Rejoice

What does "rejoice" mean anyway? Joyfully repeat your voice? I think I'll look it up... According to THIS website it means "to feel joy or great delight" or simply, "to be glad." My parents are missionaries in Chile right now and they would say, "regocijarse."

Of late, I've had random, weird, scary, or busy thoughts running through my head in the middle of the night when I'm trying to sleep or just before I wake up, but last night for some reason the following kept playing through my head on repeat:

"The battle between good and evil has already been won. It's up to us to choose which side we want to join."

I wanted to know if someone on this earth said this. So of course I looked it up on the internet. I found the following in multiple places.

“The future of this world has long been declared; the final outcome between good and evil is already known. There is absolutely no question as to who wins because the victory has already been posted on the scoreboard. The only really strange thing in all of this is that we are still down here on the field trying to decide which team's jersey we want to wear!” -- attributed to Elder Holland.

I could almost remember hearing Elder Holland say that, but I wasn't sure where or when.

So I looked around on the internet some more. I couldn't find it on lds.org. Finally I found something from a woman who went to a Time Out for Women seminar talk by John Bytheway. I'll quote her below, but THIS is the link.

"John related that he had heard a Jeffrey R Holland quote about the outcome of the world has already been decided, but we need to choose which side we will be on. He wanted to quote it, but first, he wanted to authenticate it.  Unable to find it in his own research, he called Elder Holland’s office.The secretary did not know the quote, but said she would ask Elder Holland. John B. thought that was the end of that. Weeks later he got an email from Elder Holland, acknowledging that he did indeed say what John heard he said and offering to write it and authenticate it for John. And signed the email, “Jeff”.!!!”

And someone else went to the same Time Out for Women and gave a source: Source: John Bytheway, When Times are Tough, (Deseret Book, 2004). I haven't read the book, so I don't know if it tells the story in it, but I'm curious enough to check it out at the library...

The fact is, Jesus Christ died for us and was resurrected. He overcame death and sin. I know this is true and I am very grateful. Because we have been born, we will be resurrected. We all fight personal battles between good and evil. We can choose the winning team and live with Heavenly Father again in eternal glory. This is certainly cause to rejoice.