Lesson Review:
"What Makes You Smile?"
Presidency Message
Doctrine:
“A merry heart doeth good like a medicine.” (Proverbs 17:22)
“Good
humor truly is medicine to the soul.
Humor can ease tension, relieve uncomfortable or embarrassing
situations, change attitudes, generate love and understanding, and add sparkle
to life.” (FHE Manual)
“Jesus found special joy and
happiness in children and said all of us should be more like them – guiless and
pure, quick to laugh.” (Jeffrey R. Holland)
“I am satisfied that our
Father in Heaven likes to see His children happy – not miserable, but happy.”
Some unfortunate souls think
that joy is a luxury, one of life’s frills they cannot afford or do not
deserve. But. . . it is God who decided
that joy is the very purpose for our existence.” (President Gordon B. Hinckley)
Lightheartedness vs. Light-mindedness:
“Light-mindedness is thoughtless—literally, without
thought. It is empty, meaningless, and wasteful. Often there is hypocrisy and
scorn associated with light-minded laughter. It is irreverent and unholy. It
separates us from the Spirit. It’s the things we talk and laugh about that
don’t encourage, cheer, or edify.”
“Lightheartedness is goodness—joyful goodness. It includes
all that blesses and happifies us and others. It’s being of good cheer while
focusing on the things that matter. It’s a virtue.” (Mary Allen
Edmunds – 2004 Women’s Conference)
“Light-mindedness is a
deliberate irreverence that trivializes the sacred and at worst becomes
sacrilege and blasphemy.”
“Lightheartedness, on the other hand, refers to the zestful joy found
in wholesome gospel living. Just as scriptures warn against the inappropriate,
they also teach us to worship “with a glad heart and a cheerful countenance” (D&C 59:15). (“If We Can
Laugh at It, We Can Live with It” – Brad Wilcox)
Invitation to Action:
* Smile!
Sister Beck: “At one
time I was going through some challenges . . . and one of my daughters came
home from school . . . . I said, “I don’t feel like I’m contributing what I
should or what I could,” and she said, “You could smile. Mother, you could
smile.” I thought, “That is a great service.” Smiling took on
added meaning for me. Being happy around my family and other people was
necessary.” (Julie B. Beck)
* Learn to Laugh
“The first thing we can
do is learn to laugh. Have you ever seen an angry driver who, when someone else
makes a mistake, reacts as though that person has insulted his honor, his
family, his dog, and his ancestors all the way back to Adam? Or have you had an
encounter with an overhanging cupboard door left open at the wrong place and
the wrong time which has been cursed, condemned, and avenged by a sore-headed
victim?”
“There is an antidote
for times such as these: learn to laugh.”
(Come What May and Love It – Elder Wirthlin)
* Develop a
Sense of Humor:
“Cultivating
good humor may be helpful in finding our own identity. Young people who are
trying to find out who they really are often have concerns as to their ability
to meet and cope with the challenges that confront them and that lie ahead.
They will find that it is easier to ride over the bumps and come quickly to
their own identity if they cultivate the good humor that comes naturally. It is
important that we all learn to laugh at ourselves.” (President Faust)
* Teaching and
Disciplining with Humor:
President Hugh B. Brown (Counselor in the First
Presidency 1883 - 1975) – “A wholesome sense of humor will be a safety valve
that will enable you to apply the lighter touch to heavy problems and to learn
some lessons in problem solving that sweat and tears often fail to dissolve.”
President Howard W. Hunter: “I want to say to all within the sound of my
voice tonight that you have every reason in this world to be happy and to be
optimistic and to be confident.”
“I think it is incumbent upon us to rejoice a
little more and despair a little less…..”
“We have every reason in time and eternity to
rejoice and give thanks for the quality of our lives and the promises we have
been given.” (An Anchor to the Souls of Men)
Testimony:
Melvin J. Ballard:
… I found myself one
evening in the dreams of the night in that sacred building, the temple. After a
season of prayer and rejoicing I was informed that I should have the privilege
of entering into one of those rooms, to meet a glorious personage, and, as I
entered the door, I saw, seated on a raised platform, the most glorious being
my eyes have ever beheld or that I ever conceived existed in all the eternal
worlds.
As I approached to be introduced, He
arose and stepped towards me with extended arms, and He smiled as He softly spoke my name. If I shall live to be a million years old, I shall never forget that
smile. He took me into His arms and kissed me, pressed me to His bosom, and
blessed me, until the marrow of my bones seemed to melt! When He had finished,
I fell at His feet, and, as I bathed them with my tears and kisses, I saw the
prints of the nails in the feet of the Redeemer of the world. The feeling that I had in
the presence of Him who hath all things in His hands, to have His love, His
affection, and His blessing was such that if I can receive that of which I had
but a foretaste, I would give all that I am, all that I ever hope to be, to
feel what I then felt!
… I see Jesus not now
upon the cross. I do not see His brow pierced with thorns nor His hands torn
with the nails, but I see Him smiling,
with extended arms, saying to us all: “Come unto me!” (Melvin J. Ballard –
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles)
May we draw our family and others to us as we reflect the
smile of the Savior in our own lives!
FAMILY
“Marriage is the foundry for social order, the fountain of virtue, and the foundation for eternal exaltation. Marriage has been divinely designated as an eternal and everlasting covenant. Marriage is sanctified when it is cherished and honored in holiness. That union is not merely between husband and wife; it embraces a partnership with God.”
—Russell M. Nelson
“Nurturing Marriage,” Ensign, May 2006
RELIEF
Being compassionate is another great work of our Heavenly Father and a fundamental characteristic of who we are as a people. We are commanded to “succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees.” 7 Disciples of Christ throughout all ages of the world have been distinguished by their compassion. Those who follow the Savior “mourn with those that mourn … and comfort those that stand in need of comfort.”
When we reach out to bless the lives of others, our lives are blessed as well. Service and sacrifice open the windows of heaven, allowing choice blessings to descend upon us. Surely our beloved Heavenly Father smiles upon those who care for the least of His children.
Sweeping the Earth As If a Flood:
Relief Society Announcements:
There will be an adult fireside for all adults 18 and up on
Sunday, February 22nd @ 6:30 p.m. Elder Alan Batt of the Area 70 will be sharing a great message. Sunday dress.
"Becoming a More Holy Woman" - Stake Relief Society Fireside will be March 1 from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. at the Stake Center. Please dress Sunday best. There will be no nursery provided.
Lesson Schedule for February:
February 1st - President's Instruction
February 8th - Ezra Taft Benson #3 - "Freedom of Choice, an Eternal Principle"
January 18th - Ezra Taft Benson #4 - "Living Joyfully I Troubled Times"
January 25th - Teachings For Our Time
2015 Relief Society Curriculum:
Teachings of President's of the Church - Ezra Taft Benson
Recipes on the blog:
If you have a recipe you would like to share send them to: drbennett1@hotmail.com or call or text them to 208-351-7083. We would love to have your favorite holiday recipes!Visit the ward recipe blog: www.burton4threcipes.blogspot.com
