Everyone has their own version of feeling "delight." Everyone delights in different things. There are so many good and bad options for things to delight in it is hard to know where to place your loyalties. The world offers us many options which seem very delightful. It is possible to delight in something unrighteously and there are many things we should not delight in. Nephi and other prophets tell us of the things they delight in and we should use them as examples for us.
The world teaches us to delight in many things. We see people delight in those things that are easy, gratifying, or give us power. The Lamanites were described by Alma as "a people who delighted in murdering the Nephites, and robbing and plundering them." The world often delights in bloodshed through the media rather than actual harm and this has begun to desensitize us to violence. I was recently watching a movie with friends, and since i have experienced the loss of a loved one I understand a little better the magnitude of death. When a character in the movie died the other guys watching cheered for the cool explosions and delighted in the special effects and plot of the movie while I cringed. Later they groaned in sadness as an expensive car was crushed beyond repair and I cringed, this time at their distorted priorities. Everyone delights in some things, even the devil delights in "those that worship idols." We must be careful. Just because we delight in something, or many other people delight in something, doesn't make it right.
Nephi provides an example to us in this confusing world of one who delights in righteous things. Nephi says that he "delighteth in plainness." He understands that plainness is a principle of God. Plainness can be taken a couple of different ways. First plainness can be related to modesty. In the strength of Youth pamphlet section on Dress and Appearance it says the youth should "avoid extremes in clothing, appearance, and hairstyle." We must also avoid living too extravagant a life. When we have extra, some of it should be used to benefit others rather than boosting our lifestyle to one far above plainness. Another time it is important to delight in plainness is in speaking of gospel principles and doctrines. Elder Ashton said, "more so than in any other time in our history, there is an urgency in today’s society for men and women to step forward and teach the gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of plainness." The simple truths of the gospel can be taught most effectively through the power of plainness. The world often has to complicate things in order to hide flaws. Nephi's delight in plainness should be shared by all.
Nephi also delighted in the truth of the gospel. He loved the scriptures and enjoyed studying them. He wrote that his "soul delighteth in the words of Isaiah." He also wrote that we should let our souls "delight in fatness" in relation to feasting on the words of God. The truths found in the words of Isaiah and all scriptures should be something we truly delight in. If we can learn to delight in scripture study we will not only grow spiritually but enjoy it.
Delight is an emotion everyone wants to feel as much as possible. Delight can be felt in righteous or evil things. We must learn to delight in the plain and simple lifestyle and in the truth of the gospel. We can learn to delight in the scriptures and in the simplicity of the gospel. We must be careful not to let the world lead us into finding delight in unrighteous things. Delight can be a common righteous emotion if we will learn to delight as Nephi did.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
2 Nephi 33:6
Alma 17:14
2 Nephi 9:37
2 Nephi 25:5
2 Nephi 9:51
For the Strength of Youth Pamphlet
The Power of Plainness- Elder Marvin J. Ashton
9 comments:
I like your blog so much, Eric! Your paragraphs were really insightful: I liked your discussion of delighting in violence and delighting in plainness. Good job. How does your title relate . . . ?
I LOVED how your blog laid it out so simply! You did a great job on connecting these principles to life =)
Eric I really enjoyed reading your blog. You put everything in simple terms and it was easy to understand your mainpoints and where they were going. Mainly I really appreciated how you recignized that we can delight in good and evil things. This separation is what most people don't realize many see delight and only think you can do that good things. It was a real eye opener.
Nice job. I liked how you used Nephi as an example and contrasted him to what the Lamanites and the world delight in.
You were right when you said we don't delight in the correct things. We all need to look at our priorities.
Very simply said and very important insight. The title of the blog is fun but find a way to connect it into the work - even at the end. It is so important to remember that we can delight in plainness - in simplicity. We get so caught up in the world and complicate life it is great to be reminded to keep things simple!
This blog had great flow and really got to the point. Thank you for such great insights!
I love how you reminded us that the power of a simple testimony can help others see the truth, especially in missionary work. Good job!
Eric, after reading many essays about "delight" I liked yours because you mention the fact that it's important to be delighting in the right things. Thank you for the reminder!
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