A Friend to Help in our Happiness Quest

Today I wish to record the words of someone much wiser than me, who talks about happiness by following the guidance of the Spirit in a way I could only dream of.  From a past prophet who was born nearly 100 years ago, President Lorenzo Snow gives us one of the keys to happiness.....

"There is a way by which persons can keep their consciences clear before God and man, and that is to preserve within them the Spirit of God, which is the spirit of revelation to every man and woman.  It will reveal to them, even in the simplest of matters, what they shall do, by making suggestions to them.  We should try to learn the nature of this Spirit, that we may understand its suggestions, and then we will always be able to do right.  This is the grand privilege of every Latter-day Saint.  We know that it is our right to have the manifestations of the Spirit every day of our lives."

"From the time we receive the Gospel, go down into the waters of baptism and have hands laid upon us afterwards for the gift of the Holy Ghost, we have a friend, if we do not drive it from us by doing wrong.  That friend is the Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost, which partakes of the things of God and shows them unto us.  This is a grand means that the Lord has provided for us, that we may know the light, and not be groveling continually in the dark." 

 "The Lord has established certain constitutional desires and feelings in our bosoms, and it is so with all mankind, with the whole human family.  There are implanted and interwoven in their constitutions certain desires and capacities for enjoyment, desires for certain things that are in their nature calculated to promote our peace and well-being, that answer their feelings and promote their happiness, but how to obtain the gratification of those capacities and desires the world does not know nor understand, but he Lord has seen fit to put us in the channel and in the way of understanding those things by being faithful and walking in the light of the Holy Spirit and receiving truth."

 "It is the privilege of the Latter-day Saints to live in the Gospel in such a way that they will feel approved of God.  Of course, we do things sometimes that we are ashamed of when we come to a consider them, but we repent of them in our hearts and determine to do them no more.  That is all the Lord asks of us; and men and women who so live, live without condemnation.  They have righteousness and joy in the Holy Ghost."

"If we keep the light of the Spirit within us, we can so walk in the gospel that we can measurably enjoy peace and happiness in this world; and while we are traveling onward, striving for peace and happiness that lies in our path, in the distance, we shall have a peace of mind that none can enjoy but those who are filled with the Holy Spirit."

"We ought to understand--and I presume that we do generally--that the work which we have come into this life to perform cannot be done to the glory of God or to the satisfaction of ourselves merely by our own natural intelligence.  We are dependent upon the Spirit of the Lord to aid us and to manifest to us from time to time what is necessary for us to accomplish under the peculiar circumstances that may surround us." 

 "We should so live that we shall know that our course of life is acceptable to God.  We should understand the voice and whisperings of the Holy Spirit...No professing Latter-day Satin can enjoy any great degree of happiness unless he thus lives, and thus places himself under divine guidance."

"Make up your minds to live humbly and in such a way that you will always have the Spirit of the Lord to be your friend, to make such suggestions to you from time to time as shall be needed under the peculiar circumstances in which you may be placed..."

"We should endeavor, as far as possible, to forget all worldly matters which grieve and vex us, and fix our minds upon the Lord, having a sufficiency of His Holy Spirit that we may be enabled to receive such knowledge and suggestions as will help us in our onward path." 

Quest for Happiness...or something more?

I have been thinking a lot about happiness, as I always do.  It truly seems to be the object and the goal of every person.  To seek joy and receive it in abundance.  But for several days I have been having a slight paradigm shift.  Perhaps there's something more to life than seeking for happiness.

The words of Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin are thought-provoking:

"Those who make happiness the chief objective of life are bound to fail, for happiness is a by-product rather than an end in itself."

A strong statement like that makes me realize that this lifetime quest should be to find the things that will bring happiness if they are done well.  What are some of these things?  I'm sure there are many.  And for the next several days, I will explore the things I have found that bring real and lasting happiness, practical things that any of us can do.  For today, here is one.

1. Maybe we should make the quest of our lifetime, the quest to receive the Spirit of the Holy Ghost.  There is a quote I love by Parley P. Pratt that sums it all up:

“The gift of the Holy Ghost … quickens all the intellectual faculties, increases, enlarges, expands and purifies all the natural passions and affections; and adapts them, by the gift of wisdom, to their lawful use. It inspires, develops, cultivates and matures all the fine-toned sympathies, joys, tastes, kindred feelings, and affections of our nature. It inspires virtue, kindness, goodness, tenderness, gentleness, and charity. It develops beauty of person, form and features. It tends to health, vigor, animation, and social feeling. It invigorates all the faculties of the physical and intellectual man. It strengthens, and gives tone to the nerves. In short, it is, as it were, marrow to the bone, joy to the heart, light to the eyes, music to the ears, and life to the whole being” (Key to the Science of Theology, 9th ed. [1965], 101).

Did you catch that?  "It (meaning the Spirit of the Lord) is joy to the heart."  For the past week I have been attempting to make the quest of each day the quest to obtain and keep the Spirit in my heart.  As I have done so, happiness has been my lot.  How can one not be happy when the Spirit covers one wit a sense of sublime peace?  Even if daily circumstances do not seem conducive to happiness, if we will do something, anything to obtain a greater portion of the Holy Ghost, inward happiness, the kind that really counts, will flow to us like manna from heaven.  And this is why I love this thought so much.  This seeking and gaining the Spirit is a sure guarantee for happiness...true happiness that doesn't go away or dissolve or fade.

In closing, ponder on the words of Elder Keith K. Hilbig today.  They are beautiful:

"In the Pearl of Great Price, Moses recorded that Adam, having been baptized and having received the Holy Ghost, 'became quickened in the inner man.'

"When we invite the Holy Ghost to fill our minds with light and knowledge, He 'quickens' us, that is to say, enlightens and enlivens the inner man or woman. As a result we notice a measurable difference in our soul. We feel strengthened, filled with peace and joy. We possess spiritual energy and enthusiasm, both of which enhance our natural abilities. We can accomplish more than we otherwise could do on our own. We yearn to become a holier person."

Happy Challenge:
Today, and every day, seek the Spirit of the Holy Ghost.  When you are feeling down, stop and do something that invites the Holy Ghost into your heart--sing a hymn, read a scripture, serve a child, smile, pray.  Then stand back and watch your happiness meter grow.