Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening,
this post should take approximately five minutes to read from start to finish.
This post focuses on a BYU Devotional in March 2016, and it is called "Choose Happiness" by Elder Larry R. Lawrence. This post is part two, and I hope that you will be able to learn something new while reading throughout this post.
Elder Lawrence has mentioned the following; "The prophet Nephi expressed gratitude for his parents in the very first verse of the Book of Mormon. He praised them by saying, “I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father” (1 Nephi 1:1).
... An excellent way to express gratitude is by giving sincere praise. Praise lifts both the giver and the receiver. ... God showed us the importance of giving praise by His own perfect example. At the baptism of Jesus, Heavenly Father announced, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).
Jesus Himself gave many compliments during His ministry. Some of them are recorded in the scriptures. ... When John the Baptist was in prison, the Savior made a point of praising this good man publicly. Jesus said, “Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist” (Luke 7:28).
... And don’t forget Nephi, son of Helaman. One day when he was especially discouraged, the voice of the Lord came to him and delivered these words of praise: Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee. ... Behold, I will bless thee forever. [Helaman 10:4–5]
If we truly want to emulate the Lord, we need to be looking for the good in others and then voicing it. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, of good report, or praiseworthy, we should be seeking after these things (see Articles of Faith 1:13). Praise is a precious gift that costs the giver nothing. So if you see something, say something.
... President Ezra Taft Benson warned that whenever we are “withholding gratitude and praise that might lift another,” we are manifesting the sin of pride. On the other hand, when we point out the good in others, the Holy Ghost helps us discover the good in ourselves and everybody wins.
... Sincere compliments from parents mean a lot; sometimes they are remembered for a lifetime. Even when a compliment comes from a complete stranger, it can make your whole day. My niece told me about a difficult time she had when she was a single college student.
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| "Happiness comes from living the way the Lord wants you to live and from service to God and others." - Thomas S. Monson. |
The whole week had been a disaster, and she was feeling lonely and discouraged. While saying her prayers one morning, she asked Heavenly Father to help her feel His love that day.
After praying, she was prompted to go to the temple, so she put on a dress and fixed her hair. On the way there she passed an older woman who smiled and stopped to compliment her beautiful, wholesome appearance.
The gracious stranger had no idea that a few kind words from her had delivered a message from heaven. My niece immediately felt a feeling of love wash over her and realized that her morning prayer had been answered.
... Years ago President David O. McKay gave this valuable counsel to Latter-day Saints: “Start out to make somebody else happy and see how quickly your own soul is filled with joy.” ... I remember the first time I met President Gordon B. Hinckley.
I was attending a luncheon held at the Church Office Building. By some tender mercy I found myself seated at the same table as the prophet. During that lunch hour I observed that he rarely talked about himself; he was more interested in learning about others. He directed the conversation by asking questions of each person at our table.
Somehow he knew that I had served as a mission president in Siberia, so he asked me how the Russians heat their big apartment buildings in the wintertime. He was a very gracious listener, sincerely interested in everyone and everything much like the Master whom he served.
Consider the unselfish life of the Savior. ... Try to imagine meeting the Savior in person. How would He greet you? Would He be slouched over, looking intently at His cell phone, or would He smile and look right into your eyes?
I believe He would call you by name and make the conversation about you. He would offer reassurance and help. Most of all, I believe He would radiate love. ... Someday we will meet Jesus and feel His profound love for us. Until then, we have many lessons to learn.
There are going to be both smooth days and rough days throughout our lives, but the Lord has commanded us repeatedly to “be of good cheer.” Elder Jeffrey R. Holland observed that “we may be more guilty of breaking that commandment than almost any other.” Sometimes we just plain choose to be grumpy. At those times we turn inward instead of outward.
... We realized why the Church members were so kind and outgoing because that’s what the gift of the Holy Ghost does to people. Jesus taught, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35). ... I was baptized when I was a young medical student at the University of Arizona.
The first time I attended Church meetings at the LDS institute, I looked around hoping to find a familiar face. Thank goodness another medical student recognized me and came right over to say hello. His name was Phil Freestone. Phil sat with me and introduced me to other Church members.
It is not easy to be a newcomer, and Phil’s friendship meant a great deal to me at that important time in my life. I came to understand what the Savior meant when He said, “I was a stranger, and ye took me in” (Matthew 25:35). Latter-day Saints who are guided by the Spirit should be the most congenial people on earth.
... It takes very little effort to say hello, but whenever you do, you make the world a better place. Today I have pointed out a few practices that can lead to greater happiness: smiling more often, expressing gratitude, looking for and praising the good in others, welcoming the newcomer, and reaching out to those who need a friend.
... All of us need a little cheering up sometimes. Book of Mormon readers are often surprised when they come to the chapter in which Nephi was grieving over his imperfections. He expressed himself in these words: “O wretched man that I am!” (2 Nephi 4:17).
Most of us on a good day wish we could be as “wretched” as Nephi. His sorrowful lament makes us wonder, “Why do good people even prophets like Nephi occasionally feel discouraged and unworthy?”
Let me tell you a fable about the devil that offers some perspective. The story goes that Satan went into his garage one day and noticed that everything was a complete mess. He couldn’t find what he was looking for because there were so many rusty tools lying around cluttering up the place.
Satan decided on a solution. He would have a garage sale. He cleaned up his old tools and offered them at a discount price for other devils to purchase. Some tools sold right away for example, the hammer of hatred, the wrench of fear, and the clamp of addiction.
They were very popular items. When he was asked why he was selling off so many of his tools, Satan explained that he had decided to concentrate all of his personal efforts on bringing down the Latter-day Saints. He preferred to use his favorite tool on them. What do you think it was?
It was the wedge of discouragement. Satan boasted about it, saying, “With this one tool I can inflict major damage on the faithful. Discouragement works wonders every time even when nothing else will. It can bring misery to the most conscientious souls those who are striving to keep the commandments.”
Then Satan, using his favorite tool, went about whispering lies. To the humble followers of Christ he said, “You are worthless,” “You never do anything right,” “Give up,” “No one cares about you,” and “You can never change.” Sadly, many good people believed him.
There is a lesson to be learned from this fable. The devil specializes in discouraging the faithful and those who are trying to repent. For that very reason, Church members must continually lift and encourage each other. Don’t forget that Satan wants all men to be “in misery, like unto himself” (2 Nephi 9:9).
Jesus, on the other hand, wants men and women to “receive a fulness of joy” (D&C 138:17). In summary, Jesus votes for us, Satan votes against us, and we cast the deciding vote. It is my prayer that each of us will use our agency to choose happiness. ..."
If you would like to read the whole talk either now or in your own time, here is the link below.
Stay Tuned until next time.
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