Happiness

After the crazy week last week which did not include the post about our new neighbors that moved in. The lice family have evacuated after 2 days of intense cleaning. Baby is feeling better, and is once again consuming her formula. Parent teacher conferences have concluded, and Madi's arm is healing! Yay... I can't really say this is A-typical for our family. Seven people living in one place there is always going to be something. I'd like to think through it all I kept my sense of humor about it. I wanted to go hide in my bed and cry but no...I chose to laugh. I chose to find humor at the intensity of how it all happened in such a concentrated form. This week I read an amazing talk by Elder Scott called, "Finding Happiness". https://byui.brightspace.com/content/enforced/14113-Online.2015.Fall.FDREL200.62/Course%20Files/FDREL%20200%20Packet%20(F15).pdf?_&d2lSessionVal=BuFu7XPGylxroi0qawBzRTWW3&ou=14113

I love the eternal perspective of happiness. It isn't the perfect excellently decorated home, well paying job, the fabulous vacations, the perfect children (although close couldn't hurt!!). These are not bad things but I find happiness is in the moments, and the spiritual connections, the people that have influenced us, the good deeds we perform, the service we provide, and the Christ-like love that is shown. I also loved that the eternal perspective is true. Elder Scott said, "Your happiness is absolutely guaranteed as you willingly obey his commandments, receive all of the necessary ordinances, and are obedient to them, for he is a perfect, loving Father who will never change." Our Lord has shown us the formula for happiness, a goodness that goes to the core is immeasurable. He has also provided a way that we can find happiness after despair. When we commit a sin or make a wrong choice that we regret he has given us the atonement. Without a complete remission of our sins Elder Scott said, "Over time we would become like Satan because we would lose all hope of returning to Father in Heaven and of benefiting from his righteousness, his mercy, and his perfect love." Despair and happiness can't coexist. Elder Scott informs us, "Everywhere about you there are individuals that embrace the appealing offerings of Satan as the only real way of life. They do not recognize and many even deny the existence of spiritual guidance or the reality of a loving Father in Heaven. They allow themselves to be convinced that what is really enduring is what they see, touch, smell, hear, and taste. In short, they confine themselves to the world Satan wants them to be confined in. They cut themselves off from the glorious opportunities that their holy Father in Heaven wants them to have. Don’t you make that mistake."

I choose today to be happy. I choose to ignore the pulls of society telling me I should need or want things. I choose to find peace in the plan of Happiness that the Lord has given us. It is very freeing to know that I choose good, and I will be happy.