Photo by Peter Aschoff
Do we take time every day to discover how beautiful life can be?
The seemingly never-ending tasks of life can wear us down, and when we feel that life is monotonous, we should remember Elder Richard G. Scott’s assurance that “simple, rejuvenating experiences surround us.” Elder Scott’s article “Finding Joy in Life” lovingly reminds us of the beauty in life and how we can find joy in it.
To see this beauty, we don’t need to search outside of our normal sphere of life—there is beauty right in front of us. And as we notice beauty, we can feel its positive effects on us. The autumn colors or the sun’s rays or the spring flowers can change us and remind us of our loving Father in Heaven, who made them.
We can also find joy in beauty by creating it. Elder Scott suggests that we make beauty by selecting “something like music, dance, sculpture, or poetry” and developing our talents in that area. He says that as people are creative, “they not only leave legacies of art, but they will never see a sunset, a face, or a tree the same again.”
One thing that can stop us from finding joy in beauty is focusing on negative events. Elder Scott says that “sadness, disappointment, and severe challenge are events in life, not life itself.” In order to find joy, we need to remember to not let negative events consume us and keep us from enjoying the life God gave us.
Don’t just let life go passively by; go about life looking for and creating beauty. As we do this, we will find the “path that leads to glorious joy and happiness.”
For Elder Richard G. Scott’s full thoughts on how to find joy, read or watch his general conference talk: “Finding Joy in Life.”
Source: LDS General Conference
—Heather White, Mormon Insights
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Find more insights
Read or watch President Thomas S. Monson’s general conference address “Finding Joy in the Journey” for insight on how to be joyful.
Read “Fun and Happiness,” by Elder Claudio R. M. Costa, to learn about discovering happiness during hardships.