Here on Earth, we are subjected to temptations. We sin. We make mistakes. We are foolish compared to God. But something that has struck me the past few days is how joyful I have been in moments, and how much that has taught me about how wrong I was before, and am. Satan really puts up a fight, yet the light and joy itself burns him. The more we fill our lives with light, the less of an influence he can have upon us. And the more we release ourselves from the pain of judgment we tend to fill our lives with. Yes, we have to make intermediate judgments, but I have noticed the more righteous I become, the fewer judgments I have to make about people and the more I actually learn and care about them. In fact, this night I noticed just how striking it is to not have to worry about what so-and-so did and how wonderful it is to realize how wonderful this world is. The air on my skin, the food I brought home for Easter, and so much more filled me with joy. That joy departed quickly when I began to make judgments about the people I lived with. Yet this pattern was different than before. Before, I gained joy from making judgments and following through on them. Now, I gain joy from not making judgments and just enjoying each moment. One is far better than the other. How great it is to not judge our fellow man and simply love them and even ourselves!

I used to look to D&C 98 as justification for not forgiving this person or that. I was patient with people, and I was happy, even by holding myself to a similar standard. I experienced what I felt was indescribable joy at times. And yet the past few days I have experienced a joy far surpassing that. So much has happened, and God has taught me so much through what I once would have deemed so little. My very definition, I suppose, of forgiveness has changed somewhat, and I have come to realize that I was someone who was "ever learning, yet never coming to the knowledge of the truth". God blessed me, I had revelations, but it is clear to me that not all of them were from God, and many may have distracted me from true, righteous living.

What a difference a change in perspective makes! What a difference a willingness to enjoy the world around us right now makes! We must live in the moment, not in the past, not in the future, but for the future. A lot changes when we think of our future being dependent on enjoying life now.

However, it is disappointing to me that people equate "enjoying life now" with unrighteous behavior. Life isn't like that. Enjoying life now means enjoying all that we have as best as we can, not to diminish our joy by choosing something less. If we willingly choose something less, we miss out on a ton of joy, not just a little. I know from my pain and my joy.

What a difference a turnaround can make! Stay on the path. The straight and narrow path may seem restricting, but how much we can enjoy the things around us if we stay on it!