The Great Plan of Happiness
Filed under: Finding joy within the gospel, Fruits of gospel living, Joy in our relationship with the Savior
Have you ever asked why? Of course you have. All of us ask why from time to time. We wonder why someone we love must suffer, why calamities effect so many, taking their living, their health, even at times, their lives.
I’ve heard many people say that if God truly loved us, He wouldn’t allow bad things to happen to us. Sometimes, in my darkest hours, I’ve thought the same thing.
But God does love us and He has proven it by giving us life and best of all, by granting us freedom—the freedom to choose for ourselves what we will do with our lives.
This time on earth, our mortality, is our opportunity to fulfill our creation, to learn about Heavenly Father’s plan and to choose whether or not we will be obedient. Obedience to God’s plan, is essential to our happiness and our eternal progression.
The Book of Mormon prophet, King Benjamin, explained that, “the Lord God hath sent his holy prophets among all the children of men, to declare these things to every kindred, nation, and tongue, that thereby whosoever should believe [in] Christ, … the same might receive remission of their sins, and rejoice with exceedingly great joy” (Mosiah 3:13.)
He also taught his people: “Consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness” (Mosiah 2:41.)
God wants us to be happy. He has provided a road map that not only makes our final destination one of “never-ending happiness” but provides a journey that can be full of joy and happiness. But to decipher that road map, we must first study the doctrines of happiness—real happiness.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (or Mormons) teaches that critical to our knowledge of the plan of happiness is an understanding of the governing principle of agency. Mormons believe that God sent us to earth with the opportunity to choose for ourselves what we will believe, or whether or not to be obedient to God’s commands. In his talk “Answers to Life’s Questions,” M. Russell Ballard, a leader of the Mormon Church, wrote, “A person does not have to spend much time in the schoolroom of mortality to realize that Heavenly Father’s plan does not provide for blissful happiness at every step along our mortal journey. Life is filled with harsh realities that tug at the heart and tear away at the soul” (Ensign, May 1995, 22.)
Howard W. Hunter, then President of the Church, said:
“There is nothing sad or gloomy about a person who accepts the truths of the gospel and incorporates these principles in his daily living. God wants all of his children to be joyous and glad, and we can have this blessing if we are willing to keep his commandments and live by his word in all that we do” (in Conference Report, Sept./Oct. 1961, p. 108.)
When you come to understand our Heavenly Father’s plan, you will find many of life’s questions are answered in the gospel of Christ. The Apostle John said, “If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them” (John 13:17.)
I testify that God has provided us with all that we need to know about how to be happy in this life, despite the tragedies that abound. Search the scriptures and learn all you can about the great plan of happiness. I pray that as you come to understand these truths you will be compelled, as I was, to embrace them willingly. In doing so we will find an increase of happiness, a lasting happiness, and we will have peace. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27.)
Such peace will breath contentment to our souls and we will find that we have chosen to be happy and we will be eternally blessed because of it.
Keep the Commandments and Be Happy
Filed under: Finding joy within the gospel, Fruits of gospel living, Joy in our relationship with the Savior
Recently I read a story in the Book of Mormon, another testament of Jesus Christ, that tells of Nephi and how he and his people “lived after the manner of happiness” (2 Ne 5:27.)
I want to live after the manner of happiness, don’t you? In fact, I’d hazard a guess that happiness is the life-long goal of every person who lives. Except, I think we too often believe, mistakenly, that happiness is to be found in success, riches, possessions, admiration, or the like. But that just isn’t so.
Happiness is to be found in our families, in our relationship with God, in our ability to look at ourselves in the mirror at the end of the day and like what we see. Oh, perhaps you won’t like the extra weight you are carrying, or the pimples that are popping up on your face so late in life, or the wrinkles that belie your age, but you can like the light that shines from your eyes—and that light can shine brighter if we have walked in the footsteps of the Lord.
When describing the lifestyle he and his people lived, Nephi said that “And we did observe to keep the judgments, and the statutes, and the commandments of the Lord in all things” (2 Ne. 5:10.)
I can testify from personal experience, that living righteously and keeping God’s commandments makes us happy. Alma, another Book of Mormon prophet, summed it up when he said, “Wickedness never was happiness” (Alma 41:10.) How many times have you done something you knew shouldn’t do? And how often did you later wish you hadn’t done that thing? If you’re anything like me the answer would be, too often.
In an address given to Brigham Young University students, Marlin K. Jensen, said:
“From the depths of my soul I testify that Satan wants us to believe we are an exception to God’s rules, that somehow our transgressions are more noble and justifiable than anyone’s have ever been. But that is a lie. And not only do we offend God by breaking His laws; we also offend ourselves and others, and thereby experience heartache, suffering, and misery—the exact opposites of happiness” (“How to Be Happy,” New Era, Aug 1999, 4.)
There was a time in my life when I truly did believe that I was an exception God’s rules. I was a victim of other peoples’ bad choices—how could I be expected to do what was right when so many in my life had done me wrong? I felt justified in being bad because being good didn’t seem to get me anywhere.
I would have to write a whole book to explain how I came to see the error in my thinking, but suffice it to say, I had that precious ‘aha’ moment wherein I finally came to see that in choosing to continue my bad behavior, I only continued to hurt myself. It was only when I started to do what I knew was right, to follow God’s commandments, that I began to feel my burden lifted, and I began to feel hope.
Now, after seventeen years of practicing righteous behavior, I can honestly say that “wickedness never was happiness.” Don’t get me wrong, I am certainly not perfect. Not even close. But I am somewhat further down the road of obedience than I once was and I am happier for it.
If you feel burdened by wrong choices, either your own or those of others, I encourage you to turn your face to God. Seek to do what He commands as outlined in the scriptures, and I promise He will lift your burdens and reward you with happiness to cheer your days.
The Path to Happiness
Filed under: Finding joy within the gospel, Fruits of gospel living, Joy in our relationship with the Savior
Often, I have quoted the Mormon Prophet Joseph Smith when he declared: “Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the commandments of God” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 255–56.)
How to be happy seems pretty clear, then. As long as we are on the path that he describes, we’ll be happy. But how do we get on that path? How do we stay on it? President Thomas S. Monson, then a member of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, described in his article entitled “Happiness—The Universal Quest” (Ensign, Oct 1993, 2,) the ways that we can get on the path and stay there.
First, the path of virtue. The dictionary proffers the definition of virtue as “conformity to a standard of right: … a particular moral excellence,” the beneficial qualities of “strength or courage”—even “valor.”
Temptation comes to all of us, there are none who can escape its reach. However, we are not left defenseless in the face of such trials of character or moral courage. The Apostle Paul assured us that “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Cor 10:13.)
President Monson said that our conscience warns us as a friend before it punishes us as a judge. And I love that because all of us have that little voice in the back of our mind that whispers to us about the choices we are making—most of us can accurately distinguish between right and wrong, it’s just whether we choose to listen to that voice of reason or not that determines how we might act. We must “Learn that he who doeth the works of righteousness shall receive his reward, even peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come”(D&C 59:23.)
Second, the path of uprightness. Few of us live perfectly upright lives. Perhaps none before or after Job have truly attained this righteous goal. However, Job didn’t live a perfect life—far from it. His life was beset with trials worthy of the most unlucky soul on earth. Yet, his moral compass never faltered and he never gave in to the temptation to just give up.
Dr. Karl Menninger, stated that the only way our suffering, struggling, anxious society can hope to prevent its moral ills is by recognizing the reality of sin. That’s the theme of his famed publication, Whatever Became of Sin? a plea to mankind to stop and look at what we are doing to ourselves, to each other and to our universe. Dr. Menninger referred to Socrates, who wondered, “How is it that men know what is good, but do what is bad?” Said Dr. Menninger, “I have come to the conclusion that the ‘Everyone is doing it’ morality which characterizes our public-business world is crippling people. We must believe in our personal responsibility to correct our individual transgressions—the white lies, the petty cheating, the apathy, which characterize our passive existence.” He further stressed, “If the concept of personal responsibility and answerability for ourselves and for others were to return to common acceptance and man once again would feel guilt for sins and repent and establish a conscience that would act as a deterrent for further sin, then hope would return to the world” (See Karl Menninger, Whatever Became of Sin? (New York: Hawthorn Books, Inc., 1973.)
Third, the path of faithfulness. This path connotes allegiance, loyalty, and adherence to promises. Faithfulness does not take holidays or days off. We can’t be faithful one minute but not the next. It is constant by its very definition.
The key to faithfulness is to have your goal in mind and to never waver. N. Eldon Tanner declared: “I would rather walk barefoot from here to the celestial kingdom … than to let the things of this world keep me out” (In Conference Report, Sept.–Oct. 1966, pp. 98–99.)
I often quote Captain Nesmith from the movie Galaxy Quest, “Never give up—never surrender.” And so too, must we never give up our quest for true happiness, nor surrender our virtue and moral values to get there.
Fourth, the path of holiness. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ entreated all of us to follow His righteous example, to live as He lived. He spared no needy person His time or His compassion. He gave of his help however and whenever he could. And He wanted us to do the same.
If we walk in His footsteps, this will lead us to on a holy path, which path leads to happiness in this life and joy beyond imagining in the life to come. Few of us will attain the sort of holiness we associate with the Savior, but what a glorious life it would be if we only tried.
Fifth, keep all the commandments of God. “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him” (John 14:21.)
I testify that as long we keep our sights set on our eternal goal and strive to keep our feet soundly on the path that leads us home, we will experience happiness, even joy, every day of our lives. This is the life God intended for us to have. He wants us to be happy. Let’s not disappoint Him.
How Being Chaste Can Bring You Happiness
Filed under: Finding joy within the gospel, Fruits of gospel living, Joy in our relationship with the Savior
In the Book of Exodus, God gave Moses ten commandments, detailing the least that is required of us to be worthy of our place in Heaven. The seventh commandment might appear to us to be out dated—out of touch the reality of modern day life.
The seventh commandment is the law of chastity. That commandments teaches that we must practice chastity before marriage and fidelity afterward. However, we have all heard renowned modern-day psychologists say that such old fashioned standards as chastity, virtue and marriage aren’t relevant today and that it’s impossible to live up to such standards
Don’t believe it.
The value of virtue and chastity are perhaps more relevant today than they have ever been. In his talk, “What Is Real Love and Happiness?,” Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (or Mormons,) taught six ways that being chaste in todays world can bring you closer to happiness in this and in the world to come (New Era, Jun 1992, 4.)
1. When you choose to follow the Lords’ commandments, you will be in harmony with Him. Your relationship with Him will be preserved and enriched, helping you to retain his Spirit.
When your thoughts are virtuous, your confidence will “wax strong in the presence of God” (D&C 121:45.)
2. You will discover and retain the blessing of deserved self-esteem. By understanding your own worth, you will be able to truly love your neighbor. “Let every man esteem his brother as himself” (D&C 38:24.)
3. Sin deadens our senses. In these last days, the capacity of man to love will “wax cold” because of iniquity (see Matt. 24:12.)
4. You will be free from the heavy burden of guilt. “Despair cometh because of iniquity” (Moro. 10:22.) Free from guilt, you are not turned inward with self-pity.
5. You will be kept from a very real harm. Reports indicate that “as many as 43 million Americans may have acquired incurable sexually transmitted viral infections” (Deseret News, 7 Oct. 1991, p. 7A).
Such diseases, including AIDS, make clear medically what has always been clear spiritually: the only safe pattern of physical affection is within the bounds of marriage—especially a marriage of two consistent commandment keepers. Abstinence from sin is better than moderation or even repentance. Prevention is better than any cure!
6. You will develop a personal wholeness and serenity, which will greatly bless you in both courtship and marriage and in all of your life. The one you choose to love will be respected by you as an individual and not merely as an object of physical attraction and gratification. Your relationship can be as deep, rich, and broad as eternity.
I can truly testify, from my own personal experience, that “despair cometh because of iniquity” (Moro. 10:22.) There is no downside to choosing the right.
Choose the right, keep yourself clean. The Book of Mormon tells of a people who all strove to stay clean before God: “And surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God” (4 Ne. 1:16.)
I pray that you and I can also be examples of righteous living and in doing so, obtain a happiness that fills our hearts, now and forever.
The Fall Brought Happiness
Filed under: Finding joy within the gospel, Fruits of gospel living, Joy in our relationship with the Savior
Joseph Smith, founder and prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (or Mormons,) said that, “happiness is the object and design of our existence.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 255.)
But if God truly loves us and wants us to be happy, why does so much unhappiness and misery happen every day throughout the world?
That question is perhaps the singlemost challenging hurdle in the path of an individuals’ journey of faith. Many good people have fallen trying to cross it, never to get up again, but to give up the journey. Some turn to atheism, choosing to believe there is no God, rather than to accept that He would allow harm to come to one of His children. Others, harden their hearts against God, and give in to hate and anger.
Some of our suffering is our own doing. Incorrect choices, sin have the consequence of unhappiness, and sometimes pain. But much suffering is simply a natural extension of our mortal condition—like an accident, it is not caused by anyone, it only happens because we live in an imperfect world.
There was a time when our Father Adam and Mother Eve had been offered a perfect world where there would never be any suffering. No pain, no misery, no accidents.
However, Lehi, a Book of Mormon prophet explained that if Adam and Eve had not gone through the process we call the Fall, they would have remained forever in their initial state of innocence, “having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin” (2 Ne. 2:23.)
That might sound pretty good, but if they had remained in that state of innocence, we would not have come to exist. Even if we had, we would not know the good from the bad, we would have no way of knowing that we were happy—we would simply be.
Dallin H. Oaks, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, taught:
“Our first parents recognized this principle. When the Holy Ghost fell upon them and bore record of the Father and the Son, Adam blessed the name of the Lord, declaring that “because of my transgression my eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy” (Moses 5:10.) With inspired insight, Eve explained the purpose of life and the source of joy:
“Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient” (Moses 5:11)
(“Joy and Mercy,” Ensign, Nov 1991, 73.)
As Eve might have said herself, it is better for us to taste the bitter that we might enjoy the sweet. I know that what I’m suggesting is difficult to accept, particularly if the pain of loss is fresh in your heart and mind. However, I do know that Adam and Eve chose the better part and because of them, you and I have the privilege of experiencing joy—and misery.
I testify that it is necessary for us to experience loss, heartache, misery, so that we are better equipped to recognize the good when it comes and truly appreciate it. Our Heavenly Father wants us to be happy in this life. Modern revelation tells us that “all things which come of the earth … are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart” (D&C 59:18.) The gospel plan provides a way for us to overcome the sadness in this world, and that plan is “the great plan of happiness” (Alma 42:8.)
Be Happy in Your Marriage
Filed under: Finding joy within the gospel, Fruits of gospel living, Joy in our relationship with the Savior
Spencer W. Kimball, former President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (or Mormons,) once said: “Marriage can be more an exultant ecstasy than the human mind can imagine” (“Oneness in Marriage,” Tambuli, Jun 1978, 1.) And I believe it is true.
My sister lives in humble circumstances, and has her entire married life. Yet, she is happily married. My husband and I did not get to have all the children we desired, nor do we enjoy good health, and yet, we are happy.
Far too married couples claim to be happy. It’s so common, in fact, to be unhappy that when you say you are happy in your marriage, people often look at you like you’ve sprouted horns. Yet, real, lasting happiness, is possible.
President Kimball taught that a simple formula could guarantee every couple a happy and eternal marriage. However, like all formulas, it often doesn’t work if you try to switch out the ingredients, or ignore one or two ingredients all together. You must pay careful attention to each ingredient in the formula—if you do this, you and your spouse will be happy.
First, the utmost care must be taken when choosing an eternal companion. This is not the time to give in to your hormones, or to other base desires. Make every effort to choose a companion who possesses all of those characters you deem to be most important for the long term. Think of the lifestyle you plan to lead, the children you hope to have, how you will raise them, what you expect from a future mate. All of these things and more, must be addressed and accounted for before you say “I do.”
Second, both individuals must practice great unselfishness. That “I do” you said when you got married should be the last time you think of “I.” Think of “we,” and you’ll do just fine. Think of the family, and strive to do all things for the good of the family—that is where happiness lies.
Third, saying “I do,” should not end the courting you enjoyed before you were married. Continued expressions of kindness and affection are the life blood of your marriage and absolutely necessary to keep love alive and growing.
And finally, keep the commandments of the Lord, as defined in the gospel of Jesus Christ. There can be no substitute for obedience to these commandments—they must be lived completely.
Apply these ingredients generously and continuously within your marriage and family unit. If you do this, President Kimball promised that “it is quite impossible for unhappiness to come, misunderstandings to continue, or breaks to occur.”
A happy marriage means lots of sacrifice and sharing. It means you don’t always get what you want. It means giving yourself in service to your spouse and your children. It means inviting care and worry for another to take the place of selfish cares and concerns. But life-long and eternal happiness is your reward—surely the price is not too great.
You’ve Got To Be True To Be Happy
Filed under: Finding joy within the gospel, Fruits of gospel living, Joy in our relationship with the Savior
It is my distinct pleasure to come here to LDSblogs.com most days to write about happiness. Very often my song has the same words, just maybe set to a different tune. At first this concerned me. My readers will get bored! I worried. I figured you wouldn’t want to read the same thing, over and over again. Because, after all, the road to happiness is the straight and narrow road that leads to eternal life. There can be no other way to obtain happiness, so there’s no point in me trying to sugar coat it.
However, if you, like me, are human, sometimes stubborn, often tempted, somewhat discouraged by the hurdles life throws in your path—you never tire of reading how happiness can be obtained. Oftentimes for me, it is the very act of studying for this blog that sets my day straight. I have to be here, writing about this, learning about happiness, you choose to be here and as a result I am sure you are doubly blessed.
I love to read the words of Marion G. Romney. He was a General Authority in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (or Mormons,) from 1951 to 1972. Like all prophets though, his words are timeless and count as much today as they did back then.
In an article published in the New Era, President Romney said, “Happiness depends upon possession of the moral virtues possessed and taught by Jesus. It cannot be conferred upon a person by another. It cannot be bought, purchased, or stolen. It can be won only by righteous living” (“Happiness,” New Era, Oct 1979, 5.)
Often, I have quoted the Prophet Joseph Smith when writing about happiness because in my opinion no truer words have been written on the subject before or since. He wrote:
“Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the commandments of God” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 255–56.)
President Romney and President Smith are in agreement: It is through righteous living and keeping all the commandments of God that one can obtain true happiness in this life. Though many temptations are alluring, we must acknowledge and accept the fact that, “wickedness never was happiness” (Alma 41:10.)
Our beloved Jesus told us exactly how happiness may be found:
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28–30.)
President Romney also said, “As I have thought about the relationship of the teachings of Jesus to happiness, I have concluded that one’s conformance or nonconformance to them affects one’s happiness whether he accepts, rejects, or acts in ignorance of them.”
If you deny the teachings of Christ, whether you do so because you are ignorant of them, or you willfully refuse to adhere to them, your opportunity for true happiness will be decreased. However, if you make it your priority to study the teachings of Jesus and to act according to them, you will be blessed in ways uncounted—including an increase of happiness.
It is your responsibility to know and conform with the teachings of Jesus. Do that, and you will be happy.
In conclusion, a fun poem confirms all we have learned today. I hope you’ll come back and read with me again—the lessons of happiness bear repeating.
To Be Happy
You’ve got to be straight to be happy,
You’ve got to be square as a die.
Through wrong may come infinite pleasures,
But they fade, and they fly.
You’ve got to take life at its noblest
If you want to have gladness that counts,
Want the verve and the zeal of the spirit
That lifts you along as it mounts.
And, Oh! how it pays out of goodness
To draw for each day as we strive
Some measures of clean, healthy gladness,
In our work, and for being alive!
You’ve got to be true to be happy,
Be true to yourself over all,
And be blind to the lure of evil,
And deaf to its powerful call.
To set up high standards and keep them,
With the records so straight and so true,
For nothing can ever condemn them,
If that is your creed, it will do.
You’ve got to be clean to be happy,
You’ve got to be steadfast and pure
If you want what fife gives that is earnest,
That will help, and will hold, and endure.
(Baltimore Sun)
Home is Where the Path to Happiness Begins
Filed under: Finding joy within the gospel, Fruits of gospel living, Joy in our relationship with the Savior
Nowadays, most of us are like Philip of New Testament, who cried “How can I [find my way], except some man should guide me?” (Acts 8:31) Though according to Joseph Smith, “Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the commandments of God” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, selected by Joseph Fielding Smith (1976), 255–56.)
How can we begin find that path that leads to happiness? Thomas S. Monson, then First Counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (or the Mormon church,) spoke on “The Hallmarks of a Happy Home” (Liahona, Oct 2001, 3,) and taught how it is the family that can lead and guide us to the path that leads to happiness in this life and in the life to come.
Mrs. Margaret Thatcher, former prime minister of Great Britain, expressed the profound philosophy: “The family is the building block of society. It is a nursery, a school, a hospital, a leisure center, a place of refuge and a place of rest. It encompasses the whole of the society. It fashions our beliefs; it is the preparation for the rest of our life” (Nicholas Wood, “Thatcher Champions the Family,” London Times, 26 May 1988.)
President Monson taught that the building blocks for a happy home include:
1. A pattern of prayer.
2. A library of learning.
3. A legacy of love.
4. A treasury of testimony.
Prayer is the single most important block upon which the other blocks must stand. President Monson said, “Family prayer is the greatest deterrent to sin, and hence the most beneficent provider of joy and happiness. The old saying is yet true: “The family that prays together stays together”.”
Where there is a love of good books, there are children who learn to love the world, and all that is in it. John Howard Payne wrote:
Books are keys to wisdom’s treasure;
Books are gates to lands of pleasure;
Books are paths that upward lead;
Books are friends. Come, let us read.
(“‘Mid Pleasures and Palaces,” Hymns (1948), number 185.)
Give your children a legacy of love, by letting them see you serve one another, neighbors and friends. Don’t be worthy of Jacob’s chastisement to the people of Nephi who forgot the importance of such a loving legacy: “Ye have broken the hearts of your tender wives, and lost the confidence of your children, because of your bad examples before them; and the sobbings of their hearts ascend up to God against you” (Jacob 2:35.)
And finally, let your homes be a treasure of testimony. President David O. McKay said “The first and foremost opportunity for teaching in the Church lies in the home” (Priesthood Home Teaching Handbook, revised edition (1967), ii–iii,) and “A true Mormon home is one in which if Christ should chance to enter, he would be pleased to linger and to rest” (In Conference Report, October 1947, 120; or Gospel Ideals: Selections from the Discourses of David O. McKay (1953), 169.)
It’s not just enough that you believe in God and in His son Jesus Christ, you must be sure to teach your children. Let them hear you bearing your testimony—sharing it with them every opportunity you get. President Monson said: “A love for the Savior, a reverence for His name, and genuine respect one for another will provide a fertile seedbed for a testimony to grow.”
I testify to you that if you follow those ‘hallmarks for a happy home,’ namely, a pattern of prayer, a library of learning, a legacy of love, and a treasury of testimony, your home and the hearts of your family members will be filled with happiness and you will have found the path that leads to happiness and joy ever after.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ brings Happiness
Filed under: Finding joy within the gospel, Fruits of gospel living, Joy in our relationship with the Savior
Every day we search for happiness—every one of us. There is not one living person who does not desire to be happy. Unfortunately, very often we mistake pleasure for happiness and since pleasure is more widely available we desperately grab onto it and hope it will make us happy.
Drugs, alcohol, even over eating can be a source of momentary pleasure that does not bring us the lasting happiness we crave. The world is full of sources of pleasure that are appealing on the surface, but can’t deliver the soul-healing joy that we were created to experience.
David O. McKay, then of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (or Mormons,) once said, “You may get that transitory pleasure, yes, but you cannot find joy, you cannot find happiness. Happiness is found only along that well beaten track, narrow as it is, though straight, which leads to life eternal” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1919, 180.)
In Leonard Tolstoy’s book War and Peace, his character Pierre Bezúkhov learn “that man is created for happiness, that happiness is within him, in the satisfaction of simple human needs, and that all unhappiness arises not from privation but from superfluity” (trans. Louise and Aylmer Maude [1942], 1176.)
Here, Pierre is stating that it’s not for going without that brings us unhappiness, but excess. It’s not for having too little, but having too much.
Too often, we strive for more. We are a culture of overabundance and we are not any happier because of it. Rather, our obesity, our dependence on recreational drugs, is at an all-time high. We are drowning in our superfluity and we are not happy.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ can provide you with a plan for your own life that will yield you happiness unmeasured, without end. “The assurance of supreme happiness, the certainty of a successful life here and of exaltation and eternal life hereafter, come to those who plan to live their lives in complete harmony with the gospel of Jesus Christ—and then consistently follow the course they have set” (The Miracle of Forgiveness [1969], 259.)
Decide today to make Christ’s plan of happiness your own. Make it the blueprint for your life. Forsake the lure of fleeting happiness and grasp instead, that joy that is yours for the taking—a life well lived in the gospel of Christ, your feet firm on the narrow path that leads you to life and joy eternal.
Happiness through Service
Filed under: Fruits of gospel living, Joy in our relationship with the Savior
Recently, I’ve written a great deal about the importance in keeping the commandments of God in our search for happiness. It is of such import to our eternal progression, that I am moved to write on the subject once more.
Keeping the commandments, which include the Ten Commandments as given by God to Moses as well as those added by the Savior—to love the Lord with all your heart, mind, might and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself. The self-mastery and personal discipline keeping the commandments requires of you, grants the real freedom that exalts and sustains us—this is the secret to happiness both here and hereafter.
Some people think that happiness is a life of ease, full of glamor and luxury. But true happiness in fact derives from the selfless service of our fellow man.
The world is fraught with temptations that play upon our natural selfishness. It is not a sin to be human and to be tempted by the things of the world. What is sinful is to deny the godliness within us.
“For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father” (Mosiah 3:19.)
Selflessness is a God-given virtue and is a key to happiness. When we put off the natural man and strive to be more God-like, we find are more giving, more loving, more quick to do that thing that Christ would do Himself if He were here.
That fun adage “What would Jesus do?” is an apt phrase that can be put to good use in our lives. Strive to perform acts of Christian service, to be the hands of heart of Christ in all that you do. Former president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (or Mormons,) Spencer W. Kimball said, “Every principle of the gospel carries within itself its own witness that it is true. So it is that acts of service help not only the beneficiaries of the service, but they enlarge the giver”
(Spencer W. Kimball, “Privileges and Responsibilities of Sisters,” New Era, Jan 1979, 42.)
It is by striving to be more like Jesus Christ, that you will fulfill your own destiny and become more like your true self. In this way you will have the opportunity to reach your full potential and to reap the happiness that our loving Heavenly Father holds in store for you.