This past week as i sat with my companion in front of one of our investigators families, our conversation turned towars the disasters and tragidies that are occuring in the world today. Our investigator who i will name Antonio, turned the conversation in a way i didnt see coming. He said "My family is everything to me, They are my Happiness. But Elders..... What is true happiness?" Though this conversation was only a small mortal moment in the scale of our week, the spirituallity of his question resided with me long after. "What is Happiness?" Yes Happiness ma be at times our favorite team winning the football game, or scoring well on a test, or laying out in the sun on our day off; but i dont think those are the answers that our good freind Antonia are looking for.
In the Book of Mosiah, chapters 2-4 are composed of a discourse given by an ancient King named Benjamin. in this discourse this man of god gives us a piece of what may be the best answer for Antonio's question and for each and every one of us as well. He says: "I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God, for...they are blessed in ALL things, both temporal and spiritual.... and if they hold out in faithful to the end... they may dwell with God in a never ending state of Happiness." (Mosiah 2:41) So Happiness according to King Benjamin is and comes from keeping the Commandments of God. But Antonio followed with another question that even I have had at times in my mission and throughout my life nas well: "So say I keep all the commandments, why will I still face adversity, why will i still have times of sorrow and unhappiness? Why, will I, at times, still suffer?" While i had answers for him, none were exactly clear as even i didnt fully understand the doctrine behind this. With a week full of emails of people struggling, and even recieving a few different phone calls from different elders as well struggling and as i talked with other elders that as welll have this same question, i decided that i needed to search.
Upon returning home I remembered what I read once from Elder Russel M. Ballard: "One cannot look at human suffering... and not feel pain and compasssion... God has put his plan into motion. It proceeds through natural laws-which are, in fact, God's laws. And because they are his, he is bound by them, as are we. In this imperfect world, bad things sometimes happen.. dealing with adversity is one of the chief ways in which we are tested and tutored." So the state of Happiness comes from Righteousness. And we also learn that despite our righteousness, bad things may sometimes happen. But heres the difference: Those that are obedient can still find Happiness through trial. While talking to a good friend of mine this past week over the telephone, another Elder, I was reminded of something my parents have taught me throughout my youth: "Keep the Eternal Perspective". These four words may help us at all times throughout our life. Having the eternal perspective may make it easier for us to forgive others when we remember in the end we ourselves must be forgiven as well. The loss of a loved one is lightened at the knowledge that we will see them again, and the daily trials we face of any kind turn into as the Lord said unto the Prophet Joseph Smith: "Small moments" (D&C 121:7) if we just keep the eternal perspective. So my invitation this week is for us to: 1. Be righteous and stay obedient and 2. Keep the Eternal Perspective throughout all of our trials. Doing these two things may not make our life perfect, nor wioll it diminish the number or force of the trials we may face, but i promise that they will help us Through our trials and that "(our) soul(s) shall be joyful in the lord" (Psalms 35:9) And we may just encounter the answer to Antonio's soul searching question: "What is Happiness?" In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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