Feature Article
Living after the Manner of Happiness
Elder Marlin K. Jensen
Of the Seventy
Ensign, December 2002
A Personal Introduction to "Living after the Manner of Happiness"
By Dallin J. Phillips
North Logan, Utah, USA
Our beloved late President Hinckley quoted Jenkins Lloyd Jones in a talk given to a group of older single brothers and sisters in September of 1996:
"[The fact is] most putts don't drop. Most beef is tough. Most children grow up to be just people. Most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration. Most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. …
"Life is like an old-time rail journey—delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed.
"The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride" ("A Conversation with Single Adults," Ensign, March 1997, 58)
Somewhere along the way I incorrectly came to believe that membership, worthiness, and activity in the Church would double-dog guarantee instant and continual happiness. I can distinctly remember a conversation with a humble Stake Patriarch in my youth when he told me that had dealt with "the melancholy" most of his life. It was then that I realized that life comes with no guarantee for constant happiness, not even for those who seek to follow the Savior. Life does provide each one of us with a measure of happiness and the gospel allows us to intensify and increase the frequency of our happy times. It is essential that we keep in remembrance those moments of great happiness.
It is often our attitude toward our challenges in life that rob us of happiness rather than the challenges themselves. We can become so self absorbed in our own challenges that we forget the difficult challenges of everyone around us.
The Apostle Paul said, "Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake..." (2 Corinthians 12:10). I see this every day in the attitude of my 30-year-old Down Syndrome son who is the happiest person I know. Today, as we drove to work together, he expressed great joy to be coming to work... on a Monday! I can adjust my attitude to more fully enjoy those precious moments of happiness that come and go so quickly in life.
In the December 2002 issue of Ensign, Elder Marlin K. Jensen said,
"...although I am richly blessed and have every reason to be happy, I sometimes struggle and do not always have the natural inclination toward happiness and a cheerful disposition that some people seem to enjoy."I hope all of you enjoy re-reading his article—especially those who occasionally feel happiness eludes them.
Articles selected as our monthly feature consist of submissions from the North Star community. Take a moment to find out how you can get involved by submitting a Feature Article.