That they might have joy

Agency and the Fall of Adam and Eve (PMG)

2 Nephi 2:25
Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.
Yesterday I went on a class assignment to the BYU Folk Dance Ensemble show called The Gathering.  In the opening prayer I heard the words "please help anyone here who is in need of an added measure of joy, that it may be granted them." The words stuck in my mind as the show began. They were doing a few dances like this:


                                    and the words from the scripture in 2 Nephi came to my mind. We really are in existence so that we can have joy. Men are that they might have joy. I was amazed by how powerfully that little gem came to me.

About 2100 years ago there was a man who had command over a lot of things, and a lot of people. He was a king, and he had power, by worldly standards. He hadn't made the best use of his power, and had put many disobedient and incapable servants to death, on top of any other wars and unjust dominion he may have been involved in. Needless to say, his regrets were many when he first came into contact with a missionary of Christ.

He was amazed at the miracles that were happening through this missionary, and he even felt a little afraid. When he asked the missionary by what power he defeated his enemies, and by what power he protected the servants, and by what power he was able to read the king's thoughts, as an answer he learned of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He learned that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ he could be clean of all of his sins. He could erase his regrets.

The king's name was Lamoni, and the missionary's: Ammon.

...and it came to pass...that the king believed all his words. And he began to cry unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, have mercy; according to thy abundant mercy which thou hast had upon the people of Nephi, have upon me, and my people. Now when he had said this, he fell unto the earth, as if he were dead (Alma 18).

Lamoni stayed that way for 3 days. During those 3 days, he "was under the power of God;...the dark veil of unbelief was being cast away from his mind, and the light which did light up his mind, which was the light of the glory of God, which was a marvelous light of his goodness--yea, this light had infused such joy into his soul, the cloud of darkness having been dispelled, and... the light of everlasting life was lit up in his soul.." (Alma 19).

When he woke up he could still feel that joy taking over.

Man was made to be happy. You were made to be happy. Do not let your mistakes define you. You are not your regrets. Christ suffered those so that they wouldn't become part of you forever. He conquered them. You are a being created and put on this planet to learn from your experiences and to find the joy that is in the gift of life.

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