…VAN EEN VERNUFTIGE
MAKELIJ…
(1 Nephi 18:1)
Belgium/Netherlands Mission
LIVING
AFTER THE MANNER OF HAPPINESS
Every
missionary faces discouragement at times.
What we do is tough, especially in the dark, cold winter weather that we
are experiencing. People are sometimes
rude when contacted on the door or in the street and most people reject hearing
our message. Feeling successful can be
difficult. The language looms as a
challenge for a large part of the mission experience. Problems, concerns, poor
health, fatigue, disunity and/or personal feelings of discouragement can be overwhelming.
Nephi
taught 9 keys to assist anyone to overcome discouragement and live after the
manner of happiness. These key points
are found in 2 Nephi 4 and 5. Chapter 4
is sometimes called the Psalm of Nephi and is one of the most beautiful texts
he wrote. Nephi’s keys to living after
the manner of happiness are as follows and sounds much like President Gordon B.
Hinckley’s fireside address on 12 Nov. 2000 titled the Six B’s:
1.
4:15; Keep
a Diary. Write things of your soul and
favorite scriptures in your diary.
Further, write things which are of worth unto your children and will
persuade them to come unto God. (see also 1 Nephi 6:5-6)
2. 4:16; Be Smart.
Delight and ponder the things of the Lord. This could also be called meditation. Our world is full of noise with an unending
avalanche of audio and visual information competing for your attention. Meditation is taking time to shut out the
input and simply think and ponder. You
will be more purposeful and successful in your life by doing this.
3. 4:34; Be Trusting. Place your trust in God. This is essentially the kernel of faith. It is believing God will come through for you
during your darkest hours. You can then
confidently experience hope for better days as you place your trust in him.
4. 4:24; Be Prayerful. Engage in mighty prayer. Nephi says to wax bold in prayer. Wax is a code word for letting virtue garnish
thy thoughts unceasingly. Prayer is your
invitation to God to get involved without him imposing himself on you. He has commanded you to pray about everything
going on in your life. (see Alma34)
5. 4:17, 26-27; Be Humble. Recognize your need for the Savior. Everybody has a fallen nature. We all
need the Savior who has promised to make up the difference in our lives and assist
us in making our weakness become strengths.
We in turn must do our best and, when we make mistakes, we get back up
and do our best again. Nephi is thought
of as a bold and faithful prophet, yet even he reveals his weaknesses and
desperate need for the Savior.
6. 4:20-23; Be Grateful. Gratitude is to acknowledge God’s hand in
your life. He supports you in your
afflictions, your wildernesses, and your deep waters. He gives you knowledge and inspiration. Writing
a list of your blessings, including simple things like eye sight, is a sure
fire way to realize God supports you.
7. 4:28-30; Be True. Awake, rejoice, do not droop in sin and do
not slacken your strength. Stay true to
your convictions and resolve to continue the good fight.
8. 5:11, 15-17; Be Industrious. I do not believe there is any better
first-aid therapy to discouragement than to buckle down and go to work. Hard work and temple attendance is an
important part of living after the manner of happiness.
9. 5:10; Be Clean.
Keep the commandments in all things.
Nephi’s
mission was not easy. He overcame many
afflictions and much discouragement.
Think of his obstacles. He faced:
wickedness in Jerusalem, people sought
the life of his father, Labon stood in his way, he left great wealth, obtained
the brass plates, 8 years in the wilderness, broken bow, hunger/thrust/child
births/hard work/fatigue, Laman and Lemuel sought his life, build tools, build
a ship, cross the ocean and tied up at sea.
It may be the Engineer in me, but I would like to know how he launched
the ship. After all this, his brothers
sought his life again; so he took what he could carry with those who would
follow and fled into the wilderness to start again. In the Psalm of Nephi, he indicates this lead
him to experiencing some big-time discouragement. He states his heart groaned because of his
sins and he asked himself why he should linger in the valley of sorrow.
But,
he describes their lives as, “…we lived after the manner of happiness.” (2
Nephi 5:27) Remember at all times to
follow Nephi’s keys to happiness and especially as feelings of discouragement
come. It is a great blessing to enjoy
serving in Belgium and the Netherlands at this time.
President
Robinson
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