I absolutely loved this lesson. The very phrase "Living Joyfully" rings truth to my soul. We are here on earth to be joyful; Heavenly Father, as a loving parent, wants nothing less for us and has shown us how to have true joy. Sister Bim taught us today, which was very fitting. Anyone who sees her can see that she radiates joy.
A few stories from Ezra Taft Benson's life started out the lesson. He talked about visiting with German Saints and other citizens in the troubled aftermath of WWII. Despite their near starvation and deprived situations, they still gathered in Sacrament meeting to worship Christ with hope and love, not depression and dejection.
Elder Maxwell noted President Benson as a "careful watcher of events, [who] maintains a certain buoyancy and cheerfulness we would do well to watch. Such buoyancy comes not from ignoring enveloping events, but from noticing these and yet looking beyond them to promises having to do with how the kingdom will finally prevail."
We went on to discuss how faith can help us live joyfully. Faith allows us to have hope that things will turn out well. Faith can also go deeper; there are many confusing messages bombarding us everywhere today. The Lord has his moral code that we live by in the church but is not necessarily the moral code surrounding us. It's easy to get caught up in the different messages and it is natural for some to struggle with teachings that may go against their natural inclinations. Having faith in Christ allows the opportunity to take the things we are struggling with, choose to believe and accept it enough (because we trust Christ) to plant a seed in our hearts and then let that seed take root. There are so many ways to apply faith in our lives as more than just an abstract concept.
"Without faith in our Heavenly Father, we cannot be successful. Faith gives us a vision of what may happen, hope for the future and optimism in our present tasks. Where faith is, we do not doubt the ultimate success of the work."
"Of all people, we as Latter-day Saints should be the most optimistic and the least pessimistic." Why do you think that is?
The first sentence of section 2 states: "We have no cause to really worry". Sister Bim took that phrase apart to have us understand the significance of the word 'really'. "We have no cause to worry" isn't necessarily true; there are many things around us that can and should cause us concern. But President Benson added the word 'really' in there - we don't need to really worry because we have faith and hope and we know the Lord will protect those who follow him.
"Be cheerful in all that you do. Live joyfully. Live happily. Live enthusiastically, knowing God does not dwell in gloom and melancholy but in light and love." I think that should be the motto for everyone! We have been talking about free agency a lot - choosing to live joyfully is the ultimate privilege of that precious gift.
There are times when it is really difficult to choose happiness. Satan tries hard to beat us down and things aren't as clear as they may have been the day before. Ezra Taft Benson stated: "There are times when you simply have to righteously hang on and outlast the devil until his depressive spirit leaves you." There is so much truth to that statement; just hang on until he leaves you!
A comment today was "Living happily requires effort". We are here on earth, after all, to learn and grow. Happiness is not just given to us; like with all good things, it requires action on our part. That goes back to agency.
Please take a minute to read through this lesson this week. It is so uplifting. I pray it will give you strength this week and in the weeks to come. We know things are only going to get harder there, so shore up your mental defenses now!
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