Wickedness Never Was Happiness

I have been thinking about that phrase a lot lately. “Wickedness Never Was Happiness”

I have been thinking abou the “pride cycle” illustrated by the Nephites in the Book of Mormon.

I have been thinking about the Children of Israel while being led in the wilderness by Moses.

I have been thinking about several of my friends who have chosen to leave the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or more like chosen to live a different lifestyle than what the Church has taught them.

As children, we are taught consequences to our choices and usually those consequences are immediate. You brake a rule- you get punished. In some ways, I see the scriptures have that same instant reaction (relativley instant). The Children of Israel build a golden calf while Moses is receiving the 10 Commandments but when he sees their wickedness, the tablets are destroyed and the the CoI have to wait to receive the law and end up wandering for 40 years. Laban gets his head cut off by Nephi after threatening the sons of Lehi’s life and refusing to give up the Brass Plates. King Noah is burned by fire after killing Abinadi at the stake. Cities are destoyed because of the people’s wickedness (wicked meaning not following the commandments or the word of God. I really don’t think you can be considered “wicked” unless you know better; wicked can only be used after you have had/experienced the light of God or have been warned by Prophets).

In reality, bad things happen to good people and “wicked” people seem to go on in life without major conseqences. Good vs Evil is so clear cut in comic books or movies, but in the real world, the battle between good vs evil happens in much more of a gray area.  We were talking about this yesterday in Relief Society. The lesson was from the Teachings of the Prophets George Albert Smith manual about being on the Lord’s side. Our world today makes it seem so easy to strattle the line (one foot in the Kingdom and one foot in Babylon). In a child-like way, we still want to see good triumph and the wicked to be miserable (until they repent and apply the Atonement of Jesus Christ and experience the fullness of joy the Gospel and the Plan of Salvation brings). My favorite story in the Book of Mormon is the conversion of Alma the Younger. This guy was WICKED!! He was the son of the Prophet Alma and he and the sons of Mosiah, the king, spent thier time destroying the church and persecuting its members. An angel of the Lord was sent to them to warn them of their wickedness. The Lord didn’t mess around with them. He sent an angel to them since they were so wicked even the voice of the Prophet wouldn’t be enough to stop them. Alma experienced the pains of Hell and complete spiritual death and the misery that comes from living in your sins for all eternity. While in his suffering, he remembered what he was taught by his father about our Savior, Jesus Christ, who suffered for our sins so that we could be free from them through His sacrifice. He called upon the Savior and asked for forgiveness and instantly he could remember his sins no more; he was free from the chains of misery. Alma never again turned away from the light and happiness he received from applying the Atonement and he spend the rest of his life spreading the Gospel and being firmly planted on the Lord’s side. Not all conversions are as powerful and immediate as Alma the Younger’s but it is such a great experience we can all strive for. I love when good is victorious!

We are taught that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only path to true joy and contains all happiness. I struggle a little bit with this; is it happy in this life? I know there will be all consuming joy in the Celestial Kingdom but this mortality is hard. Is it bad to want to be happy now and in the next life? A girl commented in RS that there are two kinds of happy: instant gratification happy and long term joy-like happiness. Going out and not caring about percieved right and wrong may bring instant happiness but most likely that feeling is fleeting and will only lead you further away from the true source of happiness, Jesus Christ. Being “the good girl” and standing firmly on the Lord’s side may be difficult in a world where you feel you stand alone but will give you deep satisfaction and long term happiness. Another girl commented that happiness is a choice. I think a happy attitude is a choice but I don’t think you can control your feelings (other than push them down and repress them) of happiness; feelings are irrational. We make choices everyday. Most of them are inconsequental and rather mundane but we make them usually estimating a happy outcome. I chose my outfit today because I wanted to be happy with my appearance. I chose what to eat for breakfast based on what would make me full and satisfied (and taste good!). The Lord gave us our agency so we could be happy, so we could make choices that would bring us happiness. It truly breaks my heart to see my friends, or even just people in general, make choices that seem to make them superficially happy but really they are sad and lonely, especially when a few simple changes could get them back on the path to true happiness. Wickedness Never was Happiness.

I feel sad and lonely a lot of time but I would consider myself to be a happy person overall. I have the knowledge that Jesus Christ is my Savior and Reedeemer which means through Him, I can return to my Father in Heaven and be with Him for all eternity. Through God’s Plan of Happiness, I can become like Him and progress for forever.  These things are what make us happy. I would never presume that I know better than God of what will make me happy. I am happy because I have an eternal family which I will not do anything to jeopordize.  My family is what makes me the happiest here on Earth and I cannot imagine being happy in the next life without them. I am terrified about being alone for forever so I will do everything I can, be firmly on the Lord’s side, to make sure I will have my family with me for all eternity.  The Lord has promised to give us all that He has and He keeps His promises. It is up to us to keep our side of the covenenant; it is up to us to stay on the Lord’s side.

“Who’s on the Lord’s Side? Who?

Now is the Time to Show

We Ask it Fearlessly,

Who’s on the Lord’s Side? Who?”