“After the Manner of Happiness”
by Lyndie Jackson
The Nephites Live after the Manner of Happiness
After the Nephites separated from the Lamanites, they built a temple and lived the commandments of the Lord. They preached and learned the gospel of Jesus Christ together, and 2 Nephi 5:27 states it simply: “We lived after the manner of happiness.”
The happiest times in my life have been when I was working the hardest to keep the commandments of God. When I take the time to pray fervently, attend the temple regularly, focus on my covenants, and strive to be a better disciple of Jesus Christ, I feel so happy.
In Mosiah 2:41, King Benjamin counseled his people, “I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.”
Wilford Woodruff echoed this principle in his journal: “We should trust all our affairs in the hands of God, we should do right & follow the counsel of those that are set over us & the blessing of God will attend us & we shall be happy.”1
May we all live after the manner of happiness and enjoy God’s promised blessings to those who keep His commandments and live in His way.
Lyndie is working toward a degree in Public Relations at Brigham Young University. Originally from Idaho Falls, Idaho, she enjoys running, spending time with her husband and family, and reading. Lyndie served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Hermosillo, Mexico, where she developed a love for the Spanish language and the people there. She was drawn to the Wilford Woodruff Papers out of a desire to learn more about Church history and enjoys being part of the organization’s efforts to touch lives with Wilford Woodruff’s words.
Endnotes
1 Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, February 13, 1853, p. 425, The Wilford Woodruff Papers, wilfordwoodruffpapers.org/journal/1853-02-13.