believing

I used to have a teacher at school who had a favorite phrase: “We all need to be heading north.”

That’s a loaded statement. Loaded with important words.

First: We all . . .

I got to the point (post mission) when I asked this question: “Is Jesus Christ really the Son of God? And if so, am I on board?”

Now, personally, I believe that every one in the human family must, at some time in eternity sincerely ask this question. The answer to that questions is essential to happiness.

When we realize that we are sons and daughters of God, our hearts change and because we “stand all amazed at the love Jesus profers” us, the natural inclination of this change of heart is a desire to serve his children. We serve not for popularity purposes, not for recognition, not out of convenience, and not for social reasons. We serve because our hearts have become like Christ’s, and we genuinely desire to help one another and bear one another’s burdens. We begin to realize that salvation is a group affair. WE ALL are enlisted to help the living and the dead come unto Christ and be perfected in him. “When [we are] converted, [we seek to] strengthen [our] brethren.” (Luke 22:32)

Next: need . . .

In Doctrine and Covenants 89 we read that if we “walk in obedience to the commandments” that we “shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures.”

Okay, so here is the question: What is the greatest hidden treasure? What nugget of knowledge do we NEED the most? Answer: We need to realize that Jesus is the Christ.

Neal Maxwell said, “We are going to have to do a better job in helping the young to see that there is a connection between the Gospel and the problems of the real world, and that the Gospel does contain the solutions to human problems.”

Next: to be . . .

The gospel is something we do, not simply something we talk about. Remember the words of Christ: “therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am.” (3 Nephi 27:27)

Finally: heading north.

When Nephi is in anguish, he prays for something very unique. He asks God to help him that he “may be strict in the plain road.” (2 Nephi 4: 32).

Beautiful.

Nephi, like all of us, could do whatever he wanted, but he was tired of trials. Tired of making poor decisions. Tired of being angry because of his enemies. Tired of being sad. He realized that he needed to HEAD NORTH. Strictly. When there were 5,000 other things he could do, he was going to be strict in the bare, unadorned, simple, basic road. As a result of that decision he said that he “lived after the manner of happiness.” (2 Ne. 5:27).

I believe Christ suffered for each of us, and that he loves me. Yes, life is unfair, and evil and sad and pathetic, and yes, I am all of those things, too. However, God is good and he is mercifully willing to forgive my idiosyncrasies when I come to him with my best self. Not my selfish, me, me, me self, but rather with my "I know not, save the Lord commanded me" self.

THEN

I am . . . happy.

Genuinely. Completely.