“Why You Should Be of Good Cheer,” For the Strength of Youth, July 2021, 6.
Come, Follow Me
Why You Should Be of Good Cheer
Cheer up! The Lord has given you reasons to.
The Lord has given us many invitations. And He often repeats important ones. (For instance, how many times has He said something like “Come unto me”?)
One invitation you’ll find repeated in the scriptures is: “Be of good cheer.”
The Lord sometimes says this when His people are trying to follow Him but are facing opposition and trials. And when He invites us to be of good cheer, He usually gives reasons for His encouraging us to be happy. For example, He once said:
“Be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours” (Doctrine and Covenants 78:18).
Let’s break that down:
“Be of good cheer, for [Reason 1] I will lead you along. [Reason 2] The kingdom is yours and [Reason 2a] the blessings thereof are yours, and [Reason 3] the riches of eternity are yours” (Doctrine and Covenants 78:18).
Here the Lord reminds us of His guidance and blessings. Those are some pretty good reasons to cheer up.
Here’s another example:
“Be of good cheer, little children; for [Reason 1] I am in your midst, and [Reason 2] I have not forsaken you” (Doctrine and Covenants 61:36).
And another:
“Be of good cheer, and do not fear, for [Reason 1] I the Lord am with you, and [Reason 2] [I] will stand by you” (Doctrine and Covenants 68:6).
The Lord reminds us that He is near us and will help us as we strive to follow Him and do His work. We can then go on our way with confidence and, yes, cheerfulness. After all, Heavenly Father’s plan is the “plan of happiness” (Alma 42:8, 16), and following the Lord’s commandments is to live “after the manner of happiness” (2 Nephi 5:27).
Even if our trials start to get us down, if we desire to follow the Lord, He encourages us to be of good cheer. And He gives us some good reasons for it.