The following is excerpted from the Church News. To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
While Christmas is the season of joy, it does not stop there. Latter-day Saint youth can find joy in Christ all year round.
In January, youth all over the world will open a new international youth magazine called For the Strength of Youth. They will notice its new look and feel. The articles are shorter and more readable. It is filled with voices of young people from all over the globe.
I hope one thing the youth will notice is the tagline on the cover: “Finding Joy in Christ.”
Every month, that tagline can remind youth of that wonderful goal.
On one occasion, my wife and I exited a subway station in a large and crowded city. We saw representatives from a church standing near a nice display of their religious literature. I greeted them, but no one else even glanced in their direction. A few blocks later, we encountered a man waving a sign that said, “Hell is real. Don’t go there. Accept Jesus now!” I smiled at the man, but everyone else ignored him.
Our missionaries often get the same treatment. It is almost laughable to see the lengths to which some people go to avoid talking with a person wearing a plaque. People appear to have no interest in God, Jesus or religion. Nevertheless, they all desire a better life.
As sure as an inborn moral compass, there is an upward reach within us. Deep inside, people want something better for themselves and those they love. Immigrants and refugees move across the globe, and parents seek better jobs for themselves and better education for their children. People search for health and happiness. They all want joy.
The problem is that they typically blow off anyone who proposes that God and religion are a means to reaching their goals. They want a better life, but not God.
To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
