The Most Joyful People

In the most recent general conference, Elder Kearon spoke about the joy we should feel in the gospel. He declared, “Because of the loving plan of our Heavenly Father for each of His children, and because of the redeeming life and mission of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, we can—and should—be the most joyful people on earth!” He commented on the focus President Nelson has had on joy in his addresses: “The Lord’s senior Apostle, President Russell M. Nelson, has spoken of the joy that comes from a life centered on Jesus Christ in nearly every address he has given since becoming the President of the Church. He summed it up so concisely: ‘Joy comes from and because of Him. … For Latter-day Saints, Jesus Christ is joy!’” Indeed, in this most recent general conference President Nelson said this: “Here is my promise to you: Every sincere seeker of Jesus Christ will find Him in the temple. You will feel His mercy. You will find answers to your most vexing questions. You will better comprehend the joy of His gospel…. If you will make and keep covenants to follow Jesus Christ, you will find that the painful moments of your life are temporary. Your afflictions will be ‘swallowed up in the joy of Christ.’ …Come unto Christ and ‘offer your whole [soul]’ to Him. This is the secret to a life of joy!... At His Second Coming, ‘the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.’ That day will be filled with joy for the righteous!” So, four times in this one talk the prophet spoke of joy. He urgently wants us to feel the joy of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In other general conference talks President Nelson has similarly spoken about joy. In his address given in April 2024, President Nelson encouraged us to rejoice. He mentioned how he has “rejoiced in each and every general conference” since becoming and apostle. He invited us to “rejoice that priesthood keys are once again on the earth!... Let us rejoice in the restoration of priesthood keys, which make it possible for you and me to enjoy every spiritual blessing we are willing and worthy to receive.” In October 2023 he taught us, “Obedience paves the way for a joyful life for you today and a grand, eternal reward tomorrow.”  In October 2022, he also taught: “Cherish and honor your covenants above all other commitments. As you let God prevail in your life, I promise you greater peace, confidence, joy, and yes, rest.” And in April 2022, he invited us in these words, “Discover the joy of daily repentance…. Start today to experience the joy of putting off the natural man…. Get on the covenant path and stay there. Experience the joy of repenting daily.” He invited those who had strayed from the covenant path: “Contact your bishop or branch president. He is the Lord’s agent and will help you experience the joy and relief of repenting.”  President Nelson has indeed been focused on helping us find joy in living the gospel of Jesus Christ.

                Elder Kearon also quoted Ammon who also spoke of joy after completing his fourteen years of missionary service. Ammon declared, “Now have we not reason to rejoice? Yea, I say unto you, there never were [a people] that had so great reason to rejoice as we, since the world began; yea, and my joy is carried away, even unto boasting in my God; for he has all power, all wisdom, and all understanding; he comprehendeth all things, and he is a merciful Being, even unto salvation, to those who will repent and believe on his name. Now if this is boasting, even so will I boast; for this is my life and my light, … my joy, and my great thanksgiving” (Alma 26:35-37). He was filled with joy because he had come to know the Lord, seen his miracles, and been an instrument in the hand of the Lord to bring thousands of souls to repentance. We too should be joyful like him, even the most joyful people on earth, because of the blessings of the gospel we have and understand. Sometimes perhaps we focus so much on what we need to do in the gospel that we forget that joy we should feel. I know as a parent I am guilty of this. For example, when trying unsuccessfully to gather kids together to study scriptures as a family, the experience often becomes one filled with stress. We become frustrated with our kids who refuse to come, or cause havoc during our reading, and the Spirit we should have learning from the scriptures is gone. The activity becomes one merely of checking a box at that point. Perhaps instead of causing those who do not participate feel guilty for not being there, we should focus more on helping those who do come feel the joy of the scriptures. For what others do or do not do should not affect the joy we feel in the gospel. Our focus should be on the joy that we can find independent of what others do. Elder Kearon concluded his message with this powerful invitation: “At the start of my journey of faith, joy in Jesus Christ was my first great discovery, and it changed my world. If you have yet to discover this joy, embark on its quest. This is an invitation to receive the Saviour’s gift of peace, light, and joy—to revel in it, to wonder at it, and to rejoice in it every Sabbath.”