Every time I speak in sacrament meeting, I think back to a sister’s comment to me, almost 6 months ago. Her name is 이세리, she's a mother of a little 1 year old, and a returned missionary. We were talking about the most recent fast and testimony meeting, and she lamented that everybody talked about how hard it is to be a member, and how many trials they were facing. She said that there wasn’t a single uplifting thing in the meeting, and she walked out of it depressed. That broke my heart. The purpose of these meetings — after partaking of the sacrament of the Lord’s supper — is to strengthen each other and give us a chance to feel the Holy Ghost. The ward is meant to be a refuge from the storm, and the harder the winds blow outside the more reliant we are on the bright lights and friendship inside. Yes, there are challenges, and yes, there are trials, and of course! we can gain strength from facing them, but we are fundamentally robbing ourselves when we focus on the negatives in life without reminding ourself and others that they will ultimately be swallowed up in absolute victory, thanks to Jesus Christ and His infinite atonement. President Monson once shared the following quotes:
“Both abundance and lack [of abundance] exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend … when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that’s present—love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature, and personal pursuits that bring us [happiness]—the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience heaven on earth.”
The ancient Roman philosopher Horace admonished, “Whatever hour God has blessed you with, take it with grateful hand, nor postpone your joys from year to year, so that in whatever place you have been, you may say that you have lived happily.”
Don’t get me wrong: there is an important place in the church for the sharing of challenges. It is a part of every member’s responsibility to bear another’s burdens, and that’s impossible when we refuse to share our heart with others. I believe that being open and honest is a prerequisite to true happiness, and that often means sharing a part of our burden with somebody else. I encourage that, so long as we also remember to not postpone our joy! Elder Richard G. Scott taught us that,
“Sadness, disappointment, and severe challenge are events in life, not life itself. I do not minimize how hard some of these events are. They can extend over a long period of time, but they should not be allowed to become the confining center of everything you do. The Lord inspired Lehi to declare the fundamental truth, “Men are, that they might have joy.” That is a conditional statement: “they might have joy.” It is not conditional for the Lord. His intent is that each of us finds joy. It will not be conditional for you as you obey the commandments, have faith in the Master, and do the things that are necessary to have joy here on earth.
Your joy in life depends upon your trust in Heavenly Father and His holy Son, your conviction that their plan of happiness truly can bring you joy. Pondering their doctrine will let you enjoy the beauties of this earth and enrich your relationships with others. It will lead you to the comforting, strengthening experiences that flow from prayer to Father in Heaven and the answers He gives in return.”
If we could exercise more childlike trust in God, accepting challenges with a smile and the belief that it will all be for our benefit, we could experience joy in our circumstances. Let’s not wait until the rainbow to enjoy the rain. Let’s not postpone our joy. If we could avoid this common mistake of waiting until after the bitter cup has passed to feel our Father’s love, I believe we would experience a renaissance of family.
That sister I mentioned earlier said she needed, that the ward needed joy. That was the focus of the last quarter of my mission, and I hope it’ll be the focus of the rest of my life. I sensed a similar concern while watching last general conference. Several speakers talked about living the gospel and experiencing the joy of it, with President Uchtdorf tackling the issue of members who do their best to live the gospel, but miss out on its sublime blessings. Is that you? Are you faithfully attending church every week, reading your scriptures often, and praying daily yet experiencing nothing significant? In your quieter moments, do you ask yourself if it’s all worth it? Do you wonder why you’re even doing this anymore? Are you only here today because of others’ expectations?
If so, please listen closely as I show you how to claim the indescribable joy of the gospel in your life. If you’re worthy, if you’re waiting, and most importantly, if you’re wanting, it’s yours for the taking.
The secret is this: connect with God. Usually, this requires adjusting on our end, much like an old-fashioned radio. As President Uchtdorf has said in the past, God is constantly raining His blessings on us, but it’s our fears and doubts, our sins and pride that block them, like an umbrella. We need to close the umbrella. For a time on my mission, I was not satisfied with what I was doing. I wasn’t happy, even though I was working hard and doing good work! I was continually dissatisfied, feeling that if I could just do a bit better I could’ve brought about a greater miracle. This is a main tactic of our common enemy, Satan. Elder Jorg Klebingat explained it very succinctly in his general conference address a couple of years ago:
“Whenever the adversary cannot persuade imperfect yet striving Saints such as you to abandon your belief in a personal and loving God, he employs a vicious campaign to put as much distance as possible between you and God. The adversary knows that faith in Christ—the kind of faith that produces a steady stream of tender mercies and even mighty miracles—goes hand in hand with a personal confidence that you are striving to choose the right. For that reason he will seek access to your heart to tell you lies—lies that Heavenly Father is disappointed in you, that the Atonement is beyond your reach, that there is no point in even trying, that everyone else is better than you, that you are unworthy, and a thousand variations of that same evil theme.
As long as you allow these voices to chisel away at your soul, you can’t approach the throne of God with real confidence. Whatever you do, whatever you pray for, whatever hopes for a miracle you may have, there will always be just enough self-doubt chipping away at your faith—not only your faith in God but also your confidence in yourself. Living the gospel in this manner is no fun, nor is it very healthy.”
So, I spoke with my mission president. For me, the answer was in being more grateful. This opened my eyes to all of the blessings and joy already in my life! With this restored cheer, I was able to press forward happily, knowing that my Father in Heaven was pleased with me.
Another simple way to connect with God is to pray and receive revelation. Prayer on its own is insufficient for forming a relationship with God, much like a one-sided conversation is not enough to get to know somebody! Revelation — that is, God’s answers to our prayers — is just as vital as our prayer. As a missionary, I learned that there is no good reason not to involve God in every aspect of our life. It costs nothing to say a prayer and wait a moment to see if there’s inspiration for you to claim! Once, it was my companion’s birthday. We planned on eating dinner with the other elders in our district at a restaurant. I had never gone, and my companion only knew the outside of the building. When it came to actually getting there, we had general directions, but no way to get to the actual place. We came to a backstreet intersection, and we paused. At the intersection we prayed together, and I briefly asked God to lead us, then informed Him that we would follow the next blue car to pass through the intersection. We closed, and waited. I wondered if praying with conditions like that was even allowed! A blue car passed us, and we followed it straight. As we walked down the street, a woman selling yogurt spotted us and shouted out, “Hey! Your friends are the restaurant down there!” Incredibly, God not only led us with a car, but provided a guide to point out the right restaurant. I learned that the more we prayed, the more we relied on God, the more we accomplished things we didn’t know were possible. I have never regretted making something the topic of prayer.
Furthermore, receiving answers to prayers strengthens our conviction, and kindles the sparks of testimony. It must be the experience of the gospel working in our lives like this that led Alma to exclaim, “O then, is not this real?” And like Enos, upon receiving an answer to prayer, we’ll be so excited and awestruck that we’ll continue to pray in our lives, receiving more answers, and in turn being inspired to pray more. It’s beautifully simple, and simply beautiful.
Often, God will answer us through the scriptures. Now, I have to give credit where credit is due: the procedure I want to share is not my own. I heard it at a district meeting, where Sister Johnson’s trainer, Sister Pratt shared it. Ironically, Sister Pratt heard it from Bradie! So, with thanks to Bradie, I’d like to point everybody to the Book of Mormon. This book is so jam packed full of truth that it can answer any question.
It works like this: have a question. Then, address Heavenly Father and tell Him what your question is. Explain that you’ll look for the answer in the Book of Mormon, then close your prayer. Pick up a copy of the Book of Mormon, then thump through the pages until it feels right. When it feels right, open it up and start reading. Read as long as it takes to find your answer. Many times I’ve read a single verse and found my answer, but I think the longest I’ve ever had to read is a page or two. The Book of Mormon is stunningly effective: it’s never let me down, and it’ll never let you down either. Once, I was writing lesson plans, and wanted to find an original way to teach the law of chastity. I asked the Book of Mormon! I ended up reading about the Liahona, and by the end of personal study, I had written a new lesson plan, based on how the Lord wants to guide us, and we can only receive that guidance by cutting distractions like pornography and lust out of our lives. Another time, my companion and I weren’t sure where we ought to proselyte. We asked the Book of Mormon, and read this:
“And it came to pass that many of the Laminates did go into the land northward; and also Nephi and Lehi went into the land northward, to preach unto the people. And thus ended the sixty third year.”
We weren’t certain how far north we were supposed to go; after all, the far north of our area was complete country side, void of human life. However, we’d already visited the northern part of the city close to us. We decided to double check. We were greeted with these words:
“And it came to pass that the Lord commanded them that they should go forth into the wilderness, yea, into that quarter where there never had man been.”
Our proselyting plan was set by the hand of the Lord, like the tablets of the law on Mount Sinai.
Please, give it a shot. You’ll be amazed by how you can receive immediate help and guidance! Try it today. Don’t postpone your joy! I know that it makes me smile every time I look to the scriptures and find an answer that I didn’t know was there already.
The final piece of gospel living that really rocked my world during my mission is one that most of you will be familiar with: it’s a scripture and a talk: What Lack I Yet. I’d come to think of this scripture often, and when the conference address based on it came around, I was thrilled! The idea is this: ask God what you lack, then you’ll receive something to work on. It could be anything! God knows you, and He knows your circumstances. He’ll recommend an improvement that will change your life for the better. It may be the urge to clean your room, or the realization that you need to stop parenting your spouse! The possibilities are limitless. Through small yet steady changes, we can transform ourselves into children of light, heirs of our Heavenly Father. And the closer our life comes to the life of God, the more joy we experience.
Revelation that helps us live happier lives, scriptures that whisper the secrets of eternity, and incremental self-improvement that brings ever-increasing light into our souls. These are the things that really matter. Pinterest is cute, Facebook can be fun, and Instagram is cool, but happiness never goes out of style, joy will never unfriend you, and a true smile needs no filter. There are many good things in life, many noble and important things, but vital things there are but few. God, family, and experience. These are the things of eternity, and ell else is designed only to beautify and glorify those things. Anything that isn’t honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, or praiseworthy is dross that may blind us from what matters most. The things of eternity will never bring us guilt or shame, and will strengthen our bonds with God’s children. On the other hand, fun things that are contrary to God’s plan always leave us with a troubled conscience and a hunger that’s never satisfied.
Now, it can be hard to distinguish between what’s real and what’s not. The lines between false and true are getting blurrier by the moment, and in the twilight, it can be difficult to know which path to take. I testify that this is why God has given us the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, our undeviating friend. He will guide us in upright paths, and help us distinguish between good, better, and best. He will give us the strength to choose what’s right but unpopular, and reject that which may be politically correct but morally unsound. We need this strength. We need the power of God in our life. The things I shared earlier aren’t neat party tricks — they’re conduits for divine power to flow into our life. I’m afraid that if we’re not in synch with the Godhead, we’ll fall victim to the illusions that surround us. I thought things were complex as a missionary, then I came home and wham! Social media, news, and a million unfamiliar daily situations showed up to make life more than unpredictable. If I’m not able to screw my head on straight with a good dose of personal scripture study and prayer, I don’t think I’d be able to face the complicated issues that make up our daily life. I certainly wouldn’t be able to do it with the peace of the gospel, which surpasseth all understanding, or the joy of Christ Jesus in my heart.
President Thomas S. Monson once observed, “Where once the standards of the Church and the standards of society were mostly compatible, now there is a wide chasm between us, and it’s growing ever wider.” In a similar vein, Elder Heber C. Kimball stated,
To meet the difficulties that are coming, it will be necessary for you to have a knowledge of the truth of this work for yourselves. The difficulties will be of such a character that the man or woman who does not possess this personal knowledge or witness will fall. . . .
. . . The time will come when no man nor woman will be able to endure on borrowed light.
Borrowed light is also borrowed joy. We each need to have personally felt the joy of the gospel to have the strength to endure in it. I'm not sure how many of us can endure to the end, but I'm confident that everybody can enjoy to the end. Don't postpone your joy; God has given us a compensatory spiritual endowment of light and joy to make up for an increasingly hostile environment. Elder Neil L. Anderson promised, "As evil increases in the world, there is a compensatory spiritual power for the righteous. As the world slides from its spiritual moorings, the Lord prepares the way for those who seek Him, offering them greater assurance, greater confirmation, and greater confidence in the spiritual direction they are traveling. The gift of the Holy Ghost becomes a brighter light in the emerging twilight.
To understand better, think of these comparisons: If the world were growing more physically dark, He could give us enhanced night vision. If loud noises were constantly in our ears, He could give us a filtering mechanism to block the unwanted sound. If the race we were running was extended, He could give us increased lung and muscle capacity. If the exam we were taking was more difficult, He could quicken our minds."
And so, in a world with too many things labeled as a lifestyle, too many vices labeled freedom, and too much false happiness, the Lord blesses us with increasingly grand and increasingly more apparent joy. Joy is one of our benchmarks for testing the truthfulness of our reality. Anything that is of God, or family, or our eternal progression will bring us joy. Satan's myriad counterfeits instead rob us of freedom, trouble our conscience and bring us short term pleasure.
In the world today, it is not easy for people to find and become converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ. There are so many distractions, so many things that beg our time and attention. Add societal conflicts, personal challenges with keeping various commandments, and on top of everything the struggle to change a life, and conversion suddenly seems like quite the task! And so, from the beginning of my mission, I desperately wanted to see somebody be truly converted — not just be convinced that the church is true, but really see somebody’s heart turn to God and change their life. I was blessed to witness this happen in the life of the last man I baptized, a high school senior named Joon Suk. When we first met, he knew nothing about God or religion in general. We talked briefly, simply about God and challenged him to pray. When Joon Suk prayed, he thought it was [refreshing, or cool]. Because he had an honest heart and was open, God was able to touch his heart the very first time he prayed! Joon Suk continued to progress from there. Over the course of a month, we taught him the gospel of Jesus Christ, the plan of salvation, and everything that goes with it. Joon Suk went from no gospel knowledge to knowing everything necessary to be baptized and begin the journey of a lifetime. He was the first baptized convert of 2016, and I can’t think of anybody better to lead us off for this year. He continues to learn and grow, and I think what sets him apart from many of the investigators I taught is that he prays and then he feels something. He knew those feelings were proof that God was real, and his prayers were being answered. Can you say as much for yourself?
Let’s return to a few of the questions I asked earlier.
Are you faithfully attending church every week, reading your scriptures often, and praying daily yet experiencing nothing significant? Then give God a chance to act in your life. Ask a question, look for guidance, cast your heart towards God. There will always be a response. It’s in God’s response to us that the revelation of God in our life occurs.
In your quieter moments, do you ask yourself if it’s all worth it? I know that it is. When we feel the Holy Ghost, when we experience the gospel at work in our lives, we know that it’s worth it. Nothing else brings us what the gospel brings.
Are you only here today because of others’ expectations? If so, then take some initiative. If you’re going to be here anyways, see if there’s something to it. You don’t have to be Joseph Smith to feel something. All you have to do is honestly ask if there’s something to it. Something — whether it be in another person’s words, a scripture, a thought or feeling — will touch your heart and give you a peek of heaven. A popular song says that, “To love another person is to see the face of God.” It’s clear from the scriptures that a fulness of joy awaits us in God’s presence, so don’t postpone your joy — begin taking some steps in your life to increase your happiness.
Now, this does not mean that life will be one continuous sloping curve of joy and happiness and sunshine and cherry blossoms. That’s not the only reason we’re here. Richard G. Scott shared this brilliant insight:
“You are here on earth for a divine purpose. It is not to be endlessly entertained or to be constantly in full pursuit of pleasure. You are here to be tried, to prove yourself so that you can receive the additional blessings God has for you. The tempering effect of patience is required. Some blessings will be delivered here in this life; others will come beyond the veil. The Lord is intent on your personal growth and development. That progress is accelerated when you willingly allow Him to lead you through every growth experience you encounter, whether initially it be to your individual liking or not. When you trust in the Lord, when you are willing to let your heart and your mind be centered in His will, when you ask to be led by the Spirit to do His will, you are assured of the greatest happiness along the way and the most fulfilling attainment from this mortal experience. If you question everything you are asked to do, or dig in your heels at every unpleasant challenge, you make it harder for the Lord to bless you.”
The blessings will come. Our lives will have meaning, and we will know it. Our bonds with others will become the lodestar of our lives, and they will give us a strength that surpasses understanding. Love will bloom in our hearts and our families and friendships. President Monson declared,
“Stresses in our lives come regardless of our circumstances. We must deal with them the best we can. But we should not let them get in the way of what is most important—and what is most important almost always involves the people around us. Often we assume that they must know how much we love them. But we should never assume; we should let them know. Wrote William Shakespeare, “They do not love that do not show their love.” We will never regret the kind words spoken or the affection shown. Rather, our regrets will come if such things are omitted from our relationships with those who mean the most to us.”
Don’t postpone your joy. Don’t postpone love. Rather, renew love. Renew joy. Say, “I love you,” once more, and don’t forget to smile. It has been prophesied and is abundantly clear that the world will slip deeper into darkness and confusion as the Second Coming of the Messiah draws closer. But despite that, there is still much that is noble and good in the world. In closing, I’d like to share a few remarks President Hinckley made at Brigham Young University:
“I come . . . with a plea that we stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight. I am suggesting that we “accentuate the positive.” I am asking that we look a little deeper for the good, that we still our voices of insult and sarcasm, that we more generously compliment virtue and effort. I am not asking that all criticism be silenced. Growth comes of correction. Strength comes of repentance. Wise is the man who can acknowledge mistakes pointed out by others and change his course. I am not suggesting that our conversation be all honey and blossoms. Clever expression that is sincere and honest is a skill to be sought and cultivated.
What I am suggesting and asking is that we turn from the negativism that so permeates our society and look for the remarkable good in the land and times in which we live, that we speak of one another’s virtues more than we speak of one another’s faults, that optimism replace pessimism, that our faith exceed our fears.
When I was a boy our father often said to us:
Cynics do not contribute.
Skeptics do not create.
Doubters do not achieve.
You are partakers of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel means “good news.” The message of the Lord is one of hope and salvation. The voice of the Lord is a voice of glad tidings. The work of the Lord is a work of glorious and certain reward. I do not suggest that you simply put on rose-colored glasses to make the world look rosy. I ask, rather, that you look above and beyond the negative, the critical, the cynical, the doubtful, to the positive. I carry with me a statement that I took from an article published some years ago on Commander William Robert Anderson, the man who took the submarine Nautilus under the North Pole from the waters of the Pacific to the waters of the Atlantic. In his wallet he carried a tattered card with these words: “I believe I am always divinely guided. I believe I will always take the right road. I believe God will always make a way where there is no way” (quoted in Look, 20 April 1971, p. 48).
Said the Lord in a dark and troubled hour to those he loved, “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). May the Lord bless you, each of you, with faith, with affection, with hope, with charity, [and with joy] I ask humbly in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.”
