Attribute #3 - Joy

Here's another quote from Elder Mayne's talk:

Mary came to understand her true divine nature and willingly submitted to her unique maternal role. She found joy in being obedient, for she stated, “My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” Mary’s magnificent faith is demonstrated in her reverent confidence in Heavenly Father.

Mary exemplified another long list of Christ-like attributes, but today we're going to focus on just one - joy. That's what I think of when I think of our sweet Savannah. Little children find joy in such simple things - a box, a Chinese take-out lid, their parents, a piece of paper, a stroller ride, chasing after a ball, or even Grandma's face on the phone. I'm sure the Savior finds great joy in the little things as well, and that's something I can work on improving.

Joy: Great delight, pleasure, or happiness; elation

John 15:11
“that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”

Photo Credit: Liz Lemon Swindle

President Monson taught:

Christmas is a glorious season of the year. It is also a busy time for most of us. It is my hope and prayer that we may not become so caught up in the pressures of the season that we place our emphasis on the wrong things and miss the simple joys of commemorating the birth of the Holy One of Bethlehem. Finding the real joy of Christmas comes not in the hurrying and the scurrying to get more done. We find the real joy of Christmas when we make the Savior the focus of the season.

It may not be the easiest thing to do, but it's still early in the month, so we have time on our side. Let's try to minimize the "hurrying and scurrying" so that we can be more joyful this Christmas season.

Just this morning I read the conference talk by Sister Bingham, and it happened to be on joy. Isn't it neat the way that works? I appreciated the reminder to try to emulate the Savior. She even used the scripture I had selected for this post!

Why is trying to do as He did so powerful? Because when we put our faith into action, the Holy Ghost bears witness of eternal truth. Jesus instructs His disciples to keep His commandments because He knows that as we follow His example, we will begin to experience joy, and as we continue on His path, we will come to a fulness of joy. He explained, “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”

When I read this talk a couple of months ago, I highlighted the following, which is one example of how to increase joy in our lives:

Take a private moment to reflect on your blessings, and then find ways to share them.

One of my current blessings is the opportunity to have this sweet granddaughter living with us for a few weeks, and being able to see her happy smile every day. She brings joy into my life (as do all of the rest of you!) and I hope that by sharing some of my blessings, your joy is increased as well.

Merry Christmas!