Most people seem to think that happiness comes from without. As long as your happiness is a product of the environment you find yourself in, you are a prisoner to things outside of your control. The goal of our existence is to gain the tools we need to become actors on our environment, and not subjects to it; to reach the point where our happiness is no longer a function of what happens to us, but rather emanates from inside of us independent of what happens to us.
The Lord publicly read this scripture to announce the beginning of his earthly mission:
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; (Isaiah 61:1)
God wills “to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from confinement and from prison those who sit in darkness.” (Isaiah 42:7, Gileadi Translation)
Our incremental but deliberate march towards a more effectual understanding of reality and how to interact with it is the path to greater joy and happiness:
18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
19 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.
20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. 21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. 27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil. (Proverbs 4)
As you acquire God’s knowledge, you will learn how to break free of any and all bondage you find yourself in. No matter how thick the chains that may bind you, Jesus has all the power and knowledge necessary to not only free you from them, but to make you stronger as a result of your experience with them.
Obtaining the tools that provide you with joy and gaining power over the things that presently deprive you of joy is called overcoming all things. To overcome all things is to have maximal joy and happiness in spite of a full awareness of the depths of reality. It is to have the understanding, actions, beliefs, and feelings sufficient to have great joy and happiness in spite of anything that has happened, will happen, or could happen to you in this life.
The Lord has overcome all things. He said: “...I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) He promises that inasmuch as we seek and follow him, we will do the same: “He that is faithful and endureth shall overcome the world.” (D&C 63:47) Jesus overcame all things and extends to you the opportunity to do the same as you become one with him through learning all he knows and becoming all he is.
The Lord created this world and all things that are on it. He is intimately aware of all the crosses that exist here that we must carry, and he has commanded us not to shy away from those burdens. But he has not left us alone. With the crosses of mortality he has also provided the path where we, like him, can attain both great purpose in the midst of our suffering and unimaginable joy as a result of it. As Christ was resurrected to glory and life through his cross, we can encounter glory and life through ours if we learn from him how this is done.
The truth shall make you free
Information is the tool through which the Lord teaches us the understanding, actions, beliefs, and feelings sufficient to have great joy and happiness in spite of anything that has happened, will happen, or could happen to us in this life. The Lord imparts information to us through his word. A simplistic view would consider his word to mean scripture. It is much more than that.
The Lord’s word is truth, and truth is the Lord’s word, because all truth comes from him. It is not limited to what is found in scripture, but also includes—for the individual—the sum total of everything manifested in one’s conscience. It includes all observations, introspections, and critical thoughts about reality. The Lord’s word is one’s sincere idea of what is good and what is bad, what is functional and what is not, what is pragmatic and what is idealistic, and so on.
Clearly, one’s position in these things will differ from another’s based on their effort, capacity, and experience. The degree to which an individual’s understanding approaches the Lord’s is the degree to which they have overcome all things. To have a fullness of joy, one must approach the understanding of God himself.
It is the truth that makes us free. Obtaining and applying successively more information makes you free:
31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, <u>If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;</u>
32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8)
We suffer and are imprisoned by lack of information. God sends information to teach us how to overcome what besets us.
15 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
16 For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.
17 Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.
18 Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death.
19 Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses.
20 He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. (Psalm 107)
This information is found in God’s word revealed as you live through life’s circumstances:
1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 5)
It is the truth that provides the tools to overcome all things. The Lord makes it possible for you to overcome things not by taking them away but by giving you the understanding, beliefs, and desires you currently lack that are necessary to overcome those things.
Overcoming all things is not a magical gift. It is a mechanical relationship between cause and effect. While other things can overcome you, or inhibit your joy and happiness, you still lack understanding that is available to you. It is through showing you what you lack that God guides you in obtaining all understanding.
The Lord inspired Isaiah to write the following promise to all those who follow him:
`No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord. (Isaiah 54:17)`
Here the Lord explains both that all who seek and follow him have the promise of overcoming any challenge and that the means of this is to learn from him how to live.
God’s word is the only way that all things can be overcome. It is the only foundation that endures in spite of everything that can happen to you in this world:
And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall. (Helaman 5:12)
And I said unto them that it was the word of God; and whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction. (1 Nephi 15:24)
More accurately, God’s word is the very set of things that endure in spite of everything that can happen to you in this world.
Remember that “his word” is not limited to spiritual subjects. The Lord created the earth and all things upon it. He knows better than anyone how things work—all things, including what we consider to be temporal. His way of seeing things—all things—is the best way to see things in terms of maximizing outcomes for our good. This is as true for things we consider deep and spiritual as it is for things we consider shallow and mundane, and all things in between.
What it means to be chastened by the Lord
The relationship between cause and effect is not always obvious in this life. In fact, one could make a case that most often, it is hidden from us. This is not, as it may seem, an obstacle to our growth, but rather a gift that protects us from bearing the full weight of reality before we have the tools necessary to bear it.
As you wend through life, you encounter pain. Much of our suffering in life comes as the result of our understanding, actions, beliefs, and feelings. The pain you encounter is typically a signal that there is some principle, belief, or action you or someone else lacks. In other words, pain is typically an invitation for improvement.
From time to time, the Lord exposes us to the consequences of our present understanding, actions, beliefs, and feelings in order to reveal to us the limits of our present choices and perspectives. In scripture, this is called being chastened by the Lord.
The Lord’s chastening is anything but the arbitrary punishment some think it is. God is not capricious. He works only through cause and effect, and only for our benefit.
The Lord’s chastening is nothing more nor less than his teaching us more about cause and effect. He improves our perception of reality by giving us greater exposure to cause and effect, and in so doing gives us more tools to improve ourselves and obtain greater happiness and joy. His chastening is a gift, not a punishment:
7 ...all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.
8 The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he? (D&C 122)
Not everyone will derive the same amount of improvement from the same stimulus. Some will not notice the improvement opportunity at all. Of the rest, some will derive a little improvement, some a lot, and some few will derive an amazing amount of improvement, all from the same stimulus.
How often and how effectively you learn from the pain from your failings and the failings of others will determine the amount of joy you obtain. How much you learn from an improvement opportunity will be dictated by your desire to improve and your efforts to do so.
Increased exposure to the consequences of our actions is necessary for us to improve and receive greater joy. Left in a state of insulation from consequences, we would never learn:
1 And thus we can behold how false, and also the unsteadiness of the hearts of the children of men; yea, we can see that the Lord in his great infinite goodness doth bless and prosper those who put their trust in him.
2 Yea, and we may see at the very time when he doth prosper his people, yea, in the increase of their fields, their flocks and their herds, and in gold, and in silver, and in all manner of precious things of every kind and art; sparing their lives, and delivering them out of the hands of their enemies; softening the hearts of their enemies that they should not declare wars against them; yea, and in fine, doing all things for the welfare and happiness of his people; yea, then is the time that they do harden their hearts, and do forget the Lord their God, and do trample under their feet the Holy One—yea, and this because of their ease, and their exceedingly great prosperity.
3 And thus we see that except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence, they will not remember him. (Helaman 12)
When you feel overcome by anything in life, you can rest assured that God is showing you the path to come to him and learn the lessons required to overcome that thing that is currently overcoming you.
The Lord teaches us what we lack to prepare us with what is required to live a life of greater happiness and joy. While the description of this process is always couched in scriptural jargon, the process of successive revelation of more information to enable us to live in greater joy is clearly laid out all through the scriptures. For example:
12 For he will give unto the faithful line upon line, precept upon precept; and I will try you and prove you herewith.
13 And whoso layeth down his life in my cause, for my name’s sake, shall find it again, even life eternal.
14 Therefore, be not afraid of your enemies, for I have decreed in my heart, saith the Lord, that I will prove you in all things, whether you will abide in my covenant, even unto death, that you may be found worthy.
15 For if ye will not abide in my covenant ye are not worthy of me. (D&C 98)
The Lord’s chastening can help us understand the true value of things. It is only through suffering that we can gain appreciation for what is good. The Lord said to Adam “...they taste the bitter, that they may know to prize the good.” (Moses 6:55) Wise Solomon wrote: “Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.” (Ecclesiastes 7:3)
The Lord’s chastening can help us to have a clearer and more correct view of cause and effect (see the section titled “The Lord will strengthen you to endure the fire”).
The Lord’s chastening can improve our understanding of what is good and what is bad:
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine <u>own understanding.</u>
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.
11 My son, <u>despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be</u> weary of his correction:
12 For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
13 <u>Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.</u>
14 For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.
19 <u>The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.</u>
20 By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds <u>drop down the dew.</u>
21 My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: <u>keep sound wisdom and discretion:</u>
22 So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck. 23 Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble. (Proverbs 3)
The Lord’s chastening can show us what is lasting and what is fleeting (see the section titled “Identifying the things that are fleeting”).
The Lord’s chastening can show us what has power over us. Paul said: “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” (1 Corinthians 6:12) We can learn who and what we rely on when they or it is removed. We can learn what has power over us by noting what prevents us from reconciling ourselves to what we know is right.
The Lord’s chastening gives us tools to overcome all things:
Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you whom I love, and whom I love I also chasten that their sins may be forgiven, for with the chastisement I prepare a way for their deliverance in all things out of temptation, and I have loved you— (D&C 95:1)
4 ...they must needs be chastened and tried, even as Abraham, who was commanded to offer up his only son.
5 For all those who will not endure chastening, but deny me, cannot be sanctified. (D&C 101)
The Lord will only ever expose us to situations he also provides us access to the tool to overcome:
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
This promise requires our seeking and obeying any new truth he offers us directly or through others:
19 Behold, I, the Lord, am not well pleased with many who are in the church at Kirtland;
20 For they do not forsake their sins, and their wicked ways, the <u>pride of their hearts, and their covetousness, and all their detestable things, and observe the words of wisdom and eternal life which I have given unto them.</u>
21 Verily I say unto you, that I, the Lord, will chasten them and will do whatsoever I list, if they do not repent and observe all things whatsoever I have said unto them.
22 And again I say unto you, <u>if ye observe to do whatsoever I command you, I, the Lord, will turn away all wrath and indignation from you, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against you. (D&C 98)</u>
4 And that those who call themselves after my name might be chastened for a little season with a sore and grievous chastisement, because they did not hearken altogether unto the <u>precepts and commandments which I gave unto them.</u>
5 But verily I say unto you, that I have decreed a decree which my people shall realize, inasmuch as they hearken from this very hour <u>unto the counsel which I, the Lord their God, shall give unto them.</u>
6 Behold they shall, for I have decreed it, begin to prevail against mine enemies from this very hour.
7 And by hearkening to observe all the words which I, the Lord <u>their God, shall speak unto them, they shall never cease to prevail</u> until the kingdoms of the world are subdued under my feet, and the earth is given unto the saints, to possess it forever and ever. 8 <u>But inasmuch as they keep not my commandments, and hearken not to observe all my words, the kingdoms of the world shall prevail against them. (D&C 103)</u>
Suffering for the sake of learning is the one and only way to improve, because it is the only way we can break through the limitations of our own understanding and perceptions. Suffering is how the Lord himself overcame the world. He learned “obedience by the things which he suffered;” (Hebrews 5:8) We must as well: “And my people must needs be chastened until they learn obedience, if it must needs be, by the things which they suffer.” (D&C 105:6)
It is possible to get to the point where suffering no longer holds anything more to teach you. The Lord reached this point through his mortal life, and we must as well. You overcome the world to the extent that you become like him:
22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us. (1 John 3)
Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. (1 John 4:4)
While reaching this point does not mean you won’t suffer, it does mean that you will be free from suffering from negative consequences of your choices. This is significant because the remaining suffering—due to the choices of others—can be attenuated through adopting the idea that you can help them through enduring the consequences of their actions.
Identifying the things that are fleeting
So much disappointment in life is due to the realization that you didn’t have what you thought you had, or that what you thought was good turned out to be anything but. This type of suffering is completely due to ignorance of things as they really are.
It is possible to get to the point that you have winnowed all things in your life that can’t endure.
The Lord will teach us what is lasting and what is fleeting. His teachings establish us on a foundation of joy and happiness that can’t be shaken or removed:
24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. (Matthew 7)
One way he shows us the path to enduring happiness is by exposing us to the storms that reveal the failure points of what we currently possess or practice:
And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them. (Ether 12:27)
Only by understanding the limits of our current circumstances can we seek, apply, and appreciate something better.
The Lord will strengthen you to endure the fire
God can give you peace in one of two ways. The way most know of and seek is the external alleviation of discomfort. God can relieve you of your discomfort in the same way someone can hug you when you are feeling bad. It makes you feel better, but it doesn’t address what is actually causing you pain. The better way God can give you peace is through showing you how to overcome what is depriving you of it.
Increased exposure to consequences is like a farmer inspecting his chicken coop and finding where a predator has been burrowing under the fence. If he routinely inspects the coop and fills all new holes with concrete, he will have an ever-stronger defense against anything that will harm his chickens. Rather than treat the symptoms of the problem by replacing chickens, the farmer addresses the cause of the problem by improving the defenses of the coop. He does this because he knows that he can’t control the fact that the predators exist; he can only develop a coop that is stronger than they are.
So it is with life. You can’t avoid all the harmful things in life. No matter how much you hide, they will find you and steal your joy unless and until you become stronger than they are.
The Lord said that the truth will enable us to “endure the fire”:
For they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived—verily I say unto you, they shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day. (D&C 45:57)
Gold is refined not by taking it out of the fire, but by leaving it in the fire long enough for all impurities to be burned away:
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: (1 Peter 1)
Reality—the full range of cause and effect—is the fire that burns out our impurities. God shows us more of reality by allowing us to suffer consequences for our imperfect actions or through experiencing the consequences of the imperfections of others so that we can learn more about reality and change the way we think, feel, and act in order to be capable of feeling the same or greater joy than we did before, in spite of knowledge of greater suffering or evil.
The way to an abundant life has already been figured out. It need not be invented, only discovered:
1 Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars:
2 She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine; she hath also furnished her table.
3 She hath sent forth her maidens: she crieth upon the highest places of the city,
4 Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him,
5 Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled. (Proverbs 9)
The majority of man’s suffering comes from his disobedience to God’s law, known and unknown. Man is his own tormentor: “His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.” (Proverbs 5:22) Alleviation of this suffering comes through obtaining a greater understanding of God’s truth: “For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:” (Proverbs 6:23) The remainder of our suffering comes from the folly of others, most of which can be overcome through obtaining sufficiently strong principles.
The failure point in your procession to joy is not an inability to find it, but an unwillingness to heed the guideposts all around you. Life shouts the way, but few people recognize, listen to, and rejoice in the guidance provided:
7 He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot.
8 Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.
9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. (Proverbs 9)
31 The ear that heareth the reproof of life abideth among the wise.
32 He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding.
33 The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility. (Proverbs 15)
A reproof entereth more into a wise man than an hundred stripes into a fool. (Proverbs 17:10)
The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe. (Proverbs 18:10)
Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end. (Proverbs 19:20)
The conversion of Paul the apostle provides a poignant example of the appropriate intensity with which we ought to react to new truth when it is offered to us:
1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
8 And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.
9 And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.
10 And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.
11 And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,
12 And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.
13 Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:
14 And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.
15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.
17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized. 19 And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus. 20 And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God. (Acts 9)
Note how immediately, openly, and intensely Paul reacted to each new revelation from God. When confronted by Jesus, he immediately asked who he was. Upon learning, he immediately and totally changed his understanding, beliefs, and desires, asking “what should I do?” Then he immediately did what he was told. Jesus, who had been his mortal enemy the day before, was now his master. In the three days he languished without sight, he opted not to eat or drink. He took what had happened to him as seriously as is possible. Immediately after being healed, he received baptism as well. Immediately thereafter, he preached Jesus with as much zeal as he had previously persecuted him.
Paul illustrates the level of intensity required to get wisdom with all your getting:
5 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
6 Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.
7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. (Proverbs 4)
Joy that can’t be stolen
Most people have some degree of happiness in this life. However, most honest people can identify a list of things that could cause them to lose the joy they possess. Perhaps they console themselves by imagining that those things are unlikely. They may see their occurrence as bad luck. But can you ever truly be happy if your happiness is based on a roll of the dice? Can you really be happy if you aren’t yet capable of overcoming all things present in life?
13 My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste:
14 So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation <u>shall not be cut off. (Proverbs 24)</u>
Happiness the world offers is fleeting. It can't endure a greater awareness of the sorrow and evil that exists in this world.
How permanent is the happiness you feel? How easily could it be stolen from you?
Those who dwell on the default aims of life will, sooner or later, find themselves robbed of what they had placed value in and subsequently flooded with mental anguish and a lack of meaning.
If your joy is derived from anything false or temporary it will be shaken and destroyed. In this, you have no choice. Your choice is whether that shaking comes as a result of reality in the form of a nasty surprise at a time that might be too late to change it, or whether you will seek out God to shake and destroy it through revealing greater truth to you:
26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.
27 And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.
28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
29 For our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12)
When you encounter unhappiness or your joy is stolen from you, consider it an invitation from a loving God to obtain what you lack; to learn the principles that you currently do not have that will empower you to feel greater and more enduring joy.
You can get to the point where nothing that could possibly happen in this life can cause you to trust God less than perfectly and unconditionally; where nothing can rob you of the joy you feel. It is possible to reach a point where nothing you could think of, feel, or experience can take your joy from you:
And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. (John 16:22)
God is the happiest being because he has the tools to maintain greater joy in the face of greater suffering than anyone else. The gospel is the means he uses to provide these tools to you:
10 And if it so be that the church is built upon my gospel then will the Father show forth his own works in it.
11 But if it be not built upon my gospel, and is built upon the works of men, or upon the works of the devil, verily I say unto you they have joy in their works for a season, and by and by the end cometh, and they are hewn down and cast into the fire, from whence there is no return. (3 Nephi 27)
13 And everything that is in the world, whether it be ordained of men, by thrones, or principalities, or powers, or things of name, whatsoever they may be, that are not by me or by my word, saith the Lord, shall be thrown down, and shall not remain after men are dead, neither in nor after the resurrection, saith the Lord your God.
14 For whatsoever things remain are by me; and whatsoever things are not by me shall be shaken and destroyed. (D&C 132)
Discover the limits of your present joy, and seek for improved sources of joy both in intensity and also duration. Find joy that does not perish, is not fleeting, and that can withstand all things present on this earth.