Happiness and the Scriptures

I was intrigued this morning when reading from Mormon 9.  I know this verse (v14) is a truth.  I also know we are the same spirit we were before our birth and much about us is who we are.  Verse 14 says that who we are when we leave this earthly existence is who we will be after the resurrection.  If we are happy here, we will be happy there.  If we were unhappy on earth, we will continue to be unhappy still. 

That said, is there any hope that those who are unhappy in this life can change?  But of course! God is a god of miracles (v15), and we are here to grow and change.  As I looked at the next page in Preach my Gospel this morning, it talks about the Book of Mormon being able to answer the questions of the soul.  There is a long list of questions and references that pertain to gospel questions, but what about those things that bring us a joyful life?  So this question puts me on a search in the Topical Guide under happiness.  There are references in the Bible and all the scriptures. 

• Job 5:17 – Happy is the man whom God correcteth. 
• Psalm 127:5 – Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of [children].
• Proverbs 3:13 – “Happy is the man that findeth wisdom”.  Where can that wisdom be found?  In the scriptures.
• Have mercy on the poor
• Trust the Lord
• If we suffer or reproached for righteousness, happy are we
• Now for Book of Mormon references
• 1 Nephi 8:10  “. . . a tree whose fruit was desirable to make one happy.”  What is that fruit?  The love of God!
• 2 Nephi 2:13  If you are not righteous, you cannot be happy.  That’s pretty simple, yet a hard one for most to embrace.
• Then Mosiah 2:41 says: “. . . 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.” 
• Alma 27:18 – happiness is given the truly penitent and humble seeker.
• Alma 41:5 - Our level of happiness is according to our desires.
• Alma 41:10 – Wickedness never was happiness
• Alma 44:5 – Moroni tells Zarahemnah all their happiness is a result of the sacred word of God, aka scriptures.

There are more.  I am convinced that we can find happiness through reading the scriptures.  Why would that be?  How does that make us happier?  Could it be that as we read the experiences of others as they have conquered their own battles, we realize we can follow their pattern for so doing and apply it to our own lives?  I will say this.  There was a day – in fact, there have been several times in my life, when my life was tumultuous and not happy.  I discovered that immersing myself in the scriptures as I prayed for the Spirit to be with me, I gradually overcame my “funk” and was able to move beyond whatever it was that was causing me to be discontent and unhappy.  It was a conscious effort each time.  It is my daily scripture study that helps me maintain some sanity in an insane existence.  I find joy in looking back at my thoughts through the years.  I’ve kept a scripture journal either in hard form or on this blog for quite some time.  It has been helpful to me.  I hope it’s helping others.

So back to my first question: How can an unhappy person change?  First, they must desire that change.  As they desire, they must do something – preferably read the scriptures.  As they desire to be happy, that desire will begin to work within them as they invite the Lord into their lives.  I really don’t know that it can be done in any other way.  And my time in the scriptures is over.

Follow the Prophet

As I was reading Ether chapter 1 this morning, the thought crossed my mind that Jared and his brother knew before the language was scrambled that The Lord was going to do this particular thing.  Where would I get that notion?

In Amos 3:7 it says:  Surely The Lord god will do nothing save he shall revealeth his secrets to the prophet.

Wouldn't it make sense that the prayer that their language and the language of their good friends would not be scrambled would have come before the actual event?  Otherwise, how could Jared have talked with his brother?

A few years back President Hinckley warned the brethren to get out of debt.  He did not call out any calamity, but those who followed that prophetic counsel have been blessed as the economy has tanked in the last few years.

My marching orders are to follow the prophet.  Anything less is asking for trouble.  It would also make sense that I seek out his counsel.  It counts whether I've heard it or not.

Does My Life Align with the Savior's?

Some days are harder to gather my own thoughts of what I’ve read.  That is partly because of all the distractions going on around me.  I read from Mormon 8.  Mormon is dead – killed in battle with the Lamanites, and Moroni is finishing his record.  Then I read an assignment from Preach My Gospel where we’re asked what the Book of Mormon says about the Bible and in what ways do both books serve as a testament of Christ.  That left me wanting more, so I read the next talk in my November Ensign on Temple Standard from Elder Scott D. Whiting.

Why do we have scripture?  What is it’s purpose?  Mormon, Moroni and a host of other prophets sacrificed their entire lives so we could have access to the happenings in their days and their prophecies of our day.  Moroni saw our day!  He saw the wickedness that would exist at the time of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon.  I can’t help but wonder what he thought of our day and the wickedness that prevails.  It had to be disgusting to him. 

In answer to my question, (the purpose of scriptures), we have scripture to testify of the divinity of our Savior, Jesus Christ, his purpose in coming to earth, our Heavenly Father’s plan, and our part in it. The scriptures are to help us in our journey home - to our Heavenly Father and so we would have an example of the type of person we are to be.  When we believe in Christ, we will seek for a remission of our sins, and the way has been created for us to be forgiven so we can return to our Heavenly Father. 

As I read the conference talk, he spoke of the temples and the preciseness of their construction.  In examination of the contractor’s work, if something doesn’t pass “temple standard”, it is worked on or replaced until it does.  Then he draws a comparison to our lives.  As we read the scriptures and the words of the prophets, we too must have periodic self-exams of our “construction” progress.  Is my life in alignment with the Lord’s commandments?  Do I have walls that need buffing or windows that need replacement?  Am I seeking to hide these flaws?  The answers to these questions come when we read the scriptures and try daily to align our lives with that of our Savior.

Life is Sweet

“We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly.  We also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.”  (Article of Faith #8)

This morning I read from Mormon 7.  We are told about the Bible and the Book of Mormon coming forth in the latter days.  They will be used in converting the Lamanites who we know to be the American Indians as well as many who live on the islands of the sea. 

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is contained in the Book of Mormon and can be substantiated as truth using the Bible.  I am not a scriptorian, but I have a desire to know more and keep reading daily.  I have studied to know for myself and I do know the Book of Mormon is true.  The Holy Ghost has testified this to me on numerous occasions and brings into my life a spirit that cannot be argued.  It whispers peace to me when nothing around me is peaceful.  It calms me, brings me joy and comfort in knowing the Lord has a plan and I am part of His plan.  I can know how to follow that plan by reading the scriptures and as I ask each day what the Lord would have me to do, the spirit will (and does) guide me.  I’m so very grateful for this knowledge and nothing would bring me more joy as a parent than to have each of my children and their children discover this for themselves. 

That said, my guide for this day is to carry on.  Start each day reading from the words of the prophets – this includes Conference Sessions of the Ensign, and align my life with the Savior’s.  I heard a quote during a podcast I really like.  “The Lord’s Key to Success is to give the first day of the week, the first part of the day and the first dime of every dollar to the Lord.”  I really like that thought and as far as the first part of every day goes, when it becomes habit and fixed, life is sweet.

O Ye Fair Ones, how could you!

Moroni 6 is probably the saddest book ever written.  It is true, and I cannot comprehend 230,000 people lying on the ground dead.  Mormon and his son, Moroni, have seen an unthinkable slaughter.  Why and how could this happen just 400 years after Jesus Christ had visited them and they were a peaceful people – the happiest that have ever lived on the earth?  Maybe I can find a bullet list of clues.

V17 – They rejected Jesus

V22 – They did not repent  

Well, that’s a pretty short list.  The final verse in this chapter makes it clear we will ALL stand before the judgment-seat of Christ to be judged of our works.  We need to keep this in mind as we go about our lives.

I love the quote I wrote in the margin of my book by Ezra Taft Benson.  He was a political figure in the nation as well as a prophet of God at the time of his death.  He said, “Great nations do not fall of external aggression; they first erode and decay inwardly so that, like rotten fruit, they fall of themselves.  The strength of a country is the sum total of the moral strength of the individuals in that country.”

Where do we stand as a nation?  Are there more good people than those who have lost all moral moorings?  We can hope, but it doesn’t look real good.  I listened to two podcasts this week, and I’m a little more hopeful.  Both were of political figures that are not LDS, and their beliefs and standards in righteousness are strong.  Does this count?  We can hope.

The fact we must not reject our Savior, Jesus Christ, and repent of our sins in order to be spared is a simple formula.  I must admit that one of the podcasts was of a man who has not accepted Jesus, but had strong religious character.  Do those people count?  They certainly speak boldly enough of their moral convictions.  Oh well, this will be interesting to watch play out.

Thanksgiving

It’s the day after Thanksgiving.  We have survived (I guess) a mass gathering of our posterity minus one very important family living in Germany.  It was a day of crazy, loud fun and food.  Was it a day to reflect on the blessings we’ve been given.  I hope we provided a forum for that.  I asked this question to get things started: “What are you thankful for this year that didn’t exist in your life last year?”  Some of the answers were quite thoughtful, i.e. one grandchild is thankful for a new aunt.  My son was thankful for invitations to interview at medical schools.  His new bride was a part of his life last year.

I just read Elder L. Tom Perry’s October 2012 on Becoming Goodly Parents – a fitting talk to compliment my thoughts of Thanksgiving.  A few comments gave me cause for pause. 

• Did my home provide a safe harbor for each child where they could be influenced for good and acquire eternal values? 
• Did we set a good example for our children?  Am I doing so now?
• Did we always find time for fun?

 Elder Perry gives a bullet list of ways these things are accomplished:

• Prayer.  Pray for our children and with them.  Pray for Heavenly Father to help us love, understand and guide our children.
• Family prayer, scripture study and FHE. 
• Eat together
• Communicate and teach values
• Use the Church’s support network.  I suppose we did that.  You don’t think about some things; you just do them.
• Share our testimonies often.  I bore my testimony on Fast Sundays, but I think my life was my testimony.  Family Rules and expectations, tradition, rituals, and “family economics” with responsibilities and opportunities to earn allowances.  This one was hit and miss, but toward our children’s’ teenage years, there is no doubt there were expectations.  We had an economic program and from the time of twelve years of age, they each were responsible for their own laundry, earning and spending clothes money.  It was one of the best things we did for our children.

Did it work?  Four of the five are valiant in their efforts to live the gospel.  They all know how to work.  They each have their own, custom-made set of challenges to help them grow both in the gospel and as responsible adults.  Some have it harder than others.

I’m thankful for the growth that comes from parenting.  It continues (maybe even more so) after the supposed “empty nest” phase of life.  My prayers for my children and their families are more intense.  I see where they’re headed.  Some I find great comfort in and I see others heading for a cliff.  It is an interesting vista where I’m perched currently.

My thoughts of “what do I do” are to continue setting a righteous example, maybe even pump it up, but I try to use wisdom also.  My desires to run faster are not always consistent with my body’s message that I slow my pace a little.  It is a balancing act.

Happy Thanksgiving

Today I read from Mormon 2:4 – “And they did not come unto Jesus with broken hearts and contrite spirits, but they did curse God, and wish to die.  Nevertheless they would struggle with the sword for their lives.”

This verse stuck out to me as ironic and quite normal.  I have seen people who have a strong wish to die, but they hang onto their lives in much the same way.  Why is that?  Is it human nature to want to preserve ones own life?  And what is it that compels people to wish to die?  Could it be anger toward God for those blessings of which they feel they have been deprived?  I find this ironic as well.  All that the Lord has he has promised to those who love Him and will keep His commandments.  What are those blessings?  Eternal life is one of those blessings.  What is eternal life?  Living in the presence of our Heavenly Father throughout the eternities with our loved ones there as well. 

I don’t know what that will look like.  I sometimes wonder when we get together with all our loved ones.  It is an exercise is patience, understanding, tolerance, and fighting the natural man.  It isn’t always fun.   It is real work, in fact.  However, I have faith that we will be happy because we will be one with our Savior, Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father.  We will all be on the same page or we won’t be there.  And that is the sad thing to me.  If we can’t all be on the same page and one is missing, what a sad day that will be.  When one of my own families is missing, there is part of me missing as well.  I feel sad that we celebrate this Thanksgiving without my daughter’s family who are serving in the military in Germany.

So where am I going with all this?  I’m not certain.  For one, it is the nature of man to value life at the same time he is wishing to die.  It is also the nature of man to want to be with loved ones at the same time he is doing everything possible to destroy those relationships.  But we are trying to overcome the natural man, which means (to me) we will trust in the Lord with all our hearts and lean not unto our own understanding.  This is where I hang my hat.  I trust the Lord knows me well enough to know what will make me happy throughout the eternities.  That’s enough for me.  I don’t have to understand everything always.  For that I’m very grateful.

So on this Thanksgiving day, as I read my scriptures, I would like to express how grateful I am for the scriptures in my life.  I see parallels between the experiences of the Nephites and Lamanites to that of the world in its current condition as well as in my own personal life.  Because I can see these parallels, I can also see the warnings and try ever so hard to take heed.  The Lord has blessed me beyond anything I can possibly deserve.  I wonder why many times.  I was rescued from a life of darkness and have been blessed with a beautiful, eternal family.  It grieves me to see some of them struggle so with the evils and temptations of this world, but I have been blessed to understand the Lord has a plan, and we are all part of that plan.  Somehow, those I worry the most about will come to the knowledge of their Savior and reach out for help like I did.  My constant prayer is that someone will be there when that day comes. 

So my marching orders for this day may not be as clear.  Because it is Thanksgiving, perhaps it is to be thankful for the good as well as the bad.  There are plenty of both.  Happy Thanksgiving to anyone who has tripped over this blog – if you’ve made it this far.