The Gospel Does This to You

"7 And now, when Mosiah had made an end of reading the records, his people who tarried in the land were struck with wonder and amazement.

8 For they knew not what to think; for when they beheld those that had been delivered out of bondage they were filled with exceedingly great joy.

9 And again, when they thought of their brethren who had been slain by the Lamanites they were filled with sorrow, and even shed many tears of sorrow.

10 And again, when they thought of the immediate goodness of God, and his power in delivering Alma and his brethren out of the hands of the Lamanites and of bondage, they did raise their voices and give thanks to God.

11 And again, when they thought upon the Lamanites, who were their brethren, of their sinful and polluted state, they were filled with pain and anguish for the welfare of their souls." (Mosiah 25:7-11)

This is a great depiction of the emotional journey that each of us take in the Gospel.

King Mosiah gathered all the people together and read the records of two separate groups of people who had joined with them: Limhi's people and the people of Alma. These two groups of people had both been in bondage to the Lamanites, and had both escaped with the Lord's help.

I think when we experience the Gospel, it puts us through a range of emotions. We are filled with wonder and amazement, and exceedingly great joy because we have hope for ourselves, that even though we are sinners, we can repent and be forgiven (through the Atonement) and live with God. We experience spiritual guidance and help from God. We recognize blessings coming from a loving Heavenly Father, and we realize that we are His children and have a divine heritage. We still suffer pain and disappointment, but we are strengthened by our faith.

When we experience these things, we desire to share it with others. We want others to have what we have. When we are being like Christ, we truly empathize with those around us, and we not only desire the same blessings for those around us, but when they suffer or have sorrow, we feel their pain. We feel sorrow for their suffering. We mourn with those that mourn. On the other hand, though, we comfort those that stand in need of comfort. We lift others up. We serve others. All of this so they can experience the same joy that we have experienced in the Gospel.

I think the Gospel allows us to experience such wonderful joy and excitement and wonder because that's what this life is about. "Men are that they might have joy." I think God just wants us to be ultimately filled with joy. That's why we came to earth, to spiritually (and physically) progress further than we could have without this mortal experience. Sometimes, short-term sorrow, sadness, discomfort, and pain lead to eternal joy and happiness. But this life isn't a life of negativity with the promise of joy at the end. We can experience that joy during our mortal lives as well. We just have to look for it.

I'm grateful for the joy and love that I experience that is directly related to having the Gospel in my life. I'm not sure who I would be without it.