JOY

 

I was reminiscing with an old friend the other day. We laughed about the memories of our youth and I cried when our conversation was over. I am often taken back to my past during this hard adjustment to what I consider the last stage of my life.

I reflected on how carefree we were but on serious reflection, we were not really happy because we yearned for what we did not have, marriage and family. It seems to be in the nature of all mortals to long for something else other than what they already have. I guess it is because we are so intent on being happy all the time that we always think something else will give us that.

What we forget is that this life was not designed for consistent and lasting happiness but only for snippets of such so that we will have the motivation for its pursuit in the long run. If true happiness could be found in this life, we would cease to strive for our eternal destiny, which can offer us not only lasting happiness but also JOY. As Lehi put it so wisely to his children: “Adam fell that men might be, and men are, that they might have joy.” (2 Nephi 2:25)

So what is this joy? Immediately following this statement, Lehi expounded on redemption through Jesus Christ, obedience to His commandments, and eternal life. The Saviour confirmed this when he said: “….in this world your joy is not full, but in me your joy is full” (D&C 101:36). He elaborated on that by saying we should not fear death, nor care for the life of the body, but to look beyond, to eternal life (D&C v 37). In other words, look toward what I can give you, which is the fullness of joy as you embrace eternal life. This is the happiness worth waiting for.

The downside of the pursuit of happiness here and now is losing the eternal perspective. Some of us  get confused and think that happiness can be found in unholy places, with Satan’s counterfeits which give us pleasure in the guise of happiness and joy.

I know of one mother who encouraged her son to ‘come out of the closet’ and be ‘who he is’ so he can be happy. He is now a chronic alcoholic, inactive and alone. And what does she do to support him? She drinks with him to make him feel better about his choice of escapism. She too has turned her back on the Church.

Everything in this life is fleeting. This is only a temporary state of being in our eternal existence. The pursuit of happiness should not be our objective here but to prepare for life everlasting.

This is what Christ’s sacrifice was all about. Deep within His pain, was the potential for our joy for it was for our ‘joy that was set before Him’ that He endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2).

Who is like unto Thee,

Jehovah, our God?

Who protects the weak

And the broken hearted;

Who sorrows for the lost

And pays the price of

The crucible cost.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Glory of Jesus Christ by Ralph of Gratis Graphics)

THE SACRED MARRIAGE

 

Have you ever wondered why the Saviour chose the marriage metaphor for His covenant relationship with us, His Church? I think it is because there is no holier union of any individuals than that of marriage. A marriage union is one of love, sacrifice, unity and endurance. Or so it is meant to be.

Marriage in this life is a great teaching opportunity. It can help us reflect on our ‘marriage’ union with the Saviour himself. Let me explain.

We are told that if we want to get to celestial kingdom, we need to start living by its principles now. The same goes for a celestial marriage. Marriage will not make itself celestial overnight or by the wave of a magic wand when we walk through the pearly gates. A celestial marriage starts in this life and not only through the temple ceremony but through every day sacrifices, mindfulness and love.

I remember one prophet saying years ago that if each person put their marriage partner before themselves, both would win, and that marriage would be successful. If each partner is in pursuit of the other’s happiness, there would be no divorce.

However, the very opposite is unfortunately true. Often we allow our personal issues to navigate our response to our marriage partner disregarding their feelings or the effects that response would have on them. Likewise, when we are in the moment of self-gratification, we seldom think of how we are affecting God.

The same principles of a successful marriage apply to our relationship with the Saviour. He is the husband and we are the bride. We know that His pursuit is our ultimate happiness: “For behold, this is my work and my glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39).

Has he not ensured that already as He taught us, covenanted with us, hung on the cross for us? Is He still not ensuring that by the inexhaustible gift of forgiveness through our repentance?

I have reflected a lot this week on what I could do to make the Saviour happy. The more I thought of this marriage metaphor, the more I could see how giving up anything unworthy of my relationship with Him would not only ensure His happiness but would in turn benefit me and ensure mine too. I saw the things of this world that I was clinging to as amazingly insignificant compared to this principle.

We know when we are not in alignment with God, we are not really happy. When we are in alignment with the world or the natural man, the pay off we get from it never lasts and lack of self-respect, depression, anxiety and dissatisfaction is sure to follow.

If we suffer any of this on continual basis, we are not happy, and we are not making the Saviour happy either. He has suffered all these things for all so that we need not suffer (D&C 19:16). This is an act of a true loving husband. So what then should be the act of a true loving wife?

The wedding is at hand. Are we ready to be arrayed in a wedding garment of ‘fine linen, clean and white’? (Rev. 19:8). Are we ready to forsake spiritual Babylon and prepare ourselves to “go forth to meet the Bridegroom”??? (D&C 133:5,7,10,14). Are we worthy to be called His bride???

 

I have no life but this,

To know Thy approving glance;

To kneel at Thy feet,

To know there is a chance.

I have no life but this

To follow the path to Thy throne

To be greeted with a holy kiss,

And know the reality of such bliss.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Filling Her Lamp by Dan Burr)

HAPPINESS

 

 

I have posted of late a lot of pictures of Jesus smiling. The response to these pictures has been overwhelming with many of you loving to see Him happy. I agree these pictures are beautiful and very endearing. I guess, because we love Him, we don’t like to be reminded of His suffering. It is drummed into us repeatedly. What we are not regularly reminded of is His happiness ‘who for the JOY endured the cross (Hebrews 12:1-2). Of course He is happy, He suffered, He endured and He is now exalted.

One innocent comment I had to one of Christ’s smiling images was: “I wonder what He could be seeing to give Him such a happy smile. Probably a puppy or a kitty”. I could tell you what would really make the Saviour smile, our righteousness. I was very happy to see another comment confirming my belief: “I know that Jesus smiles every time we do good and keep our covenants with Him”.

I am very passionate about ‘trust’. I relish paying my bills because it confirms to me and to those who have provided me with a service, that I can be trusted. My value of trust has been one of the things that has kept me on the strait and narrow path. My reasoning is this: If I have made a covenant at baptism to obey the commandments and made higher covenants in the Temple and then walk away from these covenants, where is my integrity? The message I then send is that I cannot be trusted. It would kill me if God thought He could not trust me. So yes, every time we do good and keep our covenants we bring a smile to the Saviour’s face.

When John the Revelator wrote that Christ is ‘the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world’ he was telling us that the Atonement was already in place in the premortal world and that the Atonement performed in mortality was just a formality. We could draw upon its blessings and power in pre-existence as if it had already happened. This is the power by which we overcame Satan in the great war in heaven (Revelation 13:8; 1 Peter 1:18-20; Mosiah 3:13; 4:7; D&C 93:38; see also Institute Manual comments for Revelation 12:11). I stand amazed at the man of integrity that the Saviour was from the very beginning. That we not only believed that He COULD carry out the Atonement but that He WOULD. That’s trust of the highest kind. That’s a gift to humanity beyond description. So yes, every time we keep our covenants, we affirm our faith and gratitude that He kept HIS covenant before the world began. The question is, can He trust US???

The Saviour’s happiness is very much intertwined with ours. The joy that was before Him when He hung on the cross was not only for His but also our eternal happiness. Of course He would be happy if He knew He did not suffer in vein. The Atoning power with which we overcame Satan I pre-existence is the power by which we can overcome him again. How happy that would make the Saviour if we overcame His enemy in this life and subdued the powers of hell with our righteousness! Perhaps we should be a bit more concerned about making HIM happy and less about ourselves. Smile, He is on our side…..

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Jesus the Source of Joy by Ivan Guaderrama)