Enter Thou Into The Joy Of The Lord

By Tarisa Todd

I remember many years ago when I was a young girl and was having a rotten day. I do not remember what did or didn’t happen in my life that was making me feel so blue, but I do remember what I learned from it.  

My mom pulled me aside to talk that awful day and then she rocked my world with these words, “You have to choose to be happy.” My mind spun in circles as I was trying to grasp this new thought. I had never thought of happiness as something I chose; I just thought it was something I either was or wasn’t. I ignorantly imagined that life metaphorically rained happiness. Some days it was sunny, some days it was in the forecast to rain but didn’t; and on those other lucky days it was a downpour.

At first this notion was a little unsettling. I felt the innocence of childhood take flight that afternoon. Every day was up to me? Happiness was up to me? In a scriptural sense, I had to choose to act and not be acted upon? This changed me for the rest of my life.

As I have grown, and tried to mature, I’ve learned that happiness and joy aren’t about never having bad days. Rather, about how we feel and respond on and to those bad days. Joy isn’t something that a bad day can take from us. In fact, Psalms 126:5 says, “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.” Life is often the sowing in tears and the joy comes in the rest of the Lord.

Psalms 16:11 says, “Thou wilt shew me the path of life; in thy presence is fulness of joy;” In other words, “Father, I will do my best to do thy will and follow Thee in this life, and then when I come into Thy presence I will have true forever joy.” So, does that mean there can’t be “joy in the journey?” No! When we have the presence of His spirit, as we are walking this covenant path He has laid out for us, we can taste of that joy now. But the fullness of that joy, the feast of that joy, will come later when we are in His rest and our bodies and spirits are united (See Doctrine and Covenants 93:33-34).

Speaking of that heavenly rest, we are all familiar with the phrase, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant:” from Matthew 25:21. Have you ever thought of the implications of the last part of the verse that are not as commonly quoted? The Lord goes on to say, “…enter thou into the joy of the lord.”  The joy He has in store for us is unimaginable! Remember we learned earlier from Psalms that this joy is the joy of being in His presence; true joy.

So, what would I say to all of us who are here on this mortal roller coaster of good and bad days, of heartaches and heartbreaks, of tests and trails, of storms and sicknesses, and of occasional solace and spirit? Stay on the course and wait for the words, “enter thou into the joy of the Lord.”

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