What I learned this week:  This week I was contemplating joy and came across this Inklings episode from this talk by Elder I Raymond Egbo where it was all focused on joy and finding joy as we focus on Jesus Christ.  She suggested at the end of the episode to look in the Book of Mormon, Alma chapters 26-29 where joy is mentioned the most in the scriptures.  And the joy they talk about is all because of Jesus Christ.  They joy in his mercy and in repentance and in all the changes that they saw in the people that they went to teach, people that were their enemies.  

I love in this talk learning about the Nigerian Football (american soccer) team.  The obstacles they faced as they were competing and how they were able to stay focused on their goal and win!  Which created this infectious joy across their whole country.  

I love great sports stories, especially ones where they are considered the underdogs and have to deal with a lot of things to overcome and win.  The 1996 olympic gold winning football team of Nigeria was just that.  I also love that we can use that as a type for us.  We can focus on Jesus Christ and find joy despite what might be happening to us that is hard, unfair and hurtful.  

This sports team is a great metaphor for our lives as we stay focused on the things that are very important and as we stay focused we are able to have joy.  We have joy because of repentance.  We have joy because of the mercy of God so that we can repent.  We have joy because God doesn't give up on us and keeps trying to save us.  We have joy because we can keep coming back to him.  

I have linked to Alma below if you  want to read those scriptures as well as the talk and the highlight video of the Nigerian football teams battle to gold.