The Joyful Plan of Heavenly Father
Recounting a skiing adventure and extracting lessons about life's uncertainties and resilience, Grant Cooper, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, shares spiritual insights, underscoring the pursuit of eternal happiness.
By Grant Cooper
Grant Cooper circa 1993. Photo courtesy of the Coopers.
I like to snow ski. One year, I wanted to go snow skiing but I didn't have the money for a ski ticket. I watched the snow fall on the mountains and as weeks went by, I watched it start to melt. As it melted, I began hiking in the foothills. One time I looked across the canyon at a neighboring mountain and planned out a beautiful skiing path down the side of the mountain. The face of the mountain was mostly melted but the snow was still deep on the canyon side where it was more shaded from the sun. I strapped my skis to a backpack and began hiking up the face of the mountain. It took me four hours to get to the point on the ridge where I wanted to put my skis on to start coming down the mountain into the canyon. At the top of the ridge, I paused for a bit and ate lunch. With a satisfied tummy, I put my skis on and looked over the edge of the ridge and noticed fresh coyote tracks. I realized that while I was eating my lunch, the coyote was about 10 feet behind me, watching. “Well, at least it wasn’t a mountain lion”, I thought. So, I pushed off down the slope for an exhilarating ride. Everything was going according to plan, at least I thought. Then about half way down, I found myself stuck at the edge of a cliff. This was not part of my plan and I was not about to jump off a 20 or 30 foot cliff. I clearly missed a turn that would have taken me around the cliff. I like back-country skiing but I’m not an extreme skier. Backtracking uphill along the cliff wasn’t easy but I was able to get back to where I could jump down and continue on my planned route.
This is an exciting, happy memory for me now. There are two lessons that come to mind from this experience. First, like the coyote that watched me eat lunch, you never know who or when someone is watching you. Second, things don’t always go according to plan; but, there is a way to get back on track. Like I had a plan for a day trip, there is a plan in place for each of us for our life.
God Wants Happiness for All His Children
The scriptures teach that God created us to have joy (2 Nephi 2:25). I am confident He is not talking about some simple fun or temporary excitement like a day of snow skiing. I think he is talking about something much more satisfying and lasting.
An ancient prophet asked his people to “...consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For…they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that…they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness.” (Mosiah 2:41) This is the ultimate goal, never-ending happiness. Another point this scripture teaches is happiness can be now. We don’t have to wait for heaven to be happy. However, there are some conditions that must be met to be happy.
We must keep the commandments of God and be faithful to the end. The ancient prophet Alma tells us that “…according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made…”(Alma 34:9) This great plan of the Eternal God includes the commandments and being faithful to the end. I like how Alma describes the plan. It’s not a mediocre plan or even a good plan. It’s a great plan. It's a plan to get excited about. Because Jesus made an atonement, we can get back on the plan when we make a wrong turn.
Another name for Heavenly Father’s plan is, “The plan of happiness.” That is the purpose of God’s plan, for us to be happy. It includes our freedom to choose happiness and eternal life through Jesus Christ. No one will force us to follow God’s plan. As we choose to follow his plan, we are invited to make covenants with God.
When we keep our covenants, God gives us greater portions of His Spirit which can fill our hearts, our minds, and our souls with lasting happiness and joy.
The ancient prophet Lehi described a dream that God had given him where he saw a beautiful tree with brilliant white fruit. As soon as he ate the fruit, he was filled with “...exceeding great joy.” (1 Nephi 8:12) I used to think of this dream as my journey through life and at the end I could eat the fruit and be filled with joy. That is certainly one way to look at it. A few years ago I started thinking of it differently. I now make the journey to the tree each day. I can feel the love of God each day. I can see God’s influence in my life each day. Lehi saw other things in his dream besides the tree. He saw the mists of darkness that we can get lost in. He saw a great and spacious building with people, parties, and pleasures to get distracted with. He saw a river that can sweep us away to misery. Lehi’s focus, however, was on the tree and the happiness he felt as he stayed at the tree and ate the fruit.
However, Lehi didn’t just enjoy the fruit and ignore everyone else. His next thought was to share his new found happiness with his family and everyone he knew. Personal happiness involves other people.
It may be a few people or it may be a lot. The number doesn’t matter. God counts us one at a time. In the parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son, the most important number is the number one (Elder Uceda, April 2023). Jesus ministered to people one at a time. His atonement is infinite and eternal. His atonement, however, is not applied to the universe all at once or even to a country, city, organization, or group of people. Christ’s atonement only applies as we individually choose to soften our hearts one at a time. His atonement only applies to groups as we share one by one with people we interact with each day.
Sharing God’s Plan of Happiness Brings Happiness
The two great commandments in God’s plan of Happiness are to love God and to love our neighbor. As we interact with God and those around us, we will be happy. As we reach out to others in our family, ward [church], community, or work, we will be happy.
M. Russell Ballard, Apostle for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, describes those two great commandments as things that matter most in these words: “...a relationship with our Heavenly Father and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, is most important. This relationship matters most now and in eternity…family relationships are among those things that matter most...I recognize some may not have the blessings of a close family, so I include extended family, friends, and even ward families as ‘family.’ These relationships are essential for emotional and physical health. These relationships can also offer love, joy, happiness, and a sense of belonging” (Liahona, May 2023).
Love God and love your neighbor. People matter. Building relationships and reaching out to others matters.
Jesus instructed the apostle Peter, “When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” (Luke 22:32) I think it is a natural step to want to share with others the joy of the gospel. Keep in mind that when Jesus gave that instruction, Peter had already been with the Savior for three years. Conversion is not a one time event and it is not finished when we are baptized. Conversion is a lifelong process. Baptism is a symbol that we have begun our conversion to Jesus Christ. Think about that for a minute. Conversion to Jesus Christ. Conversion means to change or become. We are gradually converted as we continue in the ordinances of the gospel and strengthen others by reaching out and bringing them to Christ. As we are converted, Christ changes us to be more like Him and live a higher and holier way. As we are converted we will have a natural desire to bring others with us.
We come into the church and come to Christ one at a time. The apostle Paul points out, however, that we become part of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27); part of His church. We are not alone in our journey. As we are nourished by the church, or body of Christ, we will naturally nourish others. We can reach out together and minister together as ministering companions, as parents, as ward members, or as friends.
It has been said that the missionaries are here to help us with our work toward conversion for ourselves and others. As they help us with our goals, we end up helping them with their goals. They have been given what they call “key indicators” of conversion that they are trying to focus on. Our local leaders have asked us to focus on these “key indicators” as well:
New members attending sacrament meeting
Lessons with a member participating
Each of these items involves us as members of the ward. They also represent an opportunity for us to reach out to others and share the joy of the gospel. For the missionaries, these are pretty clear cut and easy to count as they serve us and those around us. We might expand these key indicators as we evaluate our own conversion. We might ask ourselves:
“Could I be more consistent in attending sacrament meeting?”
“Is there someone I might help as a friend to attend sacrament meeting more often?”
“Is there something I could do to make the sacrament more meaningful for me or someone else?”
“Is there someone I don’t recognize at church that I could get to know or ask someone I’m more familiar with to introduce me to?”
“How long has it been since I participated in a lesson with the missionaries?”
“How well do I participate in lessons at church?”
“Could I do more to feel the Holy Spirit as I study the scriptures and Come Follow Me lessons?”
“Is there someone that I could invite to study a Come Follow Me lesson with?”
We don’t need to heal people or fix their problems. That’s Christ’s job. We just need to be kind and bring people to Him.
Bonnie H. Cordon, former Young Woman General President, quoted her father who said, “Bonnie, never give up an opportunity to testify of Christ” (Liahona, May 2023). They say actions speak louder than words. I want to speak as loud as I can and share my testimony of Christ as loud as I can. Any time I am doing what Christ would do, I am declaring my testimony and holding up His light. Being nice is becoming less common in our society. We don’t hear of people being kind much in the media or even in many conversations. Being kind and friendly is a good way to stand out. Like the coyote on my ski adventure, you never know who is watching.
Being kind and friendly will build relationships with family, our neighbors, and friends. Being kind and friendly will make us more like the Savior. Being kind and friendly will keep us on God’s plan for us. Being kind and friendly will bring joy into our souls.
Russell M. Nelson (President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) spoke about being a peacemaker. I believe his words apply here as we strengthen each other with kindness and reach outside ourselves. Speaking to us as we move forward, he states:
...the best is yet to come for those who spend their lives building up others. Today I invite you to examine your discipleship within the context of the way you treat others…If you are serious about helping to gather Israel and about building relationships that will last throughout the eternities, … Now is the time to bury your weapons of war. (Liahona, May 2023).
I’d like to add, now is the time to reach out and partake of the fruit of the tree of life together, to feel the joy of the gospel together, to minister as Christ would minister together. Now is the time to feel the joy of the gospel as we interact with God and His children.
Grant and his wife Sandra Cooper. Photo courtesy of the Coopers.
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Grant Cooper serves as a High Counselor in the Hurst Texas Stake. He’s a happy husband and father of three and a geeky mechanical engineer on the side. Grant likes hiking, camping, and digging holes in the backyard.