Increasing in the Personal Gift of Joy
- itcametopass
- Dec 17, 2018
- 8 min read
In the children’s story, The Polar Express, written by Chris Van Allsburg, we read of the journey of a young boy who hopped aboard a train to the North Pole where he would receive from Santa, the first gift of Christmas. The boy’s greatest desire was to receive “one silver bell from Santa’s sleigh.” Later in the story after having received the bell, the boy wrote that “It made the most beautiful sound” he and his sister Sarah “had ever heard.” When the boy’s parent’s listened they thought it was broken because they could hear no sound. The boy concludes his story writing “At one time most of my friends could hear the bell, but as years passed, it fell silent for all of them. Even Sarah found one Christmas that she could no longer hear its sweet sound. Though I’ve grown old, the bell still rings for me as it does for all who truly believe.”
Perhaps each of us can relate to this story in one way or another.
For my purpose today, I will liken the beautiful sound of the sleigh bell to the gift of joy that comes from the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Specifically, I would like to talk about how we can find joy through Christ. If you are struggling to find joy currently, don’t be discouraged. Like so many things that take diligent practice and patience, joy is something we develop “more and more” as we accept the gifts Christ offers us as pointed out in the recent Christmas devotional by our Prophet, President Russell M. Nelson. Wherever you are at in your current level of joy, I would like to invite each of you to join me on a journey to increase in joy through Christ.
We may at times wonder, is it really possible to feel joy in the midst of current challenges? The answer is yes! President Russell M. Nelson taught: “When the focus of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation… and Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening or not happening in our lives. Joy comes from and because of Him. He is the source of all joy. We feel it at Christmastime when we sing, ‘Joy to the world, the Lord is come.’”
So, what exactly can we do to feel joy each day? Though Christ offers us many gifts through His infinite and perfect atonement that allow us to increase in joy, I will touch on just three of them.
First, Christ makes it possible for us to be as a little child. In The Polar Express we read that though the boy grew old, he could still hear the bell as an adult because he never stopped believing.
Christ was asked by his disciples: “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
Did you hear that? In these verses, Christ taught us that we must be converted and the way to become converted is to be humble, even as that little child who was with Christ.
We must remember that “perfection is in Christ, not in ourselves or the perfectionism of the world” as taught this last conference by Elder Gong. This recognition is an important aspect of humility. As a child recognizes their constant need for assistance and nourishment from their parents, we all are to recognize that we each need the Savior every hour in the same way. Because of this, we seek him out daily in prayer and by studying the words of His prophets. Alma said: “Behold, the scriptures are before you; if ye will wrest them it shall be to your own destruction.” By participating in daily scripture study, praying often, going to the temple regularly, attending all of our Church meetings, and serving others, we are able to receive nourishment and strength from the Savior rather than taking “strength unto” ourselves.
“...That as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come…”
May we each remember that we are in constant need of Jesus Christ and may we do the important acts necessary to invite Him into our lives.
A second gift Christ offers us that leads to joy is Charity. I have learned that Charity is a gift given to those who seek it out and act in it. Like humility and like joy, charity is something we grow into over time. When we pray and ask to have greater charity, we should remember that we are not only asking for the ability to love others more fully, we are also asking for the ability to receive the Savior’s perfect love more fully into our hearts. The prayer for charity, is a prayer for the perfect act of love, the Atonement of Jesus Christ to be magnified more greatly into our hearts, minds, and souls that this gift may shine beautifully in our countenances and in our very beings.
We may wonder, how can I have greater charity towards others? In addition to our perfect example, Jesus Christ, there are many good and noble souls who have been exemplary models in pointing us towards Christlike charity.
Someone who I believe truly exemplified the Christian virtue of charity towards God and others was the Catholic nun Mother Teresa who devoted her life to serving others. According to the Noble Prize Biographical on Mother Teresa, she was born in Macedonia in 1910 and in 1948 devoted “herself to working among the poorest of the poor in the slums of Calcutta, India. In 1950 she started “The Missionaries of Charity”, whose main purpose, which seems comparable to that of the Church’s mission was to “love and care for those persons nobody was prepared to look after.”
While Mother Teresa was receiving medical care at Scripps Green Hospital in San Diego, my aunt wrote to her. In reply to my Aunt’s letter, Mother Theresa wrote in part, “Together, let us thank God for all His tender love and care. He has been so good to me in giving me such excellent care through the doctors and nurses here. I am spoiled. I feel much better and am waiting to go back home to India. There is so much more work to do - so many souls. Please continue to keep me and my sisters in your prayers. Continue to keep the joy of loving Jesus ever burning in your heart and share that love with all you meet.”
Another individual who I believe exemplified Christlike charity during his time on earth was President Thomas S. Monson. At his funeral services, his daughter Ann Dibb shared, “I am profoundly grateful for my father and the legacy he created - a legacy of love and service. Although he was a prophet, my father knew he was not perfect. With all his heart, he humbly relied on and tried to be like our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. ...President Monson, by simply trying his best, left an unforgettable legacy of love. He loved the Lord and he loved people. He saw our potential and believed sincerely in our ability to change and progress through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.” Sister Dibb later shared, when President Monson needed someone to provide service on his behalf, he would call them and ask, “How would you like to paint a bright spot on your soul today?”
As we look at how we can be more Christlike, it is beneficial to look to Christlike individuals such as Mother Teresa and President Monson to help point the way. For those wondering, how to show more charity towards others, these two individuals show us that we can start right where we are at. And we can start today. We need not be perfect, as we ask for the gift of charity and then we go to work even at times when it may be inconvenient, we will find that the Savior’s atonement awakens in our souls and that we are able to grow in love for Heavenly Father and for others.
As we grow in charity, we will also grow in joy.
The third gift of joy that Christ offers us through His atonement is the gift of hungering and thirsting no more. This does not mean we stop trying to progress and improve but it does mean in a world that is constantly hungry and thirsty, the gospel offers the only true and eternal way to be made full. The gospel of Jesus Christ is not just a solution to this great hunger and thirst, it is the solution.
Due to the natural man, we each likely hunger and thirst after things throughout the week. Sometimes we hunger and thirst after worthy things. Some examples... we may hunger for friendship in times of loneliness. Some of us may thirst for peace in the midst of great mental battles. Others hunger after physical healing due to scars and pains of the body. We may wish desperately to find healing in our own family relationships. There are likely individuals hungering for freedom and safety from oppressive governments. We can even hunger and thirst after righteousness.
At other times, perhaps we hunger and thirst after the things that are less worthy of our time and must be even more careful to “bridle all our passions.” For example, we may be thirsting after that next binge-worthy Netflix show, that next social media “like” or that next video game that will grip our attention for hours on end. For me, it might be the next sports update. There seems to be no end to what we can hunger and thirst after. And yet, with diligent faith and patience in the Lord’s timetable, the Savior offers us the path to hungering and thirsting no more.
When the Savior administered the sacrament to the people in America, …”He said unto them: He that eateth this bread eateth of my body to his soul; and he that drinketh of this wine drinketh of my blood to his soul; and his soul shall never hunger nor thirst, but shall be filled.”
In the New Testament, James taught: “My Brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”
I am a believer that the closer we get to our Savior, the less and less we will hunger and thirst until that perfect day comes when we will hunger and thirst no more.
My hope for you and I is that we each may work carefully and diligently in a manner that if we are given the opportunity to pick up the bell that rings the music of joy, we will all be able to hear it’s a beautiful sound. A sound that represents all that is good about Christ and the gifts he offers us. Including those gifts of childlike humility, Christlike charity, and the contentment and peace that come from hungering and thirsting no more.
-Alex
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