Purpose: To Find Peace with Happiness and Joy

As explained in more detail in the preface, the purpose of this book is to

help you and others you love find true peace with enduring happiness
and joy regardless of your circumstances in life.

What are peace, happiness, and joy? How can they be obtained in this
mortal life? To what extent is it reasonable that one living in today’s
world of declining values, demoralizing influences, and uncertain future
can expect to enjoy the blessings of peace, happiness, and joy?

The Savior taught:

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world
giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be
afraid.1

Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit,

and you shall have peace in me.2

The peace that the Master has promised is much more than the absence
of strife, turmoil, conflict, and contention. Its greatest blessing is
realized in the life of an individual. Its absence is also felt most
profoundly in the human mind and heart.

An example will illustrate the meaning of peace. I once had an

experience that caused me immense anxiety. I was severely troubled. It
had nothing to do with disobedience or transgression but with a vitally
important human relationship. I was so overcome with concern that I did
something I never do. I left my office early and went home to pray. For
some time I poured my heart out to the Lord. Try as I might, I could find
no solution, no settling of the powerful stirring within me. I pled for help
from that Eternal Father I have come to know and trust completely. I
could see no path that would provide the calm that is my blessing to
generally enjoy. Sleep overcame me. When I awoke I was totally at
peace. I knelt again in solemn prayer and asked, “Lord, how is it done?”
In my heart, I knew the answer was His love and His concern for me.
That is consummate peace.

Happiness has its roots in obedience to the teachings of the Lord and in
faith in His capacity to fulfill His promises. It can be enjoyed in an
environment of poverty or wealth, sickness or health, scarcity or
abundance, serenity or challenge. Happiness can and should be the
general background in which life is lived. It can provide strength and
comfort when periods of challenge, sorrow, and disappointment are
encountered, though we cannot expect that blessing when we are guilty
of premeditated disobedience. Happiness and joy are often used
interchangeably and will be repeatedly in this work. However, the
scriptures confirm that joy can be so intense as to overcome entirely all
other feelings.3 Such joy is a gift of God when fully merited. That
singular joy is not often felt in life, while the happiness that comes
through application of truth can be the predominant state in which we
live.

No formula can prescribe how every individual can be assured of

continual peace with happiness and joy in this mortal life. I am a witness
that with patience, some long- suffering, and the help of the Lord,
coupled with obedience to His commandments, those blessings can be
enjoyed most of the time. You have seen a confirmation of that truth in
others’ lives. My desire is that your prayers and faith— and hopefully
some of the insight and truth shared in this volume— will permit you to
have those consummate blessings in your own life.

Many in the world are convinced that wealth, power, influence, sexual
pursuit, and the artificial stimulation of the mind and body through
alcohol and drugs are the sources of happiness. Seeking that path to
happiness is like looking for a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Not
only will the treasure not be found, but the results will almost always be
sadness and disappointment, eventually leading to grief, anguish, and
addiction. Such are consequences of yielding to Satan’s alluring
temptations with their hollow promise of “happiness.” Only our Father in
Heaven and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, have given the pattern to
acquire real peace and happiness. That is why the Father’s plan is
appropriately named the Plan of Happiness.4

For enduring peace, it is essential that you understand the relationship

between peace of conscience and peace of mind. It is also vital that you
live the principles upon which both of these blessings are founded. I will
explain.

God wants each of His children to enjoy the transcendent blessing of

peace of conscience.5 A tranquil conscience invites freedom from
anguish, sorrow, guilt, shame, and self- condemnation. It provides a
foundation for happiness. It is a condition of immense worth, yet few on
earth enjoy it. Why? Most often because the principles upon which peace
of conscience is founded are not understood or adequately followed. My
life has been so richly endowed from peace of conscience that I wish to
share insights on how it can be obtained.

Peace of conscience is the essential ingredient to your peace of mind.

Without peace of conscience you can have no real peace of mind. Peace
of conscience relates to your inner self. Only you can take the action
required to obtain it. Peace of conscience comes from God. Its
fundamental requisite is a righteous, obedient life. It cannot exist
otherwise. On the other hand, peace of mind is most often affected by
external forces, such as concern for a wayward child, economic
pressures, real or imagined offenses, world conditions, more to do than
sufficient time to do it in, or, most pointedly, the transgressions of
others. An unsettled mind should be temporary, transitory. Peace of
mind is restored by resolving the external forces that disturb it. Not so
with a troubled conscience, for it is unrelenting, ever present, a constant
reminder of the need to correct your past mistakes, to resolve an
offense to another, or to repent of transgression. Oh, a disturbed
conscience can be temporarily masked by physical stimulation of the
mind and body, where one yields to the temptations of alcohol, drugs,
pornography, and worse. All this comes at the cost of an increased
appetite for counterfeit methods to calm an aching conscience, and it
brings the risk of incurring unrelenting addictions. Such actions will
never restore peace of conscience.

The ability to have an unsettled conscience is a gift of God to help you

succeed in this mortal life by being motivated to make needed change. It
results principally from the influence of the Light of Christ on your mind
and heart.6 The Light of Christ is that divine power or influence that
emanates from God through Jesus Christ.7 It gives light and life to all
things.8 It prompts all rational individuals throughout the earth to
distinguish truth from error, right from wrong.9 It activates your
conscience.10 Its influence can be weakened through transgression and
addiction and restored through proper repentance. The Light of Christ is
not a person. It is a power and influence that comes from God. When
followed, it can lead a person to qualify for the more definitive guidance
and inspiration of the Holy Ghost.11

It is well to recognize that even with peace of conscience you can have
temporary periods when your peace of mind is interrupted by external
concerns. Your understanding of the causes of those concerns can
relieve much of the pressure they generate. As your personal life
conforms to the teachings of the Lord, you can seek His help in resolving
troubling issues. Thus, your faith in the Lord and His teachings will yield
peace of mind. Your efforts will be stepping-stones to greater personal
growth as Spirit- guided solutions are found. In addition, such
challenges, as they are resolved, can often bring blessings to those
whose needs have caused the disturbed feelings in your mind.

There is a scriptural basis for what we have reviewed. It is found in the

extraordinary experience of the people of King Benjamin:

And . . . the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with
joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of
conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus
Christ who should come, according to the words which king Benjamin
had spoken unto them.12

In summary, you can obtain peace of conscience by living a righteous

life or by repenting of personal transgressions that cause you internal
turmoil. Then peace of mind can be secured by resolving or
understanding the external pressures that cause you temporary anxiety,
worry, and distress. Yet if in your life there has been significant violation
of commandments, try as you might, you will not find enduring
happiness until, through repentance, you satisfy personally broken law
to restore peace to a troubled conscience.
In subsequent chapters we will review together principles which form the
foundation for a life of peace with happiness and joy for yourself or for a
loved one. A variety of circumstances will be covered, with suggestions
of what helps and what hinders efforts to live in peace with happiness
and joy. The next chapter reveals ways to have more of those blessings
in your life.

Notes to Chapter 1: Purpose: To Find Peace with Happiness and Joy

1.John 14:27.

2.D&C 19:23.

3.See Alma 36:20–22.

4.See Alma 42:16.

5.See Mosiah 4:2–3.

6.Topical Guide, s.v. “Light of Christ.”

7.D&C 88:6–12.

8.D&C 88:13.

9.John 3:19–21; Moroni 7:19; D&C 84:46–47; 93:28.

10.Moroni 7:16.

11.D&C 84:46–47.

12.Mosiah 4:3.