Finding Happiness

The President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (or Mormon Church,) has a wonderful way with words. Long before he became our Prophet and Seer, I enjoyed listening—and learning—from this great man.

Twice a year Mormons enjoy a General Conference, during which time we are taught by the leaders of our Church—including our Prophet. In April of this year, President Thomas S. Monson gave a talk I thought you could benefit from.

President Monson taught us about “Treasure of Eternal Value” (Ensign, Apr 2008, 4–9.) He said that there are three key components to living your life worthy of “joy unspeakable and eternal happiness hereafter.”

Those three keys are:

1. Learn from the past.
2. Prepare for the future.
3. Live in the present.

Today, it is not popular to speak of God and His importance in our lives. However, there was a time when God shaped a man’s destiny—particularly for those men and women who settled the United States in their efforts to assert religious freedom for themselves and their children.

We are the blessed descendants of such people—whether we live in the United States or in regions around the world—our parents knew the value of God and sought to include Him in their lives.

We would do well to learn from their example and to strive to emulate it.

Learn from the past.

People have been trying, from time immemorial, to see into the future. Many have claimed they could, but most of us cannot. In lieu of sure knowledge, we must be prepared. Oftentimes that requires a sacrifice today, but if we will keep our sites on our goal, we’ll know the sacrifice is worth it.

Also, we must pray daily to our Father in Haven, who loves us, because He will guide us in the way we should go—he wants each of us to succeed in life and prayer will help us stay on the right path.

Prepare for the future.

Too often the old adage “Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today,” is ignored as we daydream of the past and long for the future. But doing so robs us of our today, and today is the only guarantee we have.

We should never take the blessings we enjoy today to be forgotten or taken for granted. Too often, those blessings take the form of loved ones who share our lives and friendship. Live in the moment and tell the ones you love how you feel—they will be blessed for it, and so will you.

Live in the present.

The Savior, Jesus Christ, said:

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
“But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:19.)

Think of these three components of pieces to a map that will guide you to the greatest treasure you could ever hope to find. Learn from the past, prepare for the future, and live for today. Remember God loves you. Be happy.

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (or Mormons,) we have additional scripture and revelations that have increased our understanding of the premortal life, our purpose in mortality, and our potential for eternal life. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught,

“The great Jehovah contemplated the whole of the events connected with the earth, pertaining to the plan of salvation, before it rolled into existence … ; the past, the present, and the future were and are, with Him, one eternal ‘now’” (History of the Church, 4:597.)

Heavenly Father saw the end from the beginning and so it’s easy to imagine that the commandments He has given to us throughout the generations were for the purpose of helping us win the rewards He has prepared for us. Since He desires for us to be happy, it would stand to reason that following the commandments will help us achieve that happiness.

Today, the voice of the world would seek to convince us that following commandments is cumbersome and old-fashioned. However, happy people know that “wickedness never was happiness,” as Alma teaches (Alma 41:10.)

King Benjamin, a Book of Mormon prophet taught:

“And moreover, I would desire that ye should 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. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it” (Mosiah 2:41.)

There is a period of time in the Book of Mormon when the Nephites were said to have “lived after the manner of happiness” (2 Nephi 5:27.) They did not achieve this happiness overnight—it came after much hard work, scripture study, and continued faith in the Lord.

John B. Dickson, wrote in his talk “After the Manner of Happiness” (Ensign, Feb 2008, 14–18:)

“Keeping the commandments was an essential condition to their happy way of life: “And we did observe to keep the judgments, and the statutes, and the commandments of the Lord in all things” (2 Nephi 5:10). They were not selective in the commandments they kept, but “in all things” they sought to be obedient. They knew that their temporal well-being, as well as their spiritual growth, depended upon their keeping the commandments of God.”

But mistakes do happen. When we inevitably do slip in our faithfulness, all is not lost. Even prophets and apostles before us have been imperfect. The wonderful gift of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that His atonement is for every one of us. If you should make a mistake, repent of your sins and sin no more.
“By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will confess them and forsake them” (D&C 58:42–43.)

Elder Dickson lists five steps that will help us to obtain not only happiness in this life but eternal life in the world to come:

1. Have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and a desire to enjoy the blessings of celestial life.
2. Recognize mistakes and correct them through repentance.
3. Know that the Lord invites us to enjoy eternal happiness but will never force us.
4. Believe that the Savior can truly help us be clean and happy.
5. Have faith that forgiveness comes to those who truly repent.

Remember that you are a child of God and that He loves you. He prepared His plan of happiness for us from the very beginning and has surely provided a way for us to achieve that happiness. I testify that following the commandments of God is the right way to find and keep true happiness.