I Choose Happiness. What About You?

I am a firm believer that "happiness is a choice". In fact, I even have a quote in my room that says that exact thing. That is why this week in my religion class, when we talked about happiness, this quote immediately popped into my head. Happiness is not something that just happens to you. It is not something that is thrust upon you. Especially in the world that we live in today, it is important that we constantly are making an effort to choose to be happy. What a beautiful thing that God gave us the freedom of choice. Our free agency allows us to determine how our lives are: each and every day. In Alma, chapter 50 verse 23 of the Book of Mormon, it talks about how although they were in one of the greatest wars of all time, with their brethren dying and the heart ache and pain and exhaustion they were suffering, there "was never a happier time among the people since the days of Nephi". Wow. This struck me hard as Brother Griffin had us read this verse over and over. They were happy. "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy" (2 Nephi 2:25)-- even amongst the hardest and the toughest parts of our lives. You guys, we can choose to be happy. And we must. Satan will try to distort our thinking, he will try to put doubt and fear in out brains, he will try to constrain us to our past and say there is no hope for the future. He wants you because he knows your potential and has no desire for us to be happy. But. There is hope. And there is the present. And we can change who we are and how we feel right now. There is our Father in Heaven and His son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. For any that may be struggling, who are experiencing heart ache, who have made mistakes, let us come unto our Savior and Redeemer, who will make up the rest for us, after all that we can do. God and all of His power are always one step ahead of Satan and will always win. Let us keep Them on our side, and bind the enemy that does try to hold us down. Let us be HAPPY. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Emmaline