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!