The Procrastination of Happiness

The world in which we live is a challenging place, especially for those trying to raise families in love and righteousness-- but it is also full of opportunities for work, innovation, and learning, more so than ever before. Yet many people fail to achieve happiness, even in these favorable circumstances. I often hear people say things like, “Man, I sure wish Jesus would get here quicker,” or “I can't wait until the Rapture.” Such comments both amuse and depress me; I believe they spring from a mindset of resignation and complacency. They are the desperate yearnings people who have lost hope that they can make a difference and believe that only God can solve their problems now.

This mindset is not limited to the religious; many people depend upon government, money, or retirement to bring them happiness. They say, “When I have this or that, I'll be happy,” as if happiness was dependent upon external factors. While these factors can contribute to overall well-being and amplify happiness that already exists, they cannot create it. Waiting for someone or something to fix our problems is the procrastination of happiness, and it is a form of being acted upon, of surrendering our agency to an uncertain future. It is not productive, and it is not in alignment with God's Plan of Happiness. In the end, the Lord has said that after the final judgment, “He that is happy shall be happy still; and he that is unhappy shall be unhappy still” (Mormon 9:14).

I cannot help but think of Isaiah, who described the mission of John the Baptist as, “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God” (Isaiah 40:3). As members of the church, our job is not to hold out against the tides of evil in the world until Christ comes again; our task is to prepare the world for his coming so that Zion, or at least the foundation, will already be built by the time he arrives.

We prepare by the choices we make every day-- what we think, how we spend our time and money, what we teach our children through our words and actions, and the example we set for others. In the end, happiness is an inward condition, a lifestyle of balance, productivity, and intimacy with God and our loved ones.

Following Christ's resurrection and visit to the Americas, the people of Nephi learned how to live after the manner of happiness: “And it came to pass that there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people.

“And there were no envyings, nor strifes, nor tumults, nor whoredoms, nor lyings, nor murders, nor any manner of lasciviousness; and surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the Hand of God” (4 Nephi 1:15-16).

I testify that as we learn to depend less upon our circumstances and more upon living the gospel, we will have a greater amount of peace, satisfaction, and happiness in our lives until we receive a fulness of joy, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.