Hope Cycle

The Hope Cycle

Hope - Faith - Law - Happiness (-more hope)

Definitions:

Hope: is a belief that you can be happy

Faith: is action based on hope

Law: is action conformed to criteria

Happiness: the result of living certain laws. ( once happiness is obtained, your hope in that course of action is increased )

Examples:

A boy sees a cute girl in an ad smiling and drinking a Coke. The boy believes the girl is happy. He doesn't know for sure, but he has enough hope that happiness might be found here that he decides to act. The law, or criteria of action to obtain this happiness is simple, one must drink a Coke. The boy conforms to the criteria and drinks a Coke. The result, the high levels of fructose corn syrup and sugar spike his insulin levels and and gives him a quick surge of energy. It was a nice feeling, but the result did not fill any of the boy's real needs. The boy realizes that this course of action produces quick surges of energy, but is not the happiness he is in search for.

Someone hears that if they avoid judging others too quickly they will be happy. This person decides to conform to this law by postponing judgement out of a hope that they will be happy because of it. Soon the person finds that because they didn't judge so quickly they have gained several friends that they normally wouldn't have had.

God and law:

The glory of God is intelligence, or light and truth. (D&C 93: 29-30, 36) Truth is a knowledge of how things are, were, and will be.(D&C 93: 24) This includes a knowledge of laws that bring happiness. God knows what actions we need to conform to in order to be happy. God shares this knowledge through prophets: www.mormon.org

Some people wonder why religious people conform to laws. Some assume it is out of fear in something that is not true. If people conform out of fear in something that is false this is sad.

Some religious people conform because they are hoping in something that isn't true, this is also sad.

Finally, intelligent people conform out of hope in something that is true. By conforming they reap the result, and when they realize they are happy this increases their hope, and the cycle continues.

I invite you to find happiness through living the hope cycle. Find a law, live it, and if it brings you true happiness, keep living it!

17 If any man will ^ado his ^bwill, he shall ^cknow of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

John 7: 17