We are meant to have joy.  God´s plan for us is beautiful, He wants us to be happy and enjoy life.  Elder Nelson spoke to world about how we can find joy no matter what situation we are in.  I know that that is true.  God has given us the means by which we might find joy.  In Luke 15 Christ teaches us the be-atitudes, a word that comes from beatus which signifies, to be happy.  He literally laid out a set of steps for us to follow in order to find joy in this life.  And those steps are, as my New Testament teacher pointed out, the steps of repentance.

1.     Blessed are the poor in spirit.  This is that moment when you realize you've done something wrong and/or aren't as spiritually strong as you could be.

2.     Blessed are those that mourn.  After realizing you're not where you should be, it leads you to sorrow.

3.     Blessed are the meek.  As we receive the desire to change we become more humble and teachable.

4.     Blessed are those who hunger and Thirst after righteousness.  We should begin to act on our desire to change and actively look and seek for good things.

5.     Blessed are the merciful.  God will forgive us of our sins, but we must also forgive ourselves.

6.     Blessed are the pure in Heart.  After having followed the previous steps you can feel the change in your heart as you are living a pure life.

7.     Blessed are the peacemakers.   Its not enough just to find peace, once you have it God expects you to share it.

8.     Blessed are the persecuted.  You become the most vulnerable when opening up to spread the gospel and the news of peace and joy.   Now the question is, How do you respond?  Can you respond in a Christ-like manner.

·      These steps create a spiral staircase up to heaven, it’s a process that we have repeat over and over again.  Yet the more we repeat it, the further up we are on the staircase.

This new perspective on the be-atitudes has completely changed my way of thinking.  Christ gave us a step-by-step ladder of what we should be doing constantly in our lives (for this is a process that we must repeat over and over again).  I know that as we humble ourselves and start up this spiral staircase, that one day we will reach heaven!