Why do we suffer from
unhappiness and depression when we are doing our best to be obedient to God’s
commandments? Aren’t we supposed to be happy? Isn’t it called “the great plan
of happiness?” (Alma 42:8) If “wickedness never was happiness,” (Alma 41:10)
then does that mean unhappy people are wicked? Is disobedience and wickedness
the source of our unhappiness?
We
sometimes confuse what is TRUE and what makes us happy.
We
know that eventually we will understand all truth, and that truth is independent of opinion, or emotion. In other words truth can stand alone,
regardless of how we feel. We do not understand all truth in this mortal
existence. We seek the truth and welcome any revealed truth, but in reality the
circle of truth we understand is quite small.
The
emotions we feel (although very real) do not always represent, nor are they in
line with, the truth, especially in this mortal life. We are intended to feel a
variety of emotions in this lifetime, some of them very acute at times. We are
designed to be happy. We are intended to have joy. However, we are not
guaranteed a life without unhappiness. We are not promised some utopian
existence where we live in constant harmony and never feel the wide range of
emotion attached to our mortal journey. We will feel negative emotions, but
those emotions do not change the truth. Truth stands alone, independent, and
unaffected by emotion. It does not feel. It simply exists. Knowing and applying
truth can bring us happiness, but unhappiness in this life does not mean that
we have failed to understand or apply the truth properly. God makes the rain
fall on the just and the unjust. Unhappiness comes to the righteous and the
wicked, at least for now.
If
we follow the PLAN of happiness, eventually we will be happy. (That’s why it’s
called a plan.) If we align ourselves with the revealed truth and follow the
plan, we will eventually achieve a state of happiness that is unchanging. Just
as our bodies will be resurrected and glorified, our spirits will be free from
guilt, shame, and all the other impediments to eternal happiness. We will have
a fullness of joy. But for many that will not be achieved in this lifetime
because of the mortal limitations of our existence.
So
what do we tell someone who is suffering from depression and unhappiness? How
do we console them and reassure them when they can no longer be happy in spite
of their best efforts to live a righteous life? What do we say to someone who
cannot seem to find happiness for the moment?
First,
testify of truth. The truth doesn’t change with our emotions. It is constant. People
suffering from depression and anxiety often describe it as a state of
uneasiness or instability where they can’t seem to find their footing. They are
looking for something—anything—they can hold onto. Depression and anxiety can
rob a person of hope, and hope is the seedbed of faith. Without hope it is
difficult to wait on the Lord and difficult to believe in anything we cannot
physically experience. Revelation becomes difficult. Truth is the ultimate
anchor in this situation. When we testify of truth it gives a reference and an
anchor point in the sea of emotion. Truth provides stability in an unstable
moment.
Love.
We must fill our bowels with charity and serve those who are suffering. We are
instructed to “lift up the hands which hang down.” (Hebrews 12:12) No one’s
hands are hanging lower than someone suffering from depression or anxiety.
Depression often robs an individual’s ability to feel joy and love. It makes it
difficult to give and receive love. Because of this, it is often difficult to
love someone suffering from depression because they cannot reciprocate or
appreciate the love that is offered. “Charity suffereth long.” (1 Corinthians
13:4) We must love, and continue to love in a variety of ways, all those
suffering from depression and anxiety. Love will see them through the darkest
days.
The
truth about happiness is that in this life we may not always be happy, even
when we are trying to be obedient to God’s eternal laws. “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good
cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Life is a journey full of tribulation
and emotion, but if we follow the plan of happiness we will eventually overcome
all the mortal impediments to happiness.
Truth
stands independent of our emotions.
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