive true peace and joy. I know He loves us.

D&C 19:16-19:For behold, I, God, have ^asuffered these things for all, that they ^bmight not suffer if they would ^crepent; But if they would not repent they must ^asuffer even as I; But if they would not repent they must ^asuffer even as I; Which ^asuffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might ^bnot drink the bitter cup, and shrink—Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and^afinished my preparations unto the children of men.

How has the Atonement impacted your life? Have you ever felt the peace that comes from repentance?

What do we give to follow Jesus?

By Allie D.

Jesus died on the cross for me--for you--for everyone--so that we all could experience both immortality and eternal life. He suffered excruciating pain, both emotional and physical, during His Atonement, so that we could one day be reunited with Him and our Father in Heaven. All He asks is that we follow him.

Some people give up everything to follow Jesus, and they do it as soon as they are asked.  Consider this story from Matthew 4:18-22 (emphasis mine):

 18 ¶And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were ^afishers. 

 19 And he saith unto them, ^aFollow me, and I will make you^bfishers of men. 

 20 And they straightway left their nets, and ^afollowed him. 

 21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of ^aZebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he ^bcalled them. 

 22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.

 What an inspiration.

Peter and Andrew are fishing, catching the food to provide for their families, and Jesus comes up and tells them that famous line: "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." And immediately, they leave their nets in the water to follow Jesus.

Today, it would be as if Christ Himself walked into your office building, saw you at your computer, working hard to provide for yourself and your family, and invited you to come follow Him so you could be a fisher of men. What would you do? Would you stand up and leave your work?

What about the people who stared as you walked away?

What about your boss, gaping or threatening you as you left your job behind?

Then think of James and John, on the ship with their father. At Jesus's invitation, they leave not just their nets, but their ship and their father, Zebedee. What was Zebedee's reaction? Did he support them leaving him alone to mend the nets? Was he bitter that his sons would leave him to follow some uppity blasphemer from Galilee? It's possible that James and John left even their relationship with their father behind in order to follow Jesus Christ's calling to them.

Today, we're asked to sacrifice things too, in order to follow Jesus. He asks us to keep the commandments--not just the Ten Commandments, but the commandments to "love the Lord thy God with all thy ^aheart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself"  (Luke 10:27). The commandment to love God and others requires the sacrifice of our pride, our self-centeredness, our time, our resources--everything we have. These are the things we are called to sacrifice in order to follow Jesus.

I know that as we do sacrifice those things, Jesus teaches us better how to love Him and love others--and we are blessed for it more than we can understand prior to our sacrifices. The more we sacrifice to follow Jesus, the more He is able to bless us with the love that fills our hearts with joy. I know that as we follow Him, and love and serve others the way that He would, the end result is peace and a happiness that does not compare with the false happiness that comes from placing the self above all else. Jesus is the way to peace in this life, and I know that as we sacrifice to get to know Him better, He blesses us in return.

What do you give up in your life to follow Jesus? What blessings have you gained from following Him?