Happiness and Joy in Life
The ancient prophet Lehi declared, “Men are that they might have joy.”
In our day, Russell Nelson in a speech to the world said, “The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives. When the focus of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation, and Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening — or not happening — in our lives. Joy comes from and because of Him. He is the source of all joy.”
The gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us how to find joy even in the midsts of trials. We receive so many blessings, added strength and help when we live the principles taught by Jesus Christ. As has been said, “the main thing is to keep the main thing, the main thing.” And if we want to have JOY in this life and the next, that main thing should be and in reality is the Savior, Jesus Christ. As he said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
A renown business consultant taught a simple principle that anyone can use to be more successful, whether in business or life in general. “Start with the End in Mind.” What does this mean? It means that we have a much better chance of success if we have a clear vision of what we want to achieve and always keep it in mind. So what is it we want out of life? What is our objective? What is God’s purpose for creating us? And are we willing to allow God to prevail in our life, and to align our purpose with his purpose?
God’s purpose is our immortality, salvation, and eternal life. When life is difficult, as it will be for everyone, more so for some than others, understanding God’s plan of salvation gives us hope for a better tomorrow. And that hope allows us to endure the bad times, as well as to have greater joy in the good times. I have never personally been faced with deep feelings of depression, but I can imagine what depression might be like if one’s life is filled with tragedy, pain, and sadness, with no hope for a better tomorrow. I’ve have never wandered through life without a vision of my purpose, but I can imagine what it might be like to have no purpose, and with no purpose, no hope and joy.
Although we each have a different set of cards dealt to us, we choose how to play them. We determine how we choose to view the world. We determine the kind of life we choose to live. Keeping eternity in perspective, and that which is of greatest value, even Eternal Life, the greatest of all God’s gifts in our constant view, and with an understanding of the enabling power of the grace of Christ (the main thing) to help us overcome our trials, our weaknesses, and heal our pains, we can have hope and faith sufficient to not only overcome all life’s trials, but to have happiness and true JOY in the journey.
