Choosing Happiness

BY: Brooke Davies

Yesterday I failed a test. Not just like “I-failed-it-but-really-I-scored-an-80-and-I-want-to-cry-anyway”, but a legitimate failing grade. I legitimately studied for and have been studying for every. single. night. I walked out of the testing center on the way home and thought, “okay, this isn’t that bad, maybe I’ll do better next time”. But somewhere between the Grant Building and my home 4 blocks away, it went from being okay to “I’m a failure of a person, the world is ending, why can’t anything ever go right” along with everything in between. I have never been legitimately afraid of failing.

Happiness is an interesting concept. It is easy to reason that the world is ending and thus, I have no reason to be happy right now. But in all honesty, we do! Alma 26:35 states:

"Have we not reason to rejoice? Yea, I say unto you, there never were men that had so great reason to rejoice as we, since the world began; yea, and my joy is carried away even unto boasting in my God; for he has all power, all wisdom, and all understanding; he comprehendeth all things and he is a merciful Being, even unto salvation, to those who will repent and believe on his name."

Have we not reason to rejoice? We have the gospel! We get to be with our families for eternity! Eternity! What more is there to ask for, than the ones we love forever. These trials will be for a short time, but our happiness will last through the eternities. I feel more and more that happiness is no where on the horizon. It isn't in a distant place or land or when our lives are just how WE want them to be. Happiness starts now. Our happily ever after starts now. President Utchdorf, a leader in our church said in his talk you can read here:

"We shouldn’t wait to be happy until we reach some future point, only to discover that happiness was already available—all the time! Life is not meant to be appreciated only in retrospect. “This is the day which the Lord hath made … ,” the Psalmist wrote. “Rejoice and be glad in it.”

"Brothers and sisters, no matter our circumstances, no matter our challenges or trials, there is something in each day to embrace and cherish. There is something in each day that can bring gratitude and joy if only we will see and appreciate it."

"The path toward fulfilling our divine destiny as sons and daughters of God is an eternal one. My dear brothers and sisters, dear friends, we must begin to walk that eternal path today; we cannot take for granted one single day. I pray that we will not wait until we are ready to die before we truly learn to live."

I was driving this past week home from being by the temple and I was listening to primary songs, it was early and the sun was working its way up into the sky. I heard the words "I know he lives! I will follow faithfully! My heart I give to him, I know that my Savior loves me!" And in that moment, I had a huge sun coming up on my right, the big blue river on my left, and the Portland skyline glowing in the sunlight and I just thought "How could I not be happy? I have everything, everything I need. The blessings of the temple are real. We have the words of our Savior to guide us and we have the truth. I don't want to look to the future to be happy. I can be happy. I know he lives! What else is there?"

I challenge you to choose to be happy. Do more or what makes you happy. If those things that make you happy seem too far away, maybe they are too big. I was happy today because there was wind and the skies were clear. I’m wearing my favorite outfit, that is happy too. I got out of bed this morning and actually took the time to shower, that’s a small happy victory.

Try it. Make a goal to be happy more often and I promise you, as you choose to find the happiness that is in your life, you will see the love of your Heavenly Father doing everything he can to help you be happy. We must learn to be happy NOW if we expect to have the life of eternal happiness that is there for us when we complete our journeys here on earth. Now is our time to practice. What you continually strive towards now is what you will eventually become, so hopefully part of who you choose to become is happy.