Cheerfulness

I've been studying cheerfulness a lot lately because I FINALLY feel cheerful after three long months of sickness (colds. lack of sleep, etc.). As I was reading in Doctrine and Covenants 123:17, I was so impressed by these words, "Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed." Beautiful.

As I read that the other day, I thought, "Well sure, I am cheerful now because I'm not sick. When I don't feel well, I can't possibly be cheerful. I'm sure the Lord understands." But then I did a little more searching. The Topical Guide has two entries for Pessimism and Optimism, but they don't have any scriptures listed there--just other topics to explore. For pessimism, you can study "Despair, Fear, and Doubt." For optimism, you can go to "Hope and Cheerfulness."

It was the scripture in Alma 24:15 that got me. "And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord."

The people of Alma were not in a good spot, but they were cheerful. Why? Because the Lord strengthened them. He made their burdens so light that they could not even feel them. This gave me a whole new perspective on cheerfulness.

I need to stop murmuring...completely. When days are hard (and they are), then I need to pray to the Lord and ask Him to lift my burdens to the point that I cannot feel them. He promises to do this because He wants His people to know that He visits them in their afflictions. I can be full of doubt and fear, or I can believe and trust God. I know it's a matter of faith. It's a matter of me not whining that Eric is gone all day, not complaining to the children that I'm tired, not thinking frustrated thoughts while I'm making dinner. I can be cheerful, even when it's hard, because I have the support of the Lord.

Faith First

David A. Bednar gave a beautiful talk at BYU Idaho's Education Week back in 2000 called "I Am the Light Which Shineth in the Darkness." One thing that really stuck out to me in this talk was a reference he made to the lighting of the 16 stones the Brother of Jared needed to light their barges.

Elder Bednar asked the question, "Why were the 16 stones touched one by one?" He then went on to explain that it might be possible that the Brother of Jared did not see the finger of the Lord until after the stones were lit. His faith increased as he saw the evidence of the Lord's power, and then the veil was lifted.

I had never thought about it that way before, but it makes sense. As I see the Lord's power working in the lives of my friends, family members, and in my own life, my faith in Him increases. How grateful I am for the increased faith I have developed (of necessity). Sometimes I want to understand the purpose of my challenges right now. Why, why, why? But I need to remember it is an increase in my faith that will one day help me know the "why."