“There Can Be Nothing So Exquisite and Sweet as Was My Joy”

The message given by Elder Craig C. Christensen was an unexpected gem from General Conference. It was unexpected for me because it was not on my “radar” at all. There are certain messages given in conference that immediately touch my heart and I am so excited to revisit them in my study afterwards. But I hadn’t remembered this talk before studying it again and it was powerful. Elder Christensen spoke of repentance.

I am not sure if it is a shift happening on a larger level – or just personally for myself – but I feel like the last several years there has been a change in how I feel about repentance. When I was younger, repentance was not a topic I wanted to talk about. It made me feel bad. It felt like focusing on my mistakes and imperfections and was discouraging. And while I was grateful I could repent and believed in the Atonement to help transform me – it did not feel like it was a positive part of life.

But in recent years, my feelings about repentance have changed into something beautiful. While I still get frustrated with myself over my mistakes and imperfections, I have grown to learn that repentance is realigning myself back with Christ. And that is a joyful, beautiful thing to celebrate.

Elder Christensen did a wonderful job of describing joy. He explained that joy goes beyond feelings of happiness but is, in fact, a godly attribute. And it is what our Heavenly Father desires for us to have! And we receive that pure joy only when we are on the path of repentance, “because it is the pathway that leads to the Savior Jesus Christ.”

Another part of joy that Elder Christensen pointed out was that joy and comfort are not the same thing. And repentance can (and probably should) be uncomfortable. Repentance requires change and, at least for me, change is not a comfortable feeling. However, when I am actively walking the path of repentance, there is a peace and joy that goes beyond mortal feelings. And that is just a glimpse into the kind of joy our Father in Heaven desires for us to have.

I felt inspired to repent daily and continue to redirect my life and choices to focus on the Savior. I am grateful for my Savior and His willingness to pay the price for my eternal joy.

Highlights

“Throughout His mortal ministry, the Savior showed great compassion for all of God’s children – especially for those who were suffering or had fallen away.

My desire today is to strengthen the connection between joy and repentance – more specifically, the joy that comes when we repent and the feelings of joy we experience as we invite others to come unto Christ and receive His atoning sacrifice in their lives.

JOY typically means much more than passing moments of contentment or even feelings of happiness. Joy in this context is a godly attribute, found in its fulness when we return to dwell in the presence of God. It is more profound, elevating, enduring, and life-changing than any pleasure or comfort this world can offer.

We were created to have joy. It is our intended destiny as children of a loving Heavenly Father. He wants to share His joy with us…Redemption, by and through the Savior Jesus Christ, makes joy possible.

The gospel message is a message of hope, of “good tiding of great joy” and the means whereby all can experience peace and occasions of joy in this life and receive a fulness of joy in the life to come.

The joy we speak of is a gift for the faithful, yet it comes with a price. Joy is not cheap or casually given. Rather, it is bough “with the precious blood of [Jesus] Christ.” If we really understood the value of true, godly joy, we would not hesitate to sacrifice any worldly possession or make any necessary life changes to receive it.

Repentance is the pathway to joy because it is the pathway that leads to the Savior Jesus Christ.

For some, to think of repentance as the pathway to joy might seem contradictory. Repentance, at times, can be painful and difficult. It requires admitting that some of our thoughts and actions…have been wrong. Repentance also requires change…But joy and comfort are not the same thing. Sin – including the sin of complacency – limits our joy.

As we repent of our sins, we must focus on the great joy that follows.

Repentance brings joy because it prepares our hearts to receive the influence of the Holy Ghost. To be filled with the Holy Ghost means to be filled with joy. And to be filled with joy means to be filled with the Holy Ghost. Our joy increases as we work daily to bring the Spirit into our lives.

After we have felt the joy that comes from sincere repentance, we quite naturally want to share that joy with others. As we do, our joy multiplies.

Helping other repent is a natural expression of our gratitude toward the Savior, and it is a source of great joy.

Seldom do we speak of the great joy the Savior must have anticipated as He offered His life for us. Clearly, His pain and His suffering were for us, that we might experience the joy of returning with Him to the presence of God.

Brothers and sisters, I conclude by sharing my personal witness which I consider a sacred gift. I testify that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the world. I know that He loves each of us. His singular focus, His “work and [His] glory,” is to help us receive a fulness of joy in Him. I am a personal witness that repenting daily and coming unto Jesus Christ is the way to experience joy – joy beyond our imagination. This is why we are here on earth. That is why God prepared His great plan of happiness for us. Jesus Christ truly is “the way, the truth, and the life” and the only “name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God.”

FULL text and video of Elder Craig C. Christensen’s message can be found HERE.

Other messages from the April 2023 General Conference that I have found particularly impactful:

• Peacemakers Needed by President Russell M. Nelson
• The Greatest Easter Story Ever Told by Elder Gary E. Stevenson
• Jesus Christ Is the Strength of Parents by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf
• Followers of the Prince of Peace by Elder Ulisses Soares
• Accessing God’s Power through Covenants by Elder Dale G. Renlund