Happiness

I feel like this scripture which we discussed in Book of Mormon really sums up this semester for me.  It is the first part of Alma 50:23 which reads: “but behold there never was a happier time among the people of Nephi, since the days of Nephi, than in the days of Moroni…”  This scripture seems to speak to me at this point because I feel like I am the happiest I have been since my childhood.  I love most of my classes and my workload, while still significant, is manageable and allows me to have time for other activities as well. I also have wonderful friends.  I think that while these factors do affect my overall happiness, in class we discussed how happiness was a choice and not just a response to circumstances.  This, obviously, has been a challenge at times for me to understand how I can be happy when the whole world was against me.  The people of Nephi were in the middle of this hugely destructive war at the time, yet they were still happy because they had the gospel and they chose not to groan and complain.  This example helps me to put my problems into the eternal perspective and see how truly insignificant they are to my celestial goals.   I am so grateful that I came here to BYU and had the opportunity to grow my testimony of my Heavenly Father’s love for me.