My Most Cherished Lesson From Life

Today, in a group text, my family has been sharing their thoughts with each other about daily study of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I shared my testimony of the subject with them, and I have decided to post it here, for the world to see. I call it a gem of unfathomable worth, and my most cherished lesson from life. Here is what I shared with them:

"I need to pipe in and share my testimony in this matter.

As unrealistic as the following actions may be for most people, I am compelled to admit that the happiest that I have ever been in my life was in the latter portion of the year 2010. At that time, I had successfully cultivated a strong habit of studying the gospel of Jesus Christ and praying to Heavenly Father for a combined 2 hours every morning.

Words cannot convey how much I was on fire with a passionate desire to live every day of my life for God. I was determined to do nothing more than to help build His Kingdom. I felt closer to Christ than I ever knew was possible. The Holy Ghost guided my actions effortlessly. Everything about life was pure happiness and peace, regardless of any trials. God's plan for us is called "The Plan of Happiness" for a reason.

Now that I have had that experience, my ultimate goal in life is to get there again. And I believe that it can be achieved with a more realistic amount of daily time invested into gospel study and prayer. It is up to each of us to discover the proper amount of daily gospel study and prayer for ourselves.

But, regardless of how much invested time is realistic for any of us, from my experience in life, daily gospel study and meaningful prayer are EVERYTHING.

Those daily habits are pivotal and monumentally ESSENTIAL if we wish to banish the majority of the sadness, depression, frustration, despair, anger, unworthiness, and regret from our lives.

Every good accomplishment hinges upon those two actions. Every conquered weakness revolves around them, and every ounce of pure, unadulterated and euphoric happiness relies upon them. Peace springs from them as powerfully as light radiates from the sun.

This is because at the core of those daily habits, we will find our loving Heavenly Father, His Son Jesus Christ who gave everything for us, and the Holy Ghost who bestows all good feelings and guidance upon us, and confirms all truth to us.

The deep eternal significance of daily gospel study and prayer is my most cherished lesson from life. If taken seriously, it is a gem of unfathomable worth. And I share it with you, my family, in the name of Jesus Christ.

- W. Chad Goldthwaite

December 28, 2015"