From the book’s introduction: ‘Happy Like Jesus’ Lessons from Jesus on How to Live, by D. Kelly Ogden, continuing from his introduction, Chapter One . . . . Be Happy. . . . :
Despite sadness around him—and sin, pride, disbelief, hatred, and jealousy—-Jesus was a happy person. Wickedness never was happiness, but righteousness always was happiness. Jesus was a righteous person, and, therefore, a happy person.
President Heber C. Kimball, for many years a counselor in the First Presidency of Brigham Young exclaimed: “I am perfectly satisfied that my Father and my God is a cheerful, pleasant, lively and good-natured Being. Why? Because I am cheerful, pleasant, lively, and good-natured when I have His Spirit. That is one of the reasons why I know; and another is—the Lord said, through Joseph Smith, ‘I delight in a glad heart and a cheerful countenance’ [Doctrine & Covenants 59:15). That arises from the perfection of His attributes; He is a jovial, lively person.”1
But we might think, How can I be a happy person with all these terrible, negative things happening around me? Think of our Heavenly Father and our Savior. They see much more than we do, but they maintain a joyful, positive disposition.
Jesus came to earth to teach us His way, as he said, “that your joy might be full” (John 15:11). He taught, “Ask and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:24).
Jesus said, “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 17:33). And because he has set an example for us, he is saying to us, “Now you overcome the world so you can be of good cheer.”
In one of his greatest recorded sermons, Jesus describes his character in words, the Beatitudes—or “beautiful attitudes,” we may call them (Matthew 5). “Blessed are ye” or “Happy are ye,” he taught, if you are humble in spirit, if you mourn and are compassionate, if you are meek, if you hunger and thirst after righteousness, if you are pure in heart, if you are a peacemaker, and if you are persecuted because of him. You can be happy and blessed as you develop all these characteristics of the Savior.
True disciples of Christ have an obligation to be cheerful, hopeful, and optimistic about the future. Rather than focus on the negative, God’s prophet of the Restoration counseled us: . . .
~D. Kelly Ogden, ‘Happy Like Jesus’ (Deseret Book, Salt Lake City, 2011), 5-6 continued
