“We all try to find our happily ever after …. All you have to do is trust your Heavenly Father. Trust Him enough to follow His plan.”
Come Follow Me Daily
A commonly known adage by Henry David Thoreau states, “Happiness is like a butterfly; the more you chase it, the more it will elude you, but if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder.”
I understand the principle that Thoreau was trying to teach,
But looking at Abraham, I see a juxtaposing idea.
Abraham saw that it was “needful for [him] to obtain another place of residence.” (Understatement of the century, by the way. Everyone, including his own father, was trying to sacrifice him!)
“And, finding there was greater happiness and peace and rest for me, I sought for the blessings of the fathers.” (Abraham 1:1-2)
He wanted more happiness, peace, and rest in his life.
So he actively started chasing it.
He sought after blessings.
Righteousness.
Knowledge.
Ordinances.
Instruction. (v. 2)
His appointment in the priesthood. (v 4)
And when he sought those things, he found happiness.
Happiness should be sought after—and it can be found in the Lord.
As it says in Psalms 146:5, “Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God.”
Happiness comes from hope in God’s plan.
As Elder Uchtdorf said, “We all search for happiness, and we all try to find our own “happily ever after. The truth is, God knows how to get there! And He has created a map for you; He knows the way. […] All you have to do is trust your Heavenly Father. Trust Him enough to follow His plan.”
As we actively seek to live after the manner of happiness, we will find it.
Not happiness as fleeting as a butterfly.
But true, lasting joy.
Like Abraham, we don’t need to wait for it to come to us. We can chase it now.