Cheerfulness Brings Others

One of my favorite scriptures of all time is D&C 68:6 "Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come."

I love this scripture for so many different reasons but I want to focus on two phrases "be of good cheer" and "ye shall bear record of me". Finding Joy in the journey that lies before us is very important in carrying out God's ways. We are always counseled to be of good cheer and to be optimistic. The plan of salvation is also referred to as the plan of Happiness. We are a church of happy living and good cheer. When we are full of happiness we have the desire share our testimonies with others of what we know and feel. We have a desire to help others to feel of the joy that we also feel in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Missionary work is carried out in such a different way when we are living a happy and loving life.

Elder Holland profoundly said, "Surely there is no more powerful missionary message we can send to this world than the example of a loving and happy Latter-day Saint life. The manner and bearing, the smile and kindness of a faithful member of the Church brings a warmth and an outreach which no missionary tract or videotape can convey. People do not join the Church because of what they know. They join because of what they feel, what they see, and want spiritually. Our spirit of testimony and happiness in that regard will come through to others if we let it."

We are all missionaries and by living happy and loving lives we can bring so many to the fold! Just by a smile or an act of kindness we can "bring an warmth and an outreach which no missionary tract or videotape can convey"! How powerful our optimism in our everyday lives really is! How powerful our words and testimony can be! How powerful our smile can be to someone else. We are to be examples of the believers in all that we do and say. I pray that we each can share our testimonies, talents, and smiles a little more. I hope that we can reach out to others in kind acts of service! We are The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and let us represent well!

The Finished Story

"With the Lord, nothing is impossible, but we each have to finish our story. He sends His Spirit, we call our encouragement to each other, but we have to keep writing, keep walking, keep serving and accepting new challenges to the end of our own story. "Still walking" is the fundamental requirement in the journey of life. He wants us to finish well. He wants us to come back to Him. I pray that each of our stories will end in the presence of our Heavenly Father and His Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, the authors and finishers of our faith. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen." - Gayle M. Clegg

I wish to echo the words uttered by Sister Clegg that with the Lord, nothing is impossible. Our stories must be finished. Christ has promised as declared in D&C 84:88, "... I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my spirit shall be in your hearts, and my angels round about you, to bear you up." I can't think of a better promise. How could any of us afford to keep Christ out of the details of our story? As Sister Clegg states,""Still walking" is the fundamental requirement in the journey of life." All that Christ requires of us is to keep walking and He will be on our right hand and on our left. As we keep moving He will send angels to be round about us to bear us up. As we keep writing our story and keep trekking along His spirit shall be in our hearts. Nothing is impossible with the Lord! Our stories began with our loving Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ... It is our Heavenly Father's and Savior's plea that we might end mortality and begin Eternity with them. I know this to be true with all of my heart. Keep writing, Keep walking, Keep Serving and remember Christ in the details. Our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ love us. They want us to succeed. They want us to return! So keep moving and find joy in the journey!

Heavenly Help

Mark Mabry Photography: Reflections of Christ -Angels

Elder Holland profoundly said," I have spoken here of Heavenly help, of angels dispatched to bless us in time of need. But when we speak of those who are instruments int he hand of God, we are reminded that not all angels are from the other side of the veil. Some of them we walk and talk with- - here, now, everyday. Some of them reside in our neighborhoods. Some of them gave birth to us, and in my case, one of them consented to marry me. Indeed heaven never seems closer than when we see the love of God manifested in the kindness and devotion of people so good and so pure that angelic is the only word that comes to mind."

I believe in this with all of my heart and soul. I have no doubt in my mind that everyone has someone in their lives that is truly angelic! I am lost for words when it comes to the gratitude I feel for the people in my life who are like this. One person I know who really emulates this profound concept of angelic is always so close to God and so pure and so good that is scares me. Sometimes I think this person could just move to the other side of the veil at any given moment. I am so grateful for that person and the example that has been shown to me. I hope that all of us have people like this in our lives. I hope that there are angels around each one of you to bless and help you in times of need. I hope you walk and talk with many of them. I know that there are SO many of you out there that are purely angelic! I love you! I am grateful for you! (Thanks for the amazing quote! You know who you are and I love you!). May God bless each one of you!