Week 53: After the Manner (July 8, 2019)
"And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of happiness." 2 Nephi 5:27
I learned a lot this week, especially on how to truly find joy in any type of circumstance. And I got to tell ya, I found that out on an air mattress at 1 am, and walking through a hail and lightning storm, just to name a few. It was a crazy good time, and I mean that.
So let me tell you what I learned about finding happiness, in a set of phases...
I got to go back to my favorite place, Billings, for a mission leadership conference this week! While that should sound so exciting for me, it was honestly really hard. To see my old companions, in an apartment that was no longer mine, was pretty sad. However, this was where I found joy on an air mattress. Having no longer been the resident of the apartment, I kind of felt exiled to the living room to sleep on the air mattresses I used to put out for all of the sisters. BUT, it was the biggest tender mercy for me. I got to sleep out will all of my FAVORITE sisters, the ones who came out with me. We talked and laughed, and had the best night of sleep on an air mattress and couch we could have asked for. I needed that, when my soul was tipping towards sadness.
Principle of happiness #1: The Lord will always give us tender mercies in despairing moments, but we have to look for them there; and decide to be happy. I let myself be sad when the Lord was showing me so many good things. Look for them.
I drove home from Billings, and we did not get back home until about 10:30 at night. It was a long night that took us into the fourth of July! The fourth was a series of tender mercies for us. From meetings, to planning, to lots of yummy food, we were really well taken care of. We got asked to go do service at Zinn Ranch, which is one of the biggest firework shows in Helena. When we arrived, the caretaker told us that he actually did not need help, but did want us to go around and greet people. So Sister Jones and I ended up starting a massive circle of standing, laughing, and tossing a football. They also asked us to sing the national anthem; but hey we are down to do whatever, right?
When the show started, we had a feeling we would not be able to see majority of the fireworks. We were pretty far away, and we needed to be home by 10:30. Kind of bummed, we accepted it and moved on. But right as the show was starting, a cloud cover rolled in, making it darker much quicker. The speaker spoke a lot less than he had planned, and the firework show started and ended earlier than planned. It ended on the minute, of when we had planned to leave. We ran to our car, and clocked out at 10:29.
Principle of happiness #2: The Lord does not have to bless us, but He will, because He loves us. It doesn't have to work out the exact way we hope for, but often times I think the Lord winks at us, and lets us have it. He is merciful.
The next day was Sister Jones and I's YEAR MARK! Would you believe it... Because I sure can't. There is no accurate way to sum up the past year of miracles that I have been privileged to witness. Or to summarize the relationships I have made. I could not imagine having lived this past year in any other way.
Principle of happiness #3: We must choose to be happy, regardless of whether or not we like our circumstance. Despite all that God gives us, we can still
choose to ignore it.
This last year has been one of the most joyous of my whole life; and the only part of it I picked, was when I accepted my mission call. I didn't pick when I left, or where I have served. But it has been exactly what I have needed. The two things, that have always been in my control, are my attitude and effort. And the Lord has taught me how to live "after the manner of happiness".
And we can all live in that way, when we apply the teachings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Marlin K. Jensen once said, "...the same patterns and elements of daily life that enabled Nephi and his people to be happy 560 years before Christ, work equally well today."
We can be happy too.
When I was listing those three principles of happiness, I realized that two of them describe the things God does for us, and the last describes what we must do. He wants to bless us with tender mercies every moment of every day, but often times we get in our own view. We look into a mirror, focusing on our own self wallowing, instead of looking through a window at the things around us. Break the mirror, I promise only good luck will follow.
To top off a week of happiness, we had a baptism, the baptism of our really good friend Tammy. So many people came to support her, that we had to move to the chapel. We filled the entire chapel. No truer happiness have I yet experienced in this life, than when I get to be a part of someone opening the gate to eternal joy. And that, that was a night full of plenty of joyous bouts of laughter, and tears.
Principle of happiness #4: Joy will always come to pass, and the Lord has sent out an army to help bring some of it to you.
The only true joy can be found within the arms of our Savior, even Jesus Christ.
"Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever." Alma 26:12
He lives, and what truer joy could come from any other piece of knowledge?
Sister Walstad
I learned a lot this week, especially on how to truly find joy in any type of circumstance. And I got to tell ya, I found that out on an air mattress at 1 am, and walking through a hail and lightning storm, just to name a few. It was a crazy good time, and I mean that.
So let me tell you what I learned about finding happiness, in a set of phases...
I got to go back to my favorite place, Billings, for a mission leadership conference this week! While that should sound so exciting for me, it was honestly really hard. To see my old companions, in an apartment that was no longer mine, was pretty sad. However, this was where I found joy on an air mattress. Having no longer been the resident of the apartment, I kind of felt exiled to the living room to sleep on the air mattresses I used to put out for all of the sisters. BUT, it was the biggest tender mercy for me. I got to sleep out will all of my FAVORITE sisters, the ones who came out with me. We talked and laughed, and had the best night of sleep on an air mattress and couch we could have asked for. I needed that, when my soul was tipping towards sadness.
Principle of happiness #1: The Lord will always give us tender mercies in despairing moments, but we have to look for them there; and decide to be happy. I let myself be sad when the Lord was showing me so many good things. Look for them.
I drove home from Billings, and we did not get back home until about 10:30 at night. It was a long night that took us into the fourth of July! The fourth was a series of tender mercies for us. From meetings, to planning, to lots of yummy food, we were really well taken care of. We got asked to go do service at Zinn Ranch, which is one of the biggest firework shows in Helena. When we arrived, the caretaker told us that he actually did not need help, but did want us to go around and greet people. So Sister Jones and I ended up starting a massive circle of standing, laughing, and tossing a football. They also asked us to sing the national anthem; but hey we are down to do whatever, right?
When the show started, we had a feeling we would not be able to see majority of the fireworks. We were pretty far away, and we needed to be home by 10:30. Kind of bummed, we accepted it and moved on. But right as the show was starting, a cloud cover rolled in, making it darker much quicker. The speaker spoke a lot less than he had planned, and the firework show started and ended earlier than planned. It ended on the minute, of when we had planned to leave. We ran to our car, and clocked out at 10:29.
Principle of happiness #2: The Lord does not have to bless us, but He will, because He loves us. It doesn't have to work out the exact way we hope for, but often times I think the Lord winks at us, and lets us have it. He is merciful.
The next day was Sister Jones and I's YEAR MARK! Would you believe it... Because I sure can't. There is no accurate way to sum up the past year of miracles that I have been privileged to witness. Or to summarize the relationships I have made. I could not imagine having lived this past year in any other way.
Principle of happiness #3: We must choose to be happy, regardless of whether or not we like our circumstance. Despite all that God gives us, we can still
choose to ignore it.
This last year has been one of the most joyous of my whole life; and the only part of it I picked, was when I accepted my mission call. I didn't pick when I left, or where I have served. But it has been exactly what I have needed. The two things, that have always been in my control, are my attitude and effort. And the Lord has taught me how to live "after the manner of happiness".
And we can all live in that way, when we apply the teachings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Marlin K. Jensen once said, "...the same patterns and elements of daily life that enabled Nephi and his people to be happy 560 years before Christ, work equally well today."
We can be happy too.
When I was listing those three principles of happiness, I realized that two of them describe the things God does for us, and the last describes what we must do. He wants to bless us with tender mercies every moment of every day, but often times we get in our own view. We look into a mirror, focusing on our own self wallowing, instead of looking through a window at the things around us. Break the mirror, I promise only good luck will follow.
To top off a week of happiness, we had a baptism, the baptism of our really good friend Tammy. So many people came to support her, that we had to move to the chapel. We filled the entire chapel. No truer happiness have I yet experienced in this life, than when I get to be a part of someone opening the gate to eternal joy. And that, that was a night full of plenty of joyous bouts of laughter, and tears.
Principle of happiness #4: Joy will always come to pass, and the Lord has sent out an army to help bring some of it to you.
The only true joy can be found within the arms of our Savior, even Jesus Christ.
"Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever." Alma 26:12
He lives, and what truer joy could come from any other piece of knowledge?
Sister Walstad
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