In 2003, Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (or Mormon Church,) wrote an article entitled “Three Choices” (Liahona, Nov 2003, 78–81.) In his talk, he speaks of three choices we can make to improve ourselves and find happiness.
The first choice is to repent of your sins and begin again. Not to start over, because no one can go back to the beginning, but to give up the bad things we are doing, and begin again. First we need to recognize those things we are doing wrong and repent of them. To repent means not only to ask for forgiveness but also to make the commitment to never do that thing again. By daily dedicating ourselves to that promise we take our first steps toward real self-improvement.
The second thing we must do on our road to bettering ourselves is to set our priorities and take care of first things first. We will not be perfect in a day. We will not even be perfect in a lifetime. But by carefully determining the most important things that need to be accomplished each day, and applying ourselves to those things in the order of their priority, we can feel satisfied that we have done our best.
The third and final thing is to not only do things, but to do the right things. Elder Wirthlin tells the story of a Bishop who was counseling a young man, struggling to make an improvement in his own life. After successfully making his way through steps one and two, the young man finds himself still feeling empty inside, still unhappy. This Bishop says the right things are those things our Heavenly Father would want us to do. The young man asked “How do I know what the right things are?” In reply, the Bishop pulled from his desk drawer a set of worn, well-used scriptures. He said:
“Through the scriptures and the words of latter-day prophets. These are the ‘right things.’ Some believe that the commandments of our Heavenly Father are restrictive and hard. To the contrary, they’re a handbook to happiness. Every aspect of the gospel of Jesus Christ—the principles, the doctrines, and the commandments—is a part of our Heavenly Father’s plan to help us obtain peace and happiness.”
From the Book of Mormon, the Bishop read the words of King Benjamin:
“Consider … 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” (Mosiah 2:41.)
As the bishop read, the young man thought about his own life. Though he had made great strides and gone from being homeless to renting a comfortable apartment and owning a car, the things he had acquired had not brought him happiness. Maybe there was truth in what the bishop was saying. Maybe what was lacking in his life was a relationship with Heavenly Father and a commitment to living by His commandments.
“Remember the words of the Savior,” the bishop said, as though he knew what John was thinking. “ ‘For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?’” (Mark 8:36)
Elder Wirthlin tells how the young man made a commitment that very night to read the word of God and learn for himself the commandments and teachings of his Heavenly Father. As he read and learned, the emptiness in his soul began to dissipate and in its place he slowly discovered peace and joy beyond anything had imagined. Elder Wirthlin says, “Where once he was broken, sorrowful, and close to death, now he felt alive, vibrant, and filled with joy.”
I testify that we have our own handbook of happiness available to us today and that is the scriptures, the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants. I promise that as you read them and apply their teachings to your own life, your heart will be softened and you will be filled with a desire to take your daily walk of life along the path that God has laid out for you. Read the scriptures, and you will find joy.
