“We might have been happy.”

How sad the phrase, “If, only if.” There are a thousand “ifs” so readily available to our minds as we long for paths not taken, for words not said, and for decisions not made. Especially sad are those who look longingly into the future using a rearview mirror. Often trapped by “what might have been,” they rarely engage “what is” in a meaningful way. Hence, they are never preparing for “what will be.”

In this week’s meditative verse we hear the lament of such a soul who “might have been happy.” The lamentation, however, was echoed through the generations from fathers and mothers to sons and daughters. From generation to generation it became the basis of wars and eventually the near annihilation of a people and a culture.

Unfortunately, we have much yet to learn from those experiences. We continue to hear the chant, “We could be happy, if only…” Whether the exploding sectarian violence in almost all corners of the globe, or the racial violence we see almost every day, or the tribal feuds still prevalent around the world, the blame for unhappiness is placed at someone else’s doorstep.

Of greater concern, is when a husband or wife, or son or daughter’s perceived lack of happiness disrupts family relationships. “If not for you, I would be happy,” far too frequently echoes off the walls of our own homes and relationships.

Amidst this commotion is the bedrock truth that ultimately we create our own inner sphere of happiness or unhappiness. We are designed and created for joy and that we might have it abundantly! The choice is ours. True joy has an eternal quality to it. This is because it springs from the true source of joy – the light and truth of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. May your search for joy this week be found by looking inward and upward.

 

“We Might Have Been Happy”

And thou art like unto our father, led away by the foolish imaginations of his heart; yea, he hath led us out of the land of Jerusalem, and we have wandered in the wilderness for these many years . . . which time we might have enjoyed our possessions and the land of our inheritance; yea, and we might have been happy.

Book of Mormon  1 Nephi 17:20-21

 

“We might have been happy,” was the refrain

The wail of an angry and stranded soul

Captive in a wilderness of self-made pain

Where lack of faith would take its toll

 

“Content we might have been”

Their children would say years hence

If not for the lies and spite of our kin

We would be happy and our joy immense

 

“We might have been happy if only”

Even now we hear it repeated

By those who are lost and lonely

Feeling embittered and cheated

 

We determine our happiness and joy

By choosing how we will behave

And by gospel truths we employ

And upon our hearts engrave

 

Larry Doyle Crenshaw