How can you be happy with all of those little rules and restrictions?
This seems to be one of the big questions people have when they look at our faith. My answer for that is actually pretty simple and I think nearly anyone would agree with me.
For starters, where does happiness actually come from? This is a question that has boggled people for centuries. Fortunately, we can learn from their examples what works and what doesn't.
Does Money bring happiness? Not necessarily, in fact it can add stress to life! Do Video Games bring happiness? They can be good stress relief, but I've seen lots of gamers who are definitely not happy. Do Drugs bring happiness? Nope.
Your family can be an enormous source of happiness, but here's a question. Do families always bring us happiness? Even in a perfectly loving home, heartbreaks and disappointments still happen. Not even families bring us happiness all of the time. Where is the sure-fire source of happiness?
The answer, I believe, can't be found on this earth.
It's found within our minds! If we consistently dwell on happy thoughts, do happiness producing things, and have a happy self-image, no force on this earth can prevent us from maxing out our happiness. Now, even with a perfect mindset, life is not a happy experience all of the time, trial and struggle is part of life. However, when we have this positive mindset, we can bounce back from these challenges and return to happiness. Happiness will come from within.
The Commandments also protect us from the unhappiness caused by our own actions. The man who never kills, cheats, steals, or lies will be free from the heartbreaks caused by these actions. They won't have an extra load to deal with when times are tough. Their burdens will be light.
What do we need to change? Well, isn't that what the Commandments are for?
For starters, where does happiness actually come from? This is a question that has boggled people for centuries. Fortunately, we can learn from their examples what works and what doesn't.
Does Money bring happiness? Not necessarily, in fact it can add stress to life! Do Video Games bring happiness? They can be good stress relief, but I've seen lots of gamers who are definitely not happy. Do Drugs bring happiness? Nope.
Your family can be an enormous source of happiness, but here's a question. Do families always bring us happiness? Even in a perfectly loving home, heartbreaks and disappointments still happen. Not even families bring us happiness all of the time. Where is the sure-fire source of happiness?
The answer, I believe, can't be found on this earth.
It's found within our minds! If we consistently dwell on happy thoughts, do happiness producing things, and have a happy self-image, no force on this earth can prevent us from maxing out our happiness. Now, even with a perfect mindset, life is not a happy experience all of the time, trial and struggle is part of life. However, when we have this positive mindset, we can bounce back from these challenges and return to happiness. Happiness will come from within.
So, What Do The Commandments Have to Do With Being Happy?
The Commandments are designed to change our thoughts, desires, and actions. That's the secret! They lay out a foundation we can use to build a positive mindset. Following these Commandments alone won't change us, but following them gives us the spiritual and mental strength to needed to truly love God, our neighbors, and ourselves. That love is what will give us the mindset and thus, the happiness, that we want!The Commandments also protect us from the unhappiness caused by our own actions. The man who never kills, cheats, steals, or lies will be free from the heartbreaks caused by these actions. They won't have an extra load to deal with when times are tough. Their burdens will be light.
My Invitation
So, here's my invitation... If some behavior makes you unhappy in any sort of way... Drop it like a bad habit! I'm not so concerned about philosophical arguments, religious debates, etc. I'm more concerned about whether I am happy with who I am. Happiness doesn't come in a box and unlike its imitators, it's free. All we need to do is change.What do we need to change? Well, isn't that what the Commandments are for?
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