Have We Not Reason To Rejoice?: Day 3

On the 3rd day of Christmas, Christ gave me… Joy.

A few years ago I was asked to be a presenter at our stake women’s conference on “Living with Enthusiasm.” I was excited & terrified.

The next few weeks as I prepared my talk, several extremely hard things happened to people around me. My heart hurt so much from the pain others were experiencing, & I asked myself, "HOW can I POSSIBLY speak on living life with enthusiasm?" It seemed impossible.

I searched the scriptures & read Alma 26.

It changed everything.

I felt every word. My heart burned as I read it over & over, Ammon’s expressions of pure joy, REJOICING at life & GLORYING in the Lord.

Why was he SO HAPPY?

-Repentance- he changed from a wicked, rebelling youth to a humble man of God. Did it make his life easier? No! But it brought purpose, meaning, & joy into his life.

-Service & sacrifice- he refused to be a king in order to teach the gospel to a seemingly hopeless people, suffering “every privation,” mocked, spit on, hit, stoned, bound, cast into prison. All to “be the means of saving some soul,” his greatest desire. Because he was once a seemingly hopeless soul saved.

-Continuing on in courage & faith, patience & trust- he ends up helping convert not “some” but thousands!

-Recognizing God’s hand in all things- he knew things would work out in His time. Until then, He is in the details, & we can witness “mighty miracles.”

-Understanding the capacity & power of Christ’s atonement- “In his strength I can do all things.”

I LOVE when he says, "How great reason have we to rejoice; for could we have supposed when we started from the land of Zarahemla that God would have granted unto us such great blessings?"

I believe when all is said & done in this life & we see what is in store for us in the eternities, WE WILL ALSO MARVEL- “Could we have supposed when we started this life that God would have granted unto us such great blessings?!”

Yes. There IS heartache & anguish. But in my talk, I could in all earnestness say to those women: We CAN rejoice, we CAN glory, we CAN be enthusiastic! Right now. BECAUSE OF HIM.

“Who can glory too much in the Lord? …my light, my joy & my salvation”