To Please

There are 53 uses of a form of "to please" in the Book of Mormon. These include "pleasure" (17), "pleasing" (12), "pleasant" (8), "pleased" (6), "please" (3), "displeased" (2), "displeasure" (2), "pleasingly" (1), "pleasures" (1), and "displease" (1).

References in the text that use variants of "to please" invite us to contrast what is pleasing to God and to the righteous with what is pleasing to the world, and where the desires for that which pleases eventually lead.

In the positive sense, the prophets, like Nephi, write things in the scriptures that are pleasing to God. Nephi explains that those who are narrowly focused on the things of the world will not be pleased with the things he has written, while those who are pleased with the things of God will be pleased with what his writings contain (1 Nephi 6:5; 2 Nephi 5:32).

Our Father in Heaven said, "Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name---hear ye him" (3 Nephi 11:7). The Father was well pleased with Jesus and commanded us to hear Jesus’ words. This is because Jesus and His example show us what we must do so that the Father will be well pleased with us. By living as Jesus lived, we can glorify the Father in our service to others, as Jesus taught, and find joy.

On the negative side, the text shows how those who are focused on what is pleasing in the eyes of the world, rather than what is pleasing to God, can become subject to dangers. Such a focus can, if not repented of, destroy them, as was the case with Jared and his son-in-law Akish in the book of Ether (Ether 8:10-11). Those who focus on worldly pleasure can also lose the confidence and trust of those who love them, just as the priests of King Noah lost the confidence of their children, who were displeased with the conduct of their fathers (Mosiah 25:12).

Key Insights

Passages with variants of "to please" invite us to ask ourselves, "What are we pleased with?" Sanctification is the process of training our souls to find pleasure in what pleases our Heavenly Father. As we read such passages, we should examine our hearts and desires, and determine how we can more fully do what is pleasing to our Father in Heaven, and thereby find greater hope and joy in our lives.