Mormon 2

Mormon 2:13

But behold this my joy was vain, for their sorrowing was not unto repentance, because of the goodness of God; but it was rather the sorrowing of the damned, because the Lord would not always suffer them to take happiness in sin.

The people of Mormon's time were fulfilling the prophesy of Samuel the Lamanite. Who in speaking of their time said:

Helaman 13:38

But behold, your days of probation are past; ye have procrastinated the day of your salvation until it is everlastingly too late, and your destruction is made sure; yeah for ye have sought all the days of your lives for that which ye could not obtain; and ye have sought for happiness in doing iniquity, which thing is contrary to the nature of that righteousness which is in our great and Eternal Head.


Happiness is not something that can be forced or faked. It's not something that we can buy, or make, or steal or even earn. In your heart you will know if you are happy. And unhappiness comes from living contrary to the knowledge that we have, contrary to the light of Christ.

Alma 41:10,11

...Behold I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness. And now, my son, all men that are in a state of nature, or I would say, in a carnal state, are in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity; they are without God in the world, and they have gone contrary to the nature of God; therefore, they are in a state contrary to the nature of happiness.

Mormon 2:14

And they did not come unto Jesus with broken hearts and contrite spirits, but they did curse God, and wish to die. Nevertheless they would struggle with the sword for their lives.

Happiness, on the other hand, flows from living in harmony with your values, living at peace with yourself, and most especially by living righteously, by sincerely seeking to become like Christ and living for God and not for yourself.

Mathew 10:38, 39

And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not wothy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

My belief is this: That those who seek to live for themselves will find no value in their own lives, but those who give up their own interests and desires and dedicate themselves to the work of the Lord will find great happiness and joy. It's also interesting to me that the people of Mormon's time, though they had only misery would fight and struggle to preserve their own lives, where as one of the marks of a true disciple has always been a willingness to give up their physical life. Why wouldn't the people who actually find joy in life be the ones seeking to preserve it. I guess for me the answer is, they realize that just like life could not give them happiness, death can not take it from them. God is the source of all good things including happiness. And while life is a great gift from God, neither life nor death have any inherent happiness or unhappiness, neither are inherently good or evil and both are part of God's plan. And most importantly those with a testimony of the savior will know that through him they will live again.