26 And it came to pass that it did cause great joy among them. And they went down into the land of Jershon, and took possession of the land of Jershon; and they were called by the Nephites the people of Ammon; therefore they were distinguished by that name ever after.
The blessings of the Lord through the Nephites embracing and protecting them brought great joy among the people of Ammon.
It seems To me, with all of the struggles of life, with all of its opposition and vicissitudes and trials and challenges that joy seems to sometimes take a back seat on our journey. I am speaking in general, but even on the scriptures it seems there is as much trial and tribulation, than joy. Perhaps this is just my perspective, and perhaps a poor one at that. Or, perhaps a realistic one, for life is a challenge and a test and a learning experience that requires trial and error and learning the Law of the Harvest.
Brother Joseph said,
“Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the commandments of God.”
It’s also been said that happiness is a journey, and not a destination, and if we don’t find it along the way, we will not find it.
And James E Faust once said,
“Although men are “that they might have joy” (2 Nephi 2:25), this does not mean that our lives will be filled only with joy, “for it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things” (2 Nephi 2:11). Happiness is not given to us in a package that we can just open up and consume. Nobody is ever happy 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Rather than thinking in terms of a day, we perhaps need to snatch happiness in little pieces, learning to recognize the elements of happiness and then treasuring them while they last.”
I thought this article On the subject a good read:
Either way, the Ammonites found joy through “...virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the commandments of God.”
But that was certainly not the end of their opposition. Now they had to deal with living up to their covenant while other people sacrificed their lives in their their behalf. In some ways, especially to me, it seems that would be much harder than fighting in my own defense.
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