Sunday, November 22, 2015

"happy" mormons, "happy" people

A couple of weeks ago now, we were so lucky to hear from the new Canada Halifax Mission President. I was really amazed by his talk and I just wanted to capture how I remembered it. The basic idea behind President Pratt's talk was "why Mormons are so Happy". I listened to him as he explained statements individuals had made about why Mormons seem to be so happy. Why do our lives seem so fulfilled? Is it just an act, or is it real? 

I started to think about my own life, and I decided that on the outside, I do seem to be a pretty happy person. Of course I have struggles, and lately I have been overwhelmed with tasks as a wife and a home maker and I have also been anxious about my work. I have my challenges, but overall, I am very happy about my life and the choices I have made so far. On this particular Sunday that President Pratt spoke, I had a wonderful day at church, surrounded by my friends and family. I felt the joy and happiness radiating from these individuals, so I can see why people around us are asking this question, "why are we so happy?"

We have Hope.

This is certainly not the first time I have said this on my blog, but I know that I am a daughter of my Heavenly Father. I know that I can communicate with him each and every day, with gratitude for my many blessings, and also with the woes and struggles of my everyday life. I believe that he has provided me with a Savior, to atone for the sins of the world, so that I can repent, and be happy and one day return to live with Him. I have come to know that we will all face many trials, but that he will not give us anything that we can't handle. I know that he will lift us up when we cannot do so for ourselves. That is why I am happy. I know that whatever comes my way, I can remember that I am not alone, that everything will be okay. If I am faithful and obedient, I will be able to obtain blessings. I know we will experience sadness when faced with adversary, but I also know that we must pass through sorrow to obtain joy.

I've had some of these thoughts written down as a draft for quite some time now and I never knew how to complete it or when to post it. I have also been wanting to say somewhat concerning the events of the Paris attacks and the situation of many Syrian refugees. There is so much heartache in this world. Even with my limited knowledge of the situation and the hurtful and painful attacks that have occurred, as a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day, I have a hope for a better world. As brothers and sisters, we need to be kind to one another. We need to find ways to serve one another. I know that these things won't change the state of the world, but as we better our communities and our own towns, we will see change. Share goodness, share hope.


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