The gospel teaches us that we are all created for a happiness that endures. How can more of us achieve it?
We… read in Mosiah 2:41 that we “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.”
We often use the word happy to describe a momentary mood, feeling, or emotion. Although characterizing these bursts of positive emotion in this way may not be inaccurate, the Lord and His prophets present a broader view of happiness: it is both the reason for our existence and something we can experience in a much more lasting, constant, and enduring way. Happiness can be a state of being.
Happy people:
- are content with having their basic needs met.
- strive to become more selfless.
- are involved in something they believe is bigger than themselves.
- use their personal strengths to bless the lives of others.
- foster close friendships and family relationships.
- focus less on transient, pleasurable pursuits and more on enduring, meaningful ones.
- Even when they live in a materialistic society, happy people are not ruled by the often mistaken idea that “more is better.”
Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has provided a gospel perspective on these matters: “While wholesome pleasure results from much we do that is good, it is not our prime purpose for being on earth. Seek to know and do the will of the Lord, not just what is convenient or what makes life easy. You have His plan of happiness. You know what to do, or can find out through study and prayer. Do it willingly.” (Ensign May 2001 ‘First Things First‘)
(The above was from an article ‘Lasting Happiness’ by Craig P. Wilson (published in the Ensign April 2014 p16. If of interest to you, anyone would benefit from reading the complete article, click link… ‘Lasting Happiness’)
The gospel teaches us that we are all created for a happiness that endures. How can more of us achieve it?
We… read in Mosiah 2:41 that we “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.”
We often use the word happy to describe a momentary mood, feeling, or emotion. Although characterizing these bursts of positive emotion in this way may not be inaccurate, the Lord and His prophets present a broader view of happiness: it is both the reason for our existence and something we can experience in a much more lasting, constant, and enduring way. Happiness can be a state of being.
Happy people:
- are content with having their basic needs met.
- strive to become more selfless.
- are involved in something they believe is bigger than themselves.
- use their personal strengths to bless the lives of others.
- foster close friendships and family relationships.
- focus less on transient, pleasurable pursuits and more on enduring, meaningful ones.
- Even when they live in a materialistic society, happy people are not ruled by the often mistaken idea that “more is better.”
Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has provided a gospel perspective on these matters: “While wholesome pleasure results from much we do that is good, it is not our prime purpose for being on earth. Seek to know and do the will of the Lord, not just what is convenient or what makes life easy. You have His plan of happiness. You know what to do, or can find out through study and prayer. Do it willingly.” (Ensign May 2001 ‘First Things First‘)
(The above was from an article ‘Lasting Happiness’ by Craig P. Wilson (published in the Ensign April 2014 p16. If of interest to you, anyone would benefit from reading the complete article, click link… ‘Lasting Happiness’)
Life directed to lasting happiness is a journey. It’s not a destination where we, having arrived, can ‘hang our hat’ (hang out?) and do nothing more. An existence of doing nothing in blessing others, falls infinitely short of what the Lord has for us to learn and become. And for those, extra blessed, who discover this early (or whenever), the daily price paid is no burden, because of growth into a blessed state ‘line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little there a little’ (see 2 Nephi 28:30). It requires patience, daily payment of many small disciplines and selfless acts that sum up to the sort of joy of the pure in heart. Selfless Christlike acts build pure motives that constantly cleanse the soul and create fertile ground for profound growth. As children of God, we all have ‘a right’ to such a life desired for us by Christ himself. The price ‘paid’ is so small for blessings received! kdm
reposted from July 6, 2015
