As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (or Mormons,) we have additional scripture and revelations that have increased our understanding of the premortal life, our purpose in mortality, and our potential for eternal life. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught,
“The great Jehovah contemplated the whole of the events connected with the earth, pertaining to the plan of salvation, before it rolled into existence … ; the past, the present, and the future were and are, with Him, one eternal ‘now’” (History of the Church, 4:597.)
Heavenly Father saw the end from the beginning and so it’s easy to imagine that the commandments He has given to us throughout the generations were for the purpose of helping us win the rewards He has prepared for us. Since He desires for us to be happy, it would stand to reason that following the commandments will help us achieve that happiness.
Today, the voice of the world would seek to convince us that following commandments is cumbersome and old-fashioned. However, happy people know that “wickedness never was happiness,” as Alma teaches (Alma 41:10.)
King Benjamin, a Book of Mormon prophet taught:
“And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on 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. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it” (Mosiah 2:41.)
There is a period of time in the Book of Mormon when the Nephites were said to have “lived after the manner of happiness” (2 Nephi 5:27.) They did not achieve this happiness overnight—it came after much hard work, scripture study, and continued faith in the Lord.
John B. Dickson, wrote in his talk “After the Manner of Happiness” (Ensign, Feb 2008, 14–18:)
“Keeping the commandments was an essential condition to their happy way of life: “And we did observe to keep the judgments, and the statutes, and the commandments of the Lord in all things” (2 Nephi 5:10). They were not selective in the commandments they kept, but “in all things” they sought to be obedient. They knew that their temporal well-being, as well as their spiritual growth, depended upon their keeping the commandments of God.”
But mistakes do happen. When we inevitably do slip in our faithfulness, all is not lost. Even prophets and apostles before us have been imperfect. The wonderful gift of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that His atonement is for every one of us. If you should make a mistake, repent of your sins and sin no more.
“By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will confess them and forsake them” (D&C 58:42–43.)
Elder Dickson lists five steps that will help us to obtain not only happiness in this life but eternal life in the world to come:
1. Have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and a desire to enjoy the blessings of celestial life.
2. Recognize mistakes and correct them through repentance.
3. Know that the Lord invites us to enjoy eternal happiness but will never force us.
4. Believe that the Savior can truly help us be clean and happy.
5. Have faith that forgiveness comes to those who truly repent.
Remember that you are a child of God and that He loves you. He prepared His plan of happiness for us from the very beginning and has surely provided a way for us to achieve that happiness. I testify that following the commandments of God is the right way to find and keep true happiness.
