I have decided to share a daily challenge with you each day until Easter, April 1st. We are doing this in our Relief Society, and I thought I would like to share it here as well.  I shared a little about the challenge here.

Each day I will share the daily video here and then my personal thoughts about it after I have personally watched it. Today is the second day.

Mary and Elisabeth Rejoice Together

Mary visits her relative Elisabeth, who in her old age will also soon give birth to a miraculous child. The women rejoice together.

Luke 1:39-55

39) And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;

40) And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.

41) And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:

42) And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women , and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

43) And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

44) For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.

45) And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.

46) And Mary said , My soul doth magnify the Lord,

47) And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

48) For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden : for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

49) For he that is mighty hath done to me great things ; and holy is his name.

50) And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.

51) He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

52) He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.

53) He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.

54) He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;

55) As he spake to our fathers , to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.

My Impressions:

I have a couple of thoughts on this video.  The first is how sweet Mary was to first offer service unto Elisabeth.  She was also experiencing a difficulty, and instead of focusing on her own, she instead offered service.  I think service helps us get out of our own heads and while focusing on someone else, our own difficulties don’t seem as great.

The second thing I noticed, is that when Elisabeth said her babe leapt with joy at the sound of Mary’s voice and the nearness of the babe she carried, that this is indicative of souls being within the babies before birth.  I’ve always believed that anyway, but this is a testimony to that fact in the scriptures.  Kind of important these days.  Also, I think it also testifies that these two babes knew each other before they came to earth.  And to the importance of each of their earthly roles.

What did you learn from today’s video?

I have decided to share a daily challenge with you each day from now until Easter, April 1st.  We are doing this in our Relief Society, and I thought I would like to share it here as well.  Here is a little about the challenge:

Come Unto Christ

“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:3)

Jesus Christ was our perfect example. He loved, served and did His Father’s will. He performed miracles and taught many. At Easter we celebrate the Atonement and the Resurrection which are the culminating events and the supreme expressions of love and sacrifice that our Savior performed for each of us. In preparation for this celebration make a goal to deepen your relationship with your Savior by learning about His life, learning His teachings and learning about the miracles He performed. As we learn about Him and from Him we can grow to be more like Him.

“In order to become more like Him we must know about Him.”

If you are looking for a way to strengthen your relationship with and knowledge of your Savior take the “Come Unto Christ” challenge. Starting on January 20th and culminating on Easter Sunday, April 1st, watch 1 bible video every day for 72 days. The bible videos depict pieces of the Savior’s life on earth, His teachings and miracles. As you learn from and about Christ daily you will get to know Him better.

The challenge:
1. Watch 1 bible video each day. Ponder the teachings that are contained in them and learn from them.
(Each video is only about 2-5 minutes.)
2. For further learning you can also read the scripture passage that is being depicted in the video.
3. The challenge starts on January 20th and ends on Easter Sunday, April 1st.

“Follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, … with real intent, … take upon you the name of Christ. … Do the things which your Lord and your Redeemer did.”
(2 Nephi 31:13, 17).