Happiness Begins with Me

Mosiah 2:41 offers a loving message and depiction of our Father in Heaven and His hopes for us:

“And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that those things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.”

I don’t know about you, but I can’t think of anything better than dwelling with God in a state of never-ending happiness. He has provided a path for us by which we can achieve this happiness with guidance and wisdom along the way. Through a loving Prophet and Apostles who converse with God regularly, the scriptures which counsel and comfort us, angels who surround, warn of dangers, and lift us through dark times, and family and loved ones who relate to, validate, teach, love, and provide us with some life’s most valuable experiences from which we develop character and social skills, we can know the proper steps to stay along this path toward happiness.  And we can experience happiness along the way, too!

In 1995, President Gordon B. Hinckley and his counselors presented The Family: The Proclamation to the World. These men were dedicated instruments in bringing forth this holy document which today more than ever provides church members and others with clarity, direction, and hope.

Happiness is mentioned twice in the Family Proclamation: once to tell us that this divine plan enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave, and again to remind us that happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of Christ.

Preparations for dwelling with God, or ultimate happiness, is not achieved without sincere and constant effort, nor does it begin once we’re married or have x number of children. This process begins early on with self-reflection and development. Before we can expect to find happiness in marriage or parenthood or any other season of life, we must first find happiness within ourselves.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxQLj435-2s

When we board a flight, what are we instructed to do with the oxygen mask?  It's not to help our child or neighbor with their masks before reaching for ours.  It's to secure our OWN mask first!  After all, what good are we to others if we are running on empty ourselves?  The same concept applies to happiness and success in life.  Before we can expect something or someone to make us happy; before we can enter a marriage and care for a spouse in every needed capacity; before we can become a parent and fulfill every demand of our new tiny human - while remaining sane - we must first lookout for ourselves.  Life is full of blessings to be enjoyed and challenges to be overcome.  The more we've strived to develop character and become the best version of ourselves we can be and the more we've worked to build upon ourselves while drawing closer to God, the better individuals we are going to be.  And the better individuals are, the better spouse and parent we will become!  It's a process that begins with self-care!

In a fast-paced, device-driven, entitled world where instant gratification is as commonly expected as a smartphone in the fourth-grade, lasting genuine happiness can be difficult to find.  Society tells us that happiness equates to the collection of material items, or to the achievement of financial success.  While these things can contribute to happiness, lasting genuine happiness begins with a healthy state of mind and spirit.  Again, it begins with us and what we're doing to maintain that healthy mindset.  Being an emerging adult today can be confusing and frustrating, especially when it comes to dating and marriage.  There's been a shift in this stage of life.  The median age for marriage has increased and the central responsibilities of adulthood have changed from focusing on starting or taking care of one's family to one's own personal interests and independence.

The family unit, despite what the world may tell us, continues to be the fundamentally strongest unit of society.  While dating culture and views on marriage have shifted over time, God's commandment to work toward marriage and family remains in effect.  He knows, after all, that these things will guide us back to our ultimate happiness and final destination - dwelling with God in a state of never-ending happiness.

Chapter 1 of Successful Marriages and Families discusses today's dating culture, the increase in promiscuity, cohabitation, and delaying of marriage and family.  It also discusses ways that emerging adults can overcome these obstacles and achieve happiness in dating and marriage.  To support my previous statement that happiness begins with us, Elder David A. Bednar says the following: "You become what you hope your spouse will be and you'll have a greater likelihood of finding that person."  We prepare for the sacred responsibility of marriage and parenthood by first working to become the best version of ourselves.  Satan is aware that the family is a threat to his grand plan, which is why he has declared war on us.  We have to be equipped to overcome the confusion and temptation he has created.  Thankfully, as Elder Richard G. Scott says, "You have a choice.  You can wring your hands and be consumed with concern for the future or choose to use the counsel the Lord has given to live with peace and happiness." I don't know about you, but I choose happiness!