The Way of Happiness (7/15/2019)

Dear friends and family,

We had another training visit this week, this time from the Assistants. Funny cuz I happened to get them last transfer in Reynoldsburg also. They're following me. I must either be doing something really right or really wrong. It was a pretty great visit though. Elder Winn talked with me a lot about positivity and happiness, basically about how it's literally all in our heads. I'll return to that.

At one point we came back for dinner and the other elders weren't back yet. We had had a pretty successful afternoon, but the other elders...not so much. When they arrived, the other Assistant entered the door leading with the statement, "It's like Ammonihah out there." Added that to my quotebook.

Later we saw yet another shirtless Ohio man (I say "yet another" because there are thousands of them here) and complimented him on his tattoos. "Thanks, got 'em in prison!" he replied. Okay then.

People updates: Forrest's baptism will be pushed back to a later date. Other people are still hard to meet with. Keep praying.

There's something I've deepened my understanding of this week. It's partly illustrated by this quote from that "Return of the King" talk I mentioned many weeks ago.

"My dear brothers and sisters, the enemy of your souls will entice you to take these strange paths, to devote your precious life not to building God’s kingdom but to any other cause. From Satan’s point of view, any cause will do if it diverts God’s children from the one path that allows them to hold fast to the iron rod and thus receive ongoing revelation. This world is full of alternatives that, if they become one’s primary focus, can crowd God Himself out of our lives—alternatives such as social media, fulfilling a bucket list, making lots of money, or having an obsession with sports or social causes. There are endless paths in our world other than the one that leads to the tree of life."

So that along with my conversations with Elder Winn have taught me that the gospel is the way to happiness. It is how happiness happens. Any result that doesn't eventually lead to happiness is not the gospel. And any path other than the gospel simply cannot lead to ultimate happiness. The gospel isn't all there is to life--there are millions of other paths we can take. Some of them aren't divergent from the gospel, but many of them seem as if they won't diverge but, in fact, do. We must evaluate our path and strive to go where He wants us to go.

If we ultimately aren't happy, all we have to do is stop going down the path we're on (because an ultimately-unhappy path isn't the gospel path) and then get on the gospel path once more. This basic, starkly simple truth of life is illustrated in scripture:

Doctrine and Covenants 50:23-24

23 And that which doth not edify is not of God, and is darkness.

24 That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.

The day after the Assistants came I started off feeling negative. But then I had personal study and thought more about what Elder Winn had said and re-realized the fact that happiness is all in your head. How is that possible? I think it's because all it takes to get on the gospel path is to choose it. That choice starts in the mind. Of course that happiness won't last if you don't follow through with actually living the gospel. And it can't be forgotten that even on the gospel path we won't always be perfectly happy because trials still afflict us and we have weaknesses that make us sometimes succumb to those trials. But the gospel is still the way. Even if hardships steal our happiness here on earth, the gospel is still the one things that will make us eternally happy.

Elder Winn talked about how the things that can make us, at least us missionaries, unhappy are three things: where we are (our area, the state of Ohio), who we're with (our companion, our ward), and what we're doing (missionary work). None of these things are within our control--fighting against them is futile. (Of course when you're not a missionary you have more control over those things, but there are still realities of life that we can't change). If we simply accept those things, the things we cannot change, we will be happy. That's part of what it means to consecrate our will to God.

So I've realized this week why I believe God sent me to this mission. There are many reasons of course. But I think the primary one is to learn the lesson above. For that I am ever grateful.

Love,

Elder Gallagher

PICS:

- The Training Specialist visit nearly two weeks ago

- Elder Winn (one of the Assistants) and I on our exchange a few days ago

- Another guy with a million cats ("They keep multiplying!"). Thankfully he keeps them outside.