Happiness

Enjoying swinging through the sprinkler.

1 “Whenever darkness fills our minds, we may know that we are not possessed of the Spirit of God. … When we are filled with the Spirit of God we are filled with joy, with peace, and with happiness, no matter what our circumstances may be; for it is a spirit of cheerfulness and of happiness. The Lord has given unto us the gift of the Holy Ghost. It is our privilege to have that Holy Ghost reign within us, so that from morning till night and from night till morning we shall have the joy, the light and the revelation thereof.”

OCTOBER 2010 “Serve with the Spirit” Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency

2“Happiness is the purpose of the gospel and the purpose of the redeeming Atonement for all men.”

OCTOBER 2005 “True Happiness: A Conscious Decision”

Benjamín De Hoyos,

3“We need to recognize that “wanting to” is the determining factor which leads us to lay hold upon the word of God and be happy. Perseverance in making correct decisions is what leads us to happiness. Happiness comes as a result of our obedience and our courage in always doing the will of God, even in the most difficult circumstances.”

OCTOBER 2005 “True Happiness: A Conscious Decision”

Benjamín De Hoyos, Of the First Quorum of the Seventy

4“Words such as reap, restored, and desire imply that happiness is a consequence, not a reward. We are restored to a state of happiness when we have chosen to live according to the plan of happiness. Our joy in God’s kingdom will be a natural extension of the happiness we cultivate in this life.”

APRIL 1986 “Happiness” Jack H. Goaslind

5“Striving for happiness is a long, hard journey with many challenges. It requires eternal vigilance to win the victory. You cannot succeed with sporadic little flashes of effort. Constant and valiant living is necessary. That is why patience and faith are so often associated in the scriptures. You must “withstand every temptation of the devil, with [your] faith on the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Alma 37:33.) But remember, faith is not a magical formula. It requires that you make a deliberate decision to do good and then carry out your decision. Do it. Simply do it, and do it long enough that you experience success, no matter how hard it may seem. Your victory over self brings communion with God and results in happiness—lasting and eternal happiness.”

APRIL 1986 “Happiness” Jack H. Goaslind

6“We were created with the express purpose and potential of experiencing a fulness of joy.  Our birthright—and the purpose of our great voyage on this earth—is to seek and experience eternal happiness.”

OCTOBER 2008 “Happiness, Your Heritage”, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency

7“Mortality is a time of testing and trial, which means that there must be times when we feel pain and emotional discomfort. However, by patiently trusting in the eternal plan, we can experience daily happiness and have hope for “ever-after happiness.”

APRIL 2000 “Living Happily Ever After”, Coleen K. Menlove, Primary General President

8 “If we continue to trust in God and follow His commandments through the challenging times, even those times will bring us closer to the happiness we are seeking. The Savior said, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

APRIL 2000 “Living Happily Ever After”, Coleen K. Menlove, Primary General President

9“All who seek full happiness can find it in the gospel of Jesus Christ, taught in His Church. Through Christ’s doctrine, we are taught that we can be part of the great plan of happiness that He has prepared for all of us, His sons and daughters. As we keep His commandments, we are blessed and come to know true happiness. We learn that happiness lies in doing small things that build us up, that increase our faith and testimony.”

10 “Happiness is much more than just fun. Fun is just a fleeting moment, but happiness is a lasting thing.

Many people in this world do not understand the difference between fun and happiness. Many try to find happiness having fun, but the two words have different meanings.

Fun is play, pleasure, gaiety, merriment, source of enjoyment, amusement, to behave playfully, playful, often a noisy activity, and teasing. Happiness is contentedness, joy, delight, and satisfaction.

I was taught, after becoming a member of the Church, that there is indeed a big difference between fun and happiness. I learned, even before my baptism, that the Lord has a plan of salvation for all His children. Through this plan, depending upon what we accomplish here on earth, we shall return to our Heavenly Father’s presence and live with Him forever in a state of eternal happiness.

Both fun and happiness are fine, but certainly happiness is the most worth seeking. Happiness can encompass fun as well, but fun alone will not assure us true happiness.”

OCTOBER 2002, “Fun and Happiness”, Claudio R. M. Costa, Of the First Quorum of the Seventy

Personal Statement

I have always felt happiness is an important part of life, but after reading about it I learned more in-depth what happiness is and why it is so important. Jack H. Goaslind teaches that: “Striving for happiness is a long, hard journey with many challenges. It requires eternal vigilance to win the victory. You cannot succeed with sporadic little flashes of effort. Constant and valiant living is necessary.” And Claudio R. M. Costa teaches that “Fun is play, pleasure, gaiety, merriment, source of enjoyment, amusement, to behave playfully, playful, often a noisy activity, and teasing. Happiness is contentedness, joy, delight, and satisfaction.”

What I had thought happiness was, was the worldly view of happiness. I learned that the eternal view of happiness isn’t about being “happy” all the time. Its hard work to have real lasting happiness and many of the things in the world can bring us momentary happiness, but they don’t bring us lasting eternal happiness. “Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die,” would be the world’s reason for needing to be find happiness now because we never know when our life will be over. True happiness is being loved by our family, knowing that we are children of a loving Heavenly Father, having our family with us eternally, and knowing that we have done the best we can to live a righteous life. What I’ve learned about happiness is going to change the way I look at life. Happiness in our everyday life is important, but so is eternal happiness.