It is an honor to be with you at BYU–I! Being a college student has many challenges, especially during this pandemic and the many concerns surrounding it. I sincerely pray you are able to navigate through it all; I know it must be difficult.
Students, I pray my message today will help you not only during your college years, but throughout your entire life. You are on the path to self-improvement. You are seeking and receiving higher education. I am certain your family is proud of you. The Lord is pleased with you and will bless you for your efforts, and I am so happy for you and your future.
The Lord has invited us to be of good cheer, to live without fear. Even though we live in a crazy world with uncertainty, wars, rumors of wars, crime, terrorism, tragedies, natural disasters, and disappointments, the Lord still invites us to be of good cheer.
He has promised us: “Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come.” [1]
Coming from a different background and having learned another language as my mother tongue, I wanted to know exactly what it means in English to be of good cheer. So, I looked it up in the dictionary and learned that to be of good cheer is to be happy. It is that simple! Right?
Listen to what Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said, quoting Elder Orson F. Whitney: “The spirit of the gospel is optimistic; it trusts in God and looks on the bright side of things. The opposite or pessimistic spirit drags men down and away from God, looks on the dark side, murmurs, complains, and is slow to yield obedience.”
Elder Holland continued:
We should honor the Savior’s declaration to ‘be of good cheer.’ (Indeed, it seems to me we may be more guilty of breaking that commandment than almost any other!) Speak hopefully. Speak encouragingly, including about yourself. Try not to complain and moan incessantly. . . .
. . . Yes, life has its problems, and yes, there are negative things to face, but please accept one of Elder Holland’s maxims for living—no misfortune is so bad that whining about it won’t make it worse. [2]
So, how can we find happiness in spite of our circumstances? Here are four key elements that have helped me:
1. Understand that we have a Father in Heaven and a Savior who love us.
I can’t think of anything that brings more joy and happiness to our lives than knowing we have a Father in Heaven who loves us and knows us personally, who created a perfect plan of salvation, also called the plan of happiness, making His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, central to His plan so that we can return to live with Them once again. The scriptures tell us how we responded to the news of our Heavenly Father’s plan. When this plan was introduced by the Father, His sons and daughters “shouted for joy.” [3] Isn’t that a great reason to be happy?
2. Understand that Heavenly Father gave us commandments to help us be happy and return to Him.
In Mosiah 2:41 we read: “I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual.”
When I read this scripture, it reminds me of the account of the people in 4 Nephi. All people had been converted unto the Lord; all were extremely happy because they were keeping the commandments.
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]
Keeping the commandments brings peace and happiness to our lives.
3. Understand the importance of gratitude in our lives.
When we look under the gospel topic “gratitude” on churchofjesuschrist.org, we read:
Gratitude is a feeling of appreciation and thankfulness for blessings or benefits we have received. As we cultivate a grateful attitude, we are more likely to be happy and spiritually strong. We should regularly express our gratitude to God for the blessings He gives us and to others for the kind acts they do for us.
The Lord has promised, “He who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious” (D&C 78:19). Gratitude is an uplifting, exalting attitude. People are generally happier when they have gratitude in their hearts. We cannot be bitter, resentful, or mean-spirited when we are grateful. [5]
We have so many things to be grateful for—families, friends, our Father in Heaven’s goodness in providing us a Savior, the privilege of living on the earth when the fulness of the gospel has been restored, the blessing to make and keep covenants, and the opportunity to partake of the sacrament every Sunday.
A few weeks after we arrived in our mission in Resistencia, Argentina, my husband was inspired to send missionaries to a little town in Formosa called Las Lomitas. This area had been closed to missionaries seven years prior for some unknown reason, and my husband wanted to get a feel for how things were going there and how many families were desirous to have the gospel in their lives.
While working with some of the members in this area, the elders walked down a street and a man approached them, asking if they were missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ. When the elders replied yes, this good man, wanting to be sure, asked again, “Mormon missionaries?”
They once again replied, “Yes, we are.”
He began to tell them that he was Nivaclé, a native people of South America, and also a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He explained that he and his people live about four hours north of Las Lomitas, in a little place called Potrillo, and that every Sunday they meet together at 9:00 a.m., gathering under a big tree to read the Book of Mormon and the Bible.
The elders asked if they were partaking of the sacrament. He told the elders they didn’t have the authority to bless and partake of the sacrament, but they still gathered together to read the scriptures every Sunday. The elders then inquired how many people were gathering under this tree. This good man, Brother Paredes, told them about 120 to 125 people.
The elders couldn’t believe what they were hearing and didn’t know how to react to this heavenly news. They promised Brother Paredes they would report to the mission president and he would probably visit soon.
When my husband received this report from the elders, he didn’t want to wait a minute longer and organized an expedition consisting of his assistants, the two missionaries who had found Brother Paredes, and himself. When the expedition finally arrived at the location Brother Paredes described, they were greeted by a small group of people, only a few of whom spoke Spanish. Everyone else spoke their native language. Fortunately, there were a few people who could speak both languages and interpreted for my husband and the elders.
News of the mission president’s arrival traveled quickly in the jungle, with the people spreading the joyful tidings: “They are here! They are here!” Within a few minutes, on a Thursday in the middle of the week with quite a few people away working, 74 people gathered together underneath a tree to meet with the mission president and the elders for a home evening.
Their joy cannot be described; tears ran down their faces during that very sacred gathering. More tears followed with gratitude for the newly brought hymnbooks, copies of the Book of Mormon, and other books to organize the group. Eventually, they were organized into a group and were authorized to hold sacrament services. Soon, they had the opportunity to partake of the sacrament for the first time in seven years.
Brothers and sisters, aren’t we so thankful for the tremendous opportunity we have each week to partake of the sacrament and for the blessing of the Lord’s infinite Atonement in our lives?
4. Understand that service brings joy to our lives.
The Savior is the best example of service. Even though He came to earth as the Son of God, He humbly served all around Him. He declared, “I am among you as he that serveth.” [6]
President Henry B. Eyring, in his April 2015 general conference message, said: “When we offer succor to anyone, the Savior feels it as if we reached out to succor Him.” [7] Is there a better purpose in serving? Sure, we can serve out of duty or even for hoped for blessings, but the highest purpose of serving is out of love for our Savior.
Opportunities to serve others are limitless. Kind words and deeds can lift burdens and cheer up hearts. Sharing the gospel and helping our ancestors on the other side of the veil through family history work are great services that brings joy not only to the recipients, but also to us!
We know life isn’t always easy. Trials and struggles will come and go throughout our lives and hopefully we learn from them, gaining wisdom and strengthening our faith in Jesus Christ. It is so important that we keep our focus on our ultimate goal: that we get on and stay on the covenant path that leads us back to our Heavenly Father.
From the time I was a young girl, I have loved watching swimmers swim in open waters. They would swim for miles and miles, hours and hours, until they reached their final destination.
I especially love the story of Florence Chadwick narrated by Sister Ardeth Kapp. This is what she wrote:
I am impressed with the story of Florence Chadwick, who determined at thirty-four years of age that she would be the first woman to swim the twenty-two miles from Catalina Island to the California coast. She had already been the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions.
One writer reported the experience: “The water was cold that July morning, and the fog was so thick she could hardly see the boats in her own party. Millions were watching on national television. Several times sharks, which had gotten too close, had to be driven away with rifles to protect the long figure in the water. As the hours ticked off, she swam on.
Fatigue had never been her big problem in these swims. It was the bone-chilling cold of the water. More than fifteen hours later, numbed with cold, she asked to be taken out. She couldn’t go on.
Her mother and her trainer alongside in a boat told her they were near land. They urged her not to quit. But when she looked toward to California coast, all she could see was the dense fog.”
A few minutes later, at fifteen hours and fifty-five minutes, she was taken out of the water. It was not until hours later, when her body began to warm up again, that she felt the shock of failure.
To a reporter she blurted out, “Look, I’m not excusing myself, but if I could have just seen land I might have made it.” She had been pulled out only one-half mile from the California coast.
Later, she reflected that she had been defeated not by fatigue, not even by the cold, but by the fog. It had defeated her because it had obscured her goal and blinded her reason, her eyes, her heart.
This was the only time Florence Chadwick ever quit. Two months later she swam that same channel and again the fog obscured her view, but this time she swam with her faith intact. She knew that somewhere behind that fog was land. And she reached her goal.
Sister Kapp continues saying:
This earth life is not intended to be an easy climb, and the shoreline is not always visible. But when we believe the top of the highest peak is real and the shoreline (whatever the distance) is somehow within our reach, the effort will never be too great. [8]
Remember again what the Lord has promised us: “Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come.” [9]
My brothers and sisters, the spirit of the gospel is optimistic. President Nelson taught that you can face the future with optimism and joy as you look forward to the future with faith. I pray the struggles and trials of life will not obscure your vision and goals to live righteously that you may return to our Heavenly Father. I pray you will all find happiness no matter your circumstances.
I cheerfully testify that we have a Father in Heaven who loves us and knows us personally, who created a perfect plan for us to be happy on this earth. I know that as we keep the commandments, acknowledging His hand in all things, having gratitude in our hearts, and serving others around us, we will be of good cheer in spite of our trials. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] Doctrine and Covenants 68:6.
[2] Jeffrey R. Holland, “The Tongue of Angels,” Ensign, May 2007.
[3] Job 38:7.
[4] 4 Nephi 1:15–16.
[5] “Gratitude,” Gospel Topics, topics.lds.org.
[6] Luke 22:27.
[7] Henry B. Eyring, “Is Not This the Fast That I Have Chosen?” Ensign, May 2015.
[8] Ardeth G. Kapp, Better Than You Think You Are, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2009.
[9] Doctrine and Covenants 68:6.