“Lift Up Thy Head and Rejoice”

by Kamryn Maughan




Our knowledge of Jesus Christ as our Redeemer is one of the primary reasons missionaries and members around the world share the gospel with others. In the Book of Mormon, Alma and Amulek testified boldly of Jesus Christ and clarified His mission and role as our Savior. 

Although Alma and Amulek experienced much success, it often wasn’t easy for them to share the gospel. When Alma first started his mission, he was rejected in Ammonihah and left the city, but was commanded by an angel to return. I love these comforting words of support the angel provided to Alma: “Blessed art thou, Alma; therefore, lift up thy head and rejoice, for thou hast great cause to rejoice; for thou hast been faithful in keeping the commandments of God from the time which thou receivedst thy first message from him” (Alma 8:15).

Like Alma, we often face challenges in sharing the gospel—we might face constraints on time, or we might not know where to start or what to say as we seek to share our love for Jesus Christ. The Come, Follow Me manual this week reminds us that our “efforts to share the gospel of Jesus Christ require patience.”  

Despite these and other challenges, as we do our best to love, share, and invite, we can experience blessings of joy and fulfillment as we serve our neighbor and our God. In an 1893 discourse to the Saints, Wilford Woodruff said, “This is the work of God and not of man; therefore let us try to live our religion, to do our duty, and to magnify our calling during the little time we have to live here on earth. . . . The Lord is watching over us.”

Jesus Christ is aware of our efforts and capabilities. He has come to redeem us, His people, and we have the chance to share that message with the world! 


Kamryn Maughan is studying Family Life at Brigham Young University. She joined the Wilford Woodruff Papers because she was drawn to its mission to deepen and strengthen faith through Wilford Woodruff’s documents and history. Kamryn has a big, loving family who she recently reunited with after serving in Oklahoma as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She loves hiking, playing card games, and watching movies with her family and friends. 

The Wilford Woodruff Papers Foundation’s mission is to digitally preserve and publish Wilford Woodruff’s eyewitness account of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and make his records universally accessible in order to inspire all people, especially the rising generation, to study and to increase their faith in Jesus Christ. For more information, please explore wilfordwoodruffpapers.org.

Endnotes: 

  1. Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024, ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
  2. Discourse by Wilford Woodruff, April 4, 1893, p. 2, The Wilford Woodruff Papers, 

    https://wilfordwoodruffpapers.org/documents/3b2031e0-d990-4782-be19-d3e145909a47/page/8e49d9fc-c359-4951-88a7-7344bfc9a011?utm_source=Website&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=CFM+6%2F16%2F24&utm_id=CFM+6%2F16%2F24