I bet this missionary was innocently eating a cookie one day when he had the flash of inspiration to make God's Plan of Happiness an edible treat.
Let's face it. The doctrine of the Plan of Salvation is embedded in our minds. Personally, I find it amazing that we as Latter-day Saints can make profound doctrinal connections with a series of circles. The next time you're bored in class, draw a row of three circles followed by a column of three circles and ask your friend what it is. I bet that more often than not, the answer will be, "Ummm.... oh yeah, the Plan of Salvation."
The Plan of Salvation gives us the sure knowledge that our challenging lives are only Act II in a three-act play. The stage was set in Act I; we prepared for mortality during our premortal existence. Tragedy strikes in Act II; we face hardship, challenge, and trial during our time on earth. Then will come Act III, when the protagonist succeeds; through the atonement of Christ, we will all be resurrected and also redeemed in degree to our obedience to the gospel. Knowing that tragedy is a necessary part of our mortal lives, we can, as Maridee's post suggested, wring out every experience to its last drop, whether good or bitter. I feel that doing this not only helps us to learn from every experience, but also prepares us to fully appreciate the joy that is to come in Act III.
Check out this video. I think that it illustrates well the power of enjoyment after passing through tragedy.
It's difficult to exercise the faith that a terrible experience can make us happier in the end. But if we swallow self-pity and take that leap of faith, we can experience firsthand the peace that a gospel perspective brings.
Haha, that's awesome! This is actually a topic that I feel quite strongly about. I firmly believe that we, as select few who posess a greater understanding of what happens after this life, accordingly have a responsibility to find joy in the midst of trying circumstances. If we, as a people that have a firm belief in a divine Father who loves and provides for us, as well as the hope of a wonderful afterlife cannot be happy throughout temporary trials, who can?
ReplyDeleteThat is so profound: "tragedy is a necessary part of our lives." It's true though. It reminds me of Elder Wirthlin's talk: "Come What May and Love It." I'll never forget that message because it taught me that sometimes the best way to deal with tragic situations is simply to laugh. Making the best of any and every situation is something that I'd like to work on. Looking back at my life, I realize that the happiest times were the ones when I was doing exactly that. Thanks for your post Billy. I always enjoy the images and videos you share along with your deep insights.
ReplyDeleteBilly, I love the humor in your post--it's great. I think you make a good point in emphasizing that we must get every drop of an experience even if it's bitter. In fact, it seems that we often are able to have the most growth from our bitter experiences.
ReplyDeleteI always look forward to reading your posts, Billy because you always incorporate entertaining yet profound YouTube videos!
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with this message. I feel that part of life is having hard experiences that we can learn from them (trials) and be refined as gold through them. Going through hard things also make the rainbow moments in life even more joyful and satisfying. There is a balance: the deeper the sadness or sorrow felt, the greater capacity there is to feel joy and peace.
That is my philosophy anyway.