"...lift up thy head and rejoice; for thou hast been faithful in keeping the commandments of God..." (Alma 8:15)

The other day when I was a bit blue I decided to read my scriptures to see if that would help. I opened my scriptures to where our family had been reading and this is what I read: "Blessed art thou...therefore, lift up thy head and rejoice; for thou hast been faithful in keeping the commandments of God..." (Alma 8:15). All too often I get all concerned about being "perfect" and I focus on my mistakes rather than on my honest efforts of keeping the commandments. As we lift up our heads we get a very different view than when looking at our feet. Often times, the view is inspiring, guiding, and lifting. Unfortunately, I sometimes find it way too easy to just keep my head down. So, lift up your head- get a new view. Life may be difficult, but there is so much more than stones and pebbles to see.

Another thing I like about this scripture is "rejoice". Rejoicing means "to feel joy; be delighted" (The Free Dictionary). There is a wonderful Hymn that is about rejoicing. The chorus says: "Lift up your heart! Lift up your voice! Rejoice, again I say rejoice!" (Rejoice, the Lord is King!). When we lift up our heads and rejoice we are looking to God, for truly He is King.  As Paul taught the Philippians I add my voice and say: "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice" (Philippians 4:4). We have great reason to rejoice in the fact that we have a Savior who loves us, cares for us, and wants all that is best for our good. He shows us the way to live by giving us guidance and laws of how to follow Him. These are called commandments.

I love the fact that the scripture also said, "rejoice, for thou hast been faithful in keeping the commandments of God" (Alma 8:15). Keeping the commandments doesn't mean we need to be perfect right now. It means we show our love for God though our obedience. Christ said: "If ye love me, keep my commandments" ( John 14:15).  There is much to rejoice about when we keep the commandments. It brings freedom and peace. Elder L. Tom Perry taught: "A useful way to think about the commandments is they are loving counsel from a wise, all-knowing Heavenly Father. His goal is our eternal happiness, and His commandments are the road map he has given us to return to Him, which is the only way we will be eternally happy" (Obedience to Law is Liberty).

I will keep practicing obedience because I know that when I am obedient I find great reason to rejoice...even when I am a bit blue. This I testify.