Proverbs 16:20 "He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he." See also Proverbs 29:18; John 13:17; 1 Peter 3:14The prophet Joseph Smith taught, " Happiness is the object and design of our existence and will be the end therof, if we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the commandments of God. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 255-56.)
We all desire happiness. Everything we do is probably motivated by the desire to be happy. Right? We all just want to be happy in this life. What is required to obtain happiness? A relationship with God and keeping His commandments. I truly believe this. People might think I'm whacked but I know it's true in my heart. Nothing else will bring us true happiness. Eternal happiness. I will even venture to say peace. We all seek peace as well. Peace and Happiness.
No earthly possessions or status or whatever you seek to obtain in this life will bring you greater peace and happiness than knowing you are a child of God and trusting in Him and keeping His commandments.
Satan does not want us to know this. He will do everything in his power to have us believe that we don't need God to be happy. He wants men to remain in a carnal state.
The Book of Mormon speaks of men that are in a “carnal state … and in the bonds of iniquity; they are without God in the world, and they have gone contrary to the nature of God; therefore, they are in a state contrary to the nature of happiness.” (Alma 41:11.) It also records Samuel the Lamanite’s warning to the Nephites: “Ye have sought all the days of your lives for that which ye could not obtain; and ye have sought for happiness in doing iniquity, which thing is contrary to the nature of that righteousness which is in our great and Eternal Head.” (Hel. 13:38.) Alma sums it up: “Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness.” (Alma 41:10)
I almost think some people are out to prove that they can in fact find happiness without God in their lives and just as the Nephites in the Book of Mormon they seek for happiness in doing iniquity. Unfortunately, they will never find it. Oh sure, they can have happy moments but when it comes to true peace and happiness and contentment....it won't be there, not until they understand who they are as a child of God and gain a personal relationship with Him and with the Savior of us all will they ever be able to know true joy. Don't you just wish you could knock people on the side of the head sometimes and wake them up and say, "C'mon!!" It's just so frustrating that they will so easily listen to the world and are so stinking stubborn when it comes to God. Why? I just don't understand???
Anyway, on another note....Trials are another necessary part of this life that can have an impact on our happiness. We have the ability to choose happiness (God) or misery(Satan for he wants us all to be miserable like him)
Here is a story found in the Ensign that illustrates how we may choose our response to our trials and tribulations as told by Elder Jack H. Goaslind of the Presidency of the First Quorum of the Seventy (May 1986), "Over one hundred years ago a Swedish family who had joined the Church faced a long ocean voyage to America, a train trip from New York to Omaha, and then a trek by wagon train to Salt Lake City. During their train trip they rode in stock cars used to haul hogs. The cars were filthy and filled with hog lice. On their wagon trip across the plains, a healthy baby was born, but their three-year-old contracted cholera. During the night, the father went to a neighboring wagon to borrow a candle, but was told they couldn’t spare one. This angered him, and he fumed as he sat in the dark with his son’s limp, feverish body in his arms. The boy died that night.
The next morning the wagon master said they would hold a short funeral and bury the boy in a shallow grave. They were in Indian country and didn’t have time to do more. The father insisted on staying behind and digging a grave deep enough so the animals would not disturb the body. They experienced other hardships before they reached Salt Lake City.
Now, both the mother and the father experienced the same trials, but the father became withdrawn, cantankerous, and bitter. He stopped going to church, found fault with Church leaders. He became caught up in his own miseries, and the light of Christ grew dimmer and dimmer in his life.
On the other hand, the mother’s faith increased. Each new problem seemed to make her stronger. She became an angel of mercy—filled with empathy, compassion, and charity. She was a light to those around her. Her family gravitated toward her and looked to her as their leader. She was happy; he was miserable. (See Ensign, Feb. 1981, pp. 54–55.)"
It is my testimony that we can find true peace and happiness in this life when we know God and keep His commandments. If we trust in Him and rely on Him through our trials and adversity we will still be able to find joy and peace and happiness in our lives despite them.
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