True Happiness

Everyone has things in their life that make them happy. For my mom, it's her cheetah print jacket, for my niece it's her pet chinchilla, and for me? Well, it's eating ice-cream out of a mug.

But today I don't want to talk about the happiness that is only temporary. After all; cheetah print fades, that chinchilla wont live forever (hopefully), and eventually I'll run out of ice-cream. I have found in my life the source of true and lasting happiness comes from living the gospel of Jesus Christ. Particularly from reading the Book of Mormon.

I want to share an experience I had that I believe has shaped my life.

While I was in High School my parents taught a class every Sunday night in our basement. The object of this class was to teach and train young senior boys to prepare them for their future missions. Out of the many years my parents did this, there was one Sunday- in particular- I will never forget.

I was sitting at our kitchen table eating a bowl of cereal (which was my nightly routine) when I could hear downstairs that the Sunday meeting was over. Finishing off my last bite of cereal, knowing that my parents would want my help putting away chairs downstairs, I suddenly heard a voice calling my name from down the hall... and it was a boy! Totally taken back, I answered, "I'm in the kitchen!"  I was even more surprised when I saw who was looking for me. His name is Andrew (I changed it for privacy) he was the boy at school that all the girls were in love with... jock... witty... you know the type! Totally confused I asked him why he was looking for me?
His reply, "I wanted to ask you a question... everyday I see you walking down the hall and yesterday I saw you and thought, 'that girl knows what's going on!'" and then he started to cry, "Rebekah, why are you so happy?"
My clever response, "umm... what do you mean?"
"Well, every time I see you, you look so happy! ...I've been trying to figure out why.. and the only thing I can come up with is when you bore your testimony in seminary on the Book of Mormon and how much you love it... is that what makes you happy? And how did you grow to love it so much?"

It took me a minute to answer back. I was still in shock that Andrew was in my kitchen... and he was crying! Before this very moment, I hadn't realized he knew I even existed! Let alone trying to figure out why I was happy.
"Andrew, I think you are right. The Book of Mormon is the greatest blessing in my life...the spirit that it brings when I read it, I believe, is what makes me happy... and the best way to love it, is to read it."

He just nodded his head and said, "I knew it."

That night in my kitchen I learned a powerful lesson. Not only could I feel and see a difference in my own life from reading the Book of Mormon but others could feel and see it too... even the witty jocks! Since I have been out on my mission I have had the privilege of watching the light and happiness grow in each one of my investigators as they have read and studied the Book of Mormon. What a blessing!

I know longer "think" that the Book of Mormon has brought true happiness into my life. I know it has.