Optimism and loving others

This week a friend shared a thought with me from president Hinckley that made me think. 

"Cultivate an attitude of happiness. Cultivate a spirit of optimism. Walk with faith, rejoicing in the beauties of nature, in the goodness of those you love, in the testimony which you carry in your heart concerning things divine." - Gordon B Hinckley 

As I pondered this quote I thought about my own life and how sometimes Satan tries to make is think that we have no choice in being happy, no ability to choose our own circumstances. Now granted there are people with clinical depression that makes this difficult. But we have more power than Satan wants us to believe. 

And one of the most powerful ways I've found of finding happiness is ironically to forget ourselves. The Dalai Llama once said, "If you want others to be happy, choose compassion, if you want to be happy choose compassion." 

These past few weeks I've tried to forget myself and serve others. As I have I've noticed greater light and happiness come into my life. Often when I'm unhappy is when I'm most focused on myself, but when I reach out to love others I find greater happiness. As the Savior said, 

"He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it."

I know this to be true. 

Why We Need the Book of Mormon

Yesterday I was listening to the radio and there was an interview with a retired Episcopal Bishop who was trying to argue that none of the miracles in the bible actually happened, that Jesus was just a really good man and even went so far as to say that when we take the miracles in the bible literally it's heresy.

Naturally I don't agree with him. But I was surprised and sad that there would be Christians who don't believe in Christ's ability to work miracles. If we don't believe He worked miracles then, how could we ever believe that He can work miracles now in our own lives?

As I listened I eventually came to understand how he'd come to this point. He had grown up in a church, but without the truths of the gospel, without prophets and the restored truths that fix apostasy errors how could he fully understand?

Through this I realized how powerful the Book of Mormon's witness of Jesus Christ really is. With the bible there are some who can claim he was just a good man. But with the Book of Mormon that middle ground falls away. The Book of Mormon testifies that Jesus Christ is the Savior, that He truly healed the blind, cured the sick, and caused the lame to walk. Moroni even prophesies and warns against those who believe as this Episcopal Bishop did in Moroni 7 saying,

"Or have angels ceased to appear unto the children of men? Or has he withheld the power of the Holy Ghost from them? Or will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man upon the face thereof to be saved?

 Behold I say unto you, Nay; for it is by faith that miracles are wrought; and it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men; wherefore, if these things have ceased wo be unto the children of men, for it is because of unbelief, and all is vain."

I'm so grateful for the powerful testimony of Jesus Christ that the Book of Mormon is. It truly brings us closer to God and is the most powerful witness of the Savior and it has changed my life.

Nick Walton