My Favorite Scripture and Being Cheerful

From the Book of Mormon, Mosiah 24:12 And Alma and his people did not raise their voices to the Lord their God, but did pour out their ^ahearts to him; and he did know the ^bthoughts of their hearts.

  13 And it ^acame to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage.

  14 And I will also ease the ^aburdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as ^bwitnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their ^cafflictions.

  15 And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did ^astrengthen them that they could bear up their ^bburdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with ^cpatience to all the will of the Lord.

  16 And it came to pass that so great was their faith and their patience that the voice of the Lord came unto them again, saying: Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage.

  17 And he said unto Alma: Thou shalt go before this people, and I will go ^awith thee and deliver this people out of ^bbondage.

  18 Now it came to pass that Alma and his people in the night-time gathered their flocks together, and also of their grain; yea, even all the night-time were they gathering their flocks together.

  19 And in the morning the Lord caused a ^adeep sleep to come upon the Lamanites, yea, and all their task-masters were in a profound sleep.

  20 And Alma and his people departed into the wilderness; and when they had traveled all day they pitched their tents in a valley, and they called the valley Alma, because he led their way in the wilderness.

  21 Yea, and in the valley of Alma they poured out their ^athanks to God because he had been merciful unto them, and eased their ^bburdens, and had delivered them out of bondage; for they were in bondage, and none could deliver them except it were the Lord their God.

  22 And they gave ^athanks to God, yea, all their men and all their women and all their children that could speak lifted their voices in the praises of their God. 

 

Verse 15 is my favorite. " The Lord did strengthen the people to be able to bear their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord." The burdens were still there, but the people could bear them, and they were cheerful and patient.  Eventually, they were delivered from bondage.

 

That's my goal through the experience that Rowdy and I are going through now, to be patient and cheerful.  I am doing better today than I was earlier.  The burden is being lifted.  Rowdy, however, is struggling.  It's hard for anyone to have to go around with a bag of green gut fludge hanging off of them, but especially hard for someone who is as body-conscious as he is.  He is having a very hard time right now with that and with a long abdominal wound that they have to leave open to heal.  He was blessed to recover quickly, so I am hoping that this will be a six-week experience rather than a ten-week.  I also hope that he recovers his ability to appear upbeat, too.