Are you happy?

How many times have you said, "_____ makes me so mad!" or "_____ would make me happy."? It's a funny little thing we say, and I'm not sure it is entirely accurate. Can anything or anyone truly make us happy or mad or whatever? I really believe that no one can make you lose control, and that our attitudes are sometimes the only thing that we have any control over. I think happiness is a choice that has nothing to do with wealth, privilege, power, etc.

The word “gospel” means good news. The angel said, “I bring you good tidings of great joy” (Luke 2:10). Jesus Christ came to earth and lived as a mortal man, he suffered for our sins, and died for us, that we might repent and live eternally with him. That’s wonderful news! Doesn’t it make you happy? :)

There are other great scriptures about being happy. Proverbs 16:20 says, “…whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he.” One of my favorite parts in the New Testament is when Christ washes his apostles’ feet. After he washes their feet he says, “…I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you…If you know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.” (John 13: 15,17) Later in John Christ says, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Be of good cheer! In Galatians Paul says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance…” (Galatians 5:22-23). When you have the Spirit of God with you, you feel love, joy!, and peace… etc.

I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I don’t know if you have ever had a chance to read The Book of Mormon… there are some great scriptures contained in that book as well. The prophet Lehi tells his son Jacob, “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.” (2Nephi 2:25—this whole chapter is one of my very favorites!) God did not send us to earth to be miserable. He loves us, and wants us to be happy.

I’m confused when “religious” people walk around so solemn and cross, stuffily pious, shouting about hellfire and damnation, and the condemnation of a just God, and anxiously waiting for happiness in heaven. Do people really believe that they can walk around grouchy on earth and then miraculously be transformed to happiness when they die? I believe heaven and hell start right here on earth. Part of our mortal probation is to learn how to be happy and joyful. Happiness is not an event or something that happens to us. It is a choice. We may not be able to choose what happens to us, we may never have riches or fame or power, but how we react, our attitude, how we look at the world is completely up to us. No one can make us mad, or miserable, or even happy.

Paul taught that we must, “[give] thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20) It doesn’t say, ‘Thank the Lord when you are rich and have every worldly thing you desire’. It says give thanks “always” for “all things”. And, a thankful heart is a happy heart, so I think it is also saying to be happy. No matter what tribulations we may experience in this brief mortality, we have plenty to be happy about.

Alma (another prophet from The Book of Mormon) taught, “…for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world.” (Alma 34:34) and Mormon said something similar, “And then cometh the judgment of the Holy One upon them; and then cometh the time that he that is filthy shall be filthy still; and he that is righteous shall be righteous still; he that is happy shall be happy still; and he that is unhappy shall be unhappy still.” (Mormon 9:14)

We are made up of body and spirit, and when we die our bodies and spirits are separated for a time, but we’re still the same. Heaven begins on earth, in that if we are miserable here, we will still be miserable, and if we learn to be happy here, we will be happy there!

This has become rather long, and I think possibly a bit disjointed in places. Maybe I will come back and edit it when I am less hungry and tired, and my brain is working at something closer to full power. ;) But, in all my ramblings, somewhere there is a point, and I think you get it.