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> ... Articles > Faith

Do You Want to Be Happy?

by Emma Parnell
, May 20, 2024

We can experience greater joy and peace when we learn about and keep our covenants

A mother and daughter running through a field, towards the rising sun
During the difficulties we all face, it’s natural to feel sad and overwhelmed. In his general conference message “Do You Want to be Happy?”, Elder Yoon Hwan Choi shared how to find peace and strength during challenges through a covenant relationship with our Heavenly Father.

God wants us to be happy

In the Book of Mormon, we learn that “men are that they might have joy.” 1
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2 Nephi 2:25
 But, this life is our time to gain experience and to learn and grow. The trials we go through can leave us feeling abandoned and far from the joy we’ve been promised. However, Heavenly Father’s covenant path allows us to find joy throughout our lives, even when we face difficulty.In this life, we make sacred agreements with Him, called covenants, in which He “sets specific conditions, and promises to bless us as we obey those conditions.” 2
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"Covenant," Gospel Topics
 Making and keeping these promises with God throughout our lives is what we call “following the covenant path.” All of these promises are meant to bring us joy. God has even called His great plan “the plan of happiness.” 3
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"Plan of Salvation," True to the Faith

Keeping covenants gives us strength

The exterior of a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where people go to make covenants.

Each covenant we make with God comes with conditions we must follow in order to receive the promised blessings. These conditions, while firm, are the opposite of limiting.

We have the opportunity to enter into several covenants that bring us closer to our Heavenly Father. The first covenant we make is baptism by immersion, 4
x
See Matthew 3:16
 in which we promise to always remember God and keep His commandments; in return, He promises that we will always have the Holy Ghost as a constant companion. As we continue along the covenant path, we have opportunities to make additional covenants with Him in holy temples.

Elder Choi said, “Keeping covenants actually makes life easier! Each person who makes covenants in baptismal fonts and in temples—and keeps them—has increased access to the power of Jesus Christ.”

Keeping covenants also strengthens us against difficulties we face. “As we yoke ourselves to Him,” said Elder Choi, “we can do things we couldn’t do on our own because He can do the things we cannot do for ourselves.”

While our challenges won’t disappear entirely, keeping covenants gives us strength from Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost.

Get back on the path

Only one of God’s children was ever perfect: our Savior, Jesus Christ. Through His great Atonement, He provided a way for all of us to find our way back to the covenant path when we fail to keep our end of the covenant promise. As we earnestly pray for forgiveness and ask for guidance, God will strengthen us to make things right again.

“As long as you seek to know of the Savior and pray to Heavenly Father,” said Elder Choi, “He will give you a customized answer for you.”

“Do you want to be happy?” he asked. “Stay on the covenant path. Your life will be easier, happier, and filled with joy.”

Article published on May 20, 2024

Tags

FaithStudentsConfidenceSpiritualPersonal GrowthCovenants