"Now the joy of Ammon was so great even that he was full; yea, he was swallowed up in the joy of his God, even to the exhausting of his strength; and he fell again to the earth.
Now was not this exceeding joy? Behold, this is joy which none receiveth save it be the truly penitent and humble seeker of happiness."
Alma 27:17-18
Have you ever been so happy that you couldn't stand up? I am not sure if I have been... I've been amazingly happy, mind you, but I was sitting down already, so I don't know if it was that extreme. :)
The thing that I really love about this selection is the reminder that God is all about happiness. Heaven, after all, is "a state of never-ending happiness" (Mosiah 2:41). God gives us commandments in order to help us to be happy, since "wickedness never was happiness" (Alma 41:10) and the idea that we will be "raised to happiness according to his desires of happiness" (Alma 41:5).
We often really stink at knowing what will make us truly happy. We're better with short-term choices, and we might feel satisfied or triumphant in the moment, but way too often the things we choose have a long-term bitter aftertaste and don't actually improve our long-term happiness. The things that God suggests, however, will. He knows us better than we know ourselves, and he can help us find, not just happiness in what brings happiness to people overall, like being righteous and helping others, but also in our individual lives, based on our own preferences and personality quirks. God is like a family member or a best friend in that way... sometimes he blesses us with things just because he knows they will bring a smile to our face. :)
Today, let's seek that Ammon-level happiness that the Lord can give us. Let's learn God's plan for everyone's happiness through the scriptures and the words of the prophets, as well as praying and developing that knowledge of and relationship with God, so that he can help us individually find our own individual mission and happiness. That is what all of this is about: "men are, that they might have joy" (2 Nephi 2:25)
Now was not this exceeding joy? Behold, this is joy which none receiveth save it be the truly penitent and humble seeker of happiness."
Alma 27:17-18
Have you ever been so happy that you couldn't stand up? I am not sure if I have been... I've been amazingly happy, mind you, but I was sitting down already, so I don't know if it was that extreme. :)
The thing that I really love about this selection is the reminder that God is all about happiness. Heaven, after all, is "a state of never-ending happiness" (Mosiah 2:41). God gives us commandments in order to help us to be happy, since "wickedness never was happiness" (Alma 41:10) and the idea that we will be "raised to happiness according to his desires of happiness" (Alma 41:5).
We often really stink at knowing what will make us truly happy. We're better with short-term choices, and we might feel satisfied or triumphant in the moment, but way too often the things we choose have a long-term bitter aftertaste and don't actually improve our long-term happiness. The things that God suggests, however, will. He knows us better than we know ourselves, and he can help us find, not just happiness in what brings happiness to people overall, like being righteous and helping others, but also in our individual lives, based on our own preferences and personality quirks. God is like a family member or a best friend in that way... sometimes he blesses us with things just because he knows they will bring a smile to our face. :)
Today, let's seek that Ammon-level happiness that the Lord can give us. Let's learn God's plan for everyone's happiness through the scriptures and the words of the prophets, as well as praying and developing that knowledge of and relationship with God, so that he can help us individually find our own individual mission and happiness. That is what all of this is about: "men are, that they might have joy" (2 Nephi 2:25)
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