JOY is POWERFUL

"I don't know if anything in this world could bring more happiness and joy than to know that our children know the Savior, to know that they know 'to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.'  That is why, as members of the Church, we preach of Christ, and we testify of Christ."    --Elder Nattress

Pres. Nelson taught us in a wonderful way that Joy comes from and because of him our Savior. Jesus Christ is JOY.  We receive JOY from righteous living.   Everyday can be a day of gladness. Jesus Christ is our joyful example.  He endured excruciating pain on the cross - he did it - to cleanse us, heals us, and strengthen us so that we can return home to him. JOY is the key to spiritual survival in these the latter-days.  It is the key to help us through the troubles that will come upon us as the prophecies are fulfilled.  We will face detours, dead ends, anxiety -- but through it all -- if we choose we can have JOY.  He asked:  What can we do to claim JOY?  And then he said:  "SAINTS CAN BE HAPPY UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE."  If we focus on God's plan of salvation and feel of our Savior's love we can feel joy and any situation we are faced with.  In his talk Pres. Nelson referred to the words of JOY TO THE WORLD.
Joy to the world, the Lord is come.  Let earth receive her King.  Let every heart prepare Him room, and heaven and nature sing.  Joy to the world, the Savior reigns, Let men their songs employ. While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains.  Repeat their sounding joy
Repeat, their sounding joy....He rules the world with truth and grace and makes the nations prove.  The glories of His righteousness and wonders of His love.  Joy to the world, the Savior reigns. Joy to the world, the Lord is come. 

My hope with speaking at  today was to reach those of you who may feel devoid of joy in your life. I wish to encourage you that we can be happy under every circumstance. We can feel joy even while having a bad day, a bad week, or even a bad year!

The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives. When the focus of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation and Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not happening—in our lives.

How, then, can we claim that joy? We can start by “looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” “in every thought.” We can give thanks for Him in our prayers and by keeping covenants we’ve made with Him and our Heavenly Father. As our Savior becomes more and more real to us, and as we plead for His joy to be given to us, our joy will increase.

Joy is powerful, and focusing on joy brings God’s power into our lives. As in all things, Jesus Christ is our ultimate exemplar, “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross.” Think of that! In order for Him to endure the most excruciating experience ever endured on earth, our Savior focused on joy!

And what was the joy that was set before Him? Surely it included the joy of cleansing, healing, and strengthening us; the joy of paying for the sins of all who would repent; the joy of making it possible for you and me to return home—clean and worthy—to live with our Heavenly Parents and families.

I testify that joy comes from and because of Him. He is the source of all joy. When we choose Heavenly Father to be our God, and when we can feel the Savior’s Atonement working in our lives, we will be filled with joy. -Russell M Nelson

I am learning each day that joy is powerful -- it is our choice -- and it does come from and because of our Savior.  It is through him that we can feel his joy, his love, his grasp to hang on to us and heal us and help us along each path.  After a marriage that I felt like I could no longer stay in I had to take my daughter and flee into the wilderness - our wilderness  - we left behind many things - we had to find a new place to live, furnishings for that place and a new direction.  We had to flee from a place where we felt heartache and sorrow and a controlling issue.  Our hearts were broken, we had looked forward to so much good and joy there -- but it wasn't there.  But now as we look back and as we have moved forward my daughter was the brave one -- she always looked on the positive things and said "all will be okay"  My sons and their wives continued to believe in me and always expressed the joy we had as they grew up in a single mother home.  A home where the Lord poured his joy and blessings into our home. We can have JOY.  This amazing mission is teaching me JOY and helping me turn to the scriptures and the Lord in a whole new way.  Jesus is our example, he is our joy, he does want to heal us, strengthen us and help us return to him.