I would like to begin
my remarks with a bit of a complaint.
Some members of this ward, quite
a few as a matter of fact, are really really annoying. What is so annoying is that they are
relentlessly, tirelessly, inexhaustibly, cheerful and positive in their
outlook. They are constantly serving
family, neighbors, ancestors, even total strangers.
To the very limit of
their strength and ability, they
1. Take an interest in
young people,
2. Encourage struggling
fellow saints who have problems with their children.
3. Are generous with
their compliments and resources (time talents blessings)
4. Stingy with their
criticisms.
5. Seem to love pretty
nearly everybody
6. Look for
opportunities to serve.
In a myriad of ways
their lives are focused on others, on service to any and all. It's not that
they are perfect, or that their lives are charmed, they face very real, challenges.
What is so annoying is that they can be in the midst of huge, life
changing adversity, and yet they keep the faith and continue in service to God
by serving their fellows.
If they would consider for a moment those of us
who are less faithful, and take a break from their goodness now and again, it would certainly make it easier for the
rest of us to rationalize our whining self absorption. But I am certain this request will be
cheerfully ignored.
Adam and Eve had been
expelled from the garden of Eden and begun living and establishing the generations
of man. They were offering sacrifices one day (after many days) and an angel of
the Lord came and asked them why they were doing that. Adam replied, "I know not, save the Lord
hath commanded it." The angel told
him, "This thing is in similitude
of the Only Begotten."
Moses 5
9 And in that day the Holy Ghost fell
upon Adam, which beareth record of the Father and the Son, saying: I am
the Only Begotten of
the Father from the beginning, henceforth and forever, that as thou hast fallen thou
mayest be redeemed, and
all mankind, even as many as will.
10 And in that day Adam blessed God and was filled, and began
to prophesy concerning
all the families of the earth, saying: Blessed be the name of God, for because
of my transgression my eyes are
opened, and in this life I shall have joy, and again in
the flesh I shall
see God.
11 And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying:
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.
2Nephi
2 quoting from these same verses from
the Brass Plates, Nephi says more succinctly,
:25 Adam fell that men might be and men are that they might have joy.
Frequently I wonder why I don't feel a greater sense
of joy in my life as I try to follow the gospel. Abraham realized the way forward was to embrace
the gospel plan:
Abraham 1:
1 In
the land of the Chaldeans, at the
residence of my fathers, I, Abraham, saw that it
was needful for me to obtain another place of residence;
2 And,
finding there was greater happiness and
peace and rest for me, I sought for the blessings of the fathers, and the right
whereunto I should be ordained to administer the same; having been myself a
follower of righteousness,
desiring also to be one who possessed great knowledge, and to be
a greater follower of righteousness, and to possess a greater knowledge, and to
be a father of many nations, a prince of
peace, and desiring to
receive instructions, and to keep the commandments of God, I became a rightful
heir, a High Priest, holding
the right belonging to the fathers.
It is easy to get caught up in unhappiness, sorrow,
and to fret our lives away in "horrible-izing," a term one of my sisters-in-law introduced me
to from one of her neighbors in St. George.
Horribilizing is focusing on
the possible negative outcomes of our troubles and worries over our health, or
circumstances, or poor choices of our loved ones.
God is
complete and perfect and powerful. If mountains need moving, nations need
saving, people need comforting, a neighbor needs a meal or a visit, he can do all of that himself. But his work and his glory is to bring about our
salvation--to teach us what we need to
know to become like he is, complete, powerful,
and perfect.
In short,
we are blessed by serving others. We
experience our greatest joys through serving others. The desires of our heart are brought into
line with God's will when we serve others.
Our happiness, peace, and power to do good depend on our service to
others.
Mosiah 2:
17
And behold I
tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye
are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your
God.
The way to feel more joy is to focus on following
Jesus Christ. This means following his
commandments and example, which means, to me,
1. Repenting early--changing our bad behaviors
2. Focusing on others, not our selves.
Matthew 16:25-26
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will
lose his life for my sake shall find it.
26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and
lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
3. Looking outward for opportunities to serve, big
and small.
James 1:27 Pure
religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the
fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from
the world
Matthew 23:But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.
a.
serving family members
b.
serving neighbors
c.
serving strangers who can't pay you back
d.
serving in the Temple
4. Being
grateful to the Lord--Two hymn are particularly appropriate, when upon life's billows--Count your
blessings and
Mosiah 18 And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here
are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are
desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are
willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;
9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—
10 Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?
(Mosiah 8:8-10)
9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—
10 Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?
(Mosiah 8:8-10)
What are
the barriers to our feeling joy and happiness?
Susan Ward Professor of Organic Chemistry and faculty development at BYU
Idaho gave insight into this in a devotional address at BYU Idaho
1. As I have considered this question, I
have realized that I can trace the source of my unhappiness to one of three
areas: area number one, what I call the "mortal condition"; area
number two, my own poor choices; and area number three, the poor choices of those
close to me.
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