There are people whose smiles are quite startlingly attractive in the sense that it augments the natural beauty of their face. That kind of smile is effortless and untactical, it is obviously quite different from the cold maneuverings that take place in the realm of the stock in trade of the material World. Change comes by substituting good habits for less desirable ones. We mold our character and future by good thoughts and acts. The future we seek is a life motivated by good thoughts, expressed in good works, and sustained by an inner peace and determination of righteous doing. The destiny we desire is an inheritance in the celestial mansions prepared by our Savior for the faithful children of God. We are not born into this World with fixed habits. To some extent the shared energy of disinhibition is a warm oasis in the dark, drab wasteland of daily routine and, laughing, we will the warmth to continue—loudly, publicly, in restaurants, theaters, and town squares. It leads to a good deal of energetic movement, sweaty brows, music, and vigorous socializing. Good habits are not acquired simply by making good resolves, though the thought must precede the action so we do not slip on a banana skin. Extreme merriment can all too easily conceal improper or indecent jokes under a veil of seemliness and dignity, the better to corrupt the young and innocent. #RandolphHarris 1 of 12

Good habits are developed in the workshop of our daily lives. It is not in the great moments of test and trial that character is built. That is only when it is displayed. The habits that direct our lives and form our character are often fashioned in the often uneventful, commonplace routine of life. They are acquired in practice. The smile is more than a chemical reaction, a series of muscular contractions, or a mechanism. It is a highly sophisticated concept, an expression of the emotions, a mode of communication, a beacon of desire, a ritual—an occasion, in other words, of intense psychological, anthropological, and social interest, the product of acute observation, cognition, and interpretation. In the West, the smile is also embedded in the Romantic tradition of poetry. There, it is constantly deployed as an expression of love and celebrated for its capacity to radiate beauty from the face of the wearer. The poets thus endowed it with the power to attract and fascinate, to stimulate pleasantness. Indeed, most adults have some idea of what it means when the smile is shining through your very heart. The game of love is perhaps the most obvious context in which the smile receives the tribute of art, poetry, and music. That is probably why a genuine smile has so much power. #RandolphHarris 2 of 12

We do not always know what lies ahead, but there is strength and safety in righteous conduct. In the conduct of our lives we learn that good character building habits mean everything. It is by such behavior that we harvest the real substance and value of life. The way we live outweighs any words we may profess to follow. The image a person has of oneself is bound to have a crucial influence on one’s psychological development. Not only will it shape one’s choices as to what one attempts to make of one’s own life, but—because of that—it will frequently be self-confirming. “Train up a child in the way he or she should go: and when he or she is old, that child will not depart from it,” reports Proverbs 22.6. Admittedly, it is the privilege of many a human infant to be, for a time at least, the apple of his or her parents’ eyes. So that the fantasy of being a uniquely favoured human being is not uncommon among little children. For a good many it is a fantasy that, unless the World has been peculiarly unkind to them, is based in the reality of their family relationships. The child lives in a situation of utter dependence; and when his or her needs are met it must seem to that child that he or she has magical powers, real omnipotence. #RandolphHarris 3 of 12

If a child experiences pain, hunger or discomfort, all that baby has to do it to scream and he or she is relieved and lulled by gentle, loving sounds. The child is a magician and a telepath who has only to mumble and to imagine and the World turns to one’s desires. Although most children must, of course, soon discover that their powers are not all that they imagined, for many the idea will linger. It is probably quite usual for young people to continue to speculate about their having powers that no one else possesses. And it is certainly a common dream of adolescents that they have been personally cut out to save the World. The Lord has given parents time to teach and train their children to form good habits and develop noble characters. The persons who knows oneself to have been selected from all the other children in the family to go to an Ivy League college will allow oneself to grow into the part. Children of Hollywood parents who have the opportunity and privilege to achieve fame and fortune on stage will sometimes be dramatically successful (provided they are not, by having too much of it, dramatically hurt). This kind of moulding of a person’s character to match an imposed standard can be effective even when the pressures are relatively conservative. Still, no one can survive entirely on prophecy and promise. #RandolphHarris 4 of 12

In this mortal life we have two choices: the good, which is the desire of our Heavenly Father; or the evil, which is the adversary’s plan and constant persuasion. Our great challenge is to learn how to control ourselves. We must learn for ourselves and act for ourselves, being careful not to follow those who are not divinely led. We have a responsibility to seek—privately as well as publicly—confirmation of the reputation that is building up around us. The human will is naturally inclined toward the right. We are spirit children of God and have born within us the power to overcome all evil practices. Almost every child probably seeks in small ways to test one’s fantasies, and conducts minor experiments to see just how far their powers extend. ‘If I stare at that woman across the street, will she look round?’ (yes, every so often she will.) ‘If I pray for my parents to stop squabbling, will they let up?’ (Yes, it usually works.) ‘If I wear this ring wherever I go, will it keep the wolves away?’ (Yes, almost always.) An ancient proverb states that good habits result from resisting temptation. Such resistance often takes the form of a persevering struggle. When bad habits become a part of our lives and we desire to overcome them, we must seek spiritual help. We all know what fear can do; how it can shrivel up hope and dampen the ardor of living, and how finally it can close up the avenues of self-expression. #RandolphHarris 5 of 12

Fear, when carried to an extreme, leaves one a wreck, physically and mentally. And we have observed what faith can do. We have seen people so filled with fear that nothing in life seemed worthwhile to them, and we have seen them learn to have faith in life, and have watched the transformation that has taken place in their lives. The psychologist might say that such a person has a phobia—an inferiority complex—which means that the individual feels unable to cope with life. Or the psychiatrist might say that the individual is neurotic. However, we look at the individual and say, “Here is a spiritually complete person who is doing nothing that one has not been trained to do. This individual has had the intelligence and the emotional capacity to learn these lessons of fear, and to learn them well.” If it is possible for us to learn to be afraid, we can reverse the process and learn to have faith. In the study of mental suggestion it has been discovered that if a mother fears that her child’s food will not digest, it will affect the child’s digestive processes. If she is afraid that the child will not sleep well at night, the child’s sleep will be disturbed. If the mother is surrounded with thoughts of irritation and emotions of anger, they will register in the child. #RandolphHarris 6 of 12

Times without number the child has listened to such warning as “Keep away from that dog, he may bite!” or “Do not go too close to the edge, you may fall!” or “Be sure to wash your hands, there are germs on them.” The signposts on the road to fear are too numerous to mention, but each leaves its imprint upon the growing mind and plastic memory of the child. It is little wonder that he or she arrives at maturity in a state of perpetual fear. One has learned it in one’s home, school, news, and community. It is unfortunate that the idea of a future state of punishment should have been so emphasized in our lives. For out of it have come the most morbid fears the human mind as ever entertained. How can we believe that good people, people of love as well as wisdom, would seek to destroy us for no reason? This does not mean that we are not responsible for out acts. We cannot escape the logical result of our thoughts and acts. The punishment for any act flows out of the act itself. It religion, we find masterful principles of justice, but not retribution. The moment we forgive we are forgiven. God is the eternal forgiver. There is no condemnation, no judgment. Suppose a room has been in the darkness for years and we bring in a light. What becomes of the darkness? It is just not there. It would make no difference how long the room may have been dark; when the light appears, the darkness disappears. We have a gracious, kind, and loving Father in Heaven who stands ready to help us. #RandolphHarris 7 of 12

There is no moral or spiritual code that grants permissiveness of conduct nor condones selection of evil nor bad habits as a way to joyful living. Perhaps our ideas of being good and doing good have been based on the expectation of reward or the fear of punishment instead of common sense. Goodness should be natural and spontaneous. Goodness is normal; evil is abnormal. We should live by faith and not by fears. However, because we have had so many fears and because we have built up such an unconscious sense of guilt, we seek a release from the emotional tensions of this guilt feelings by projecting the thought that we need to be punished for our mistake. Self-mastery, self-control, and self-discipline are required strengths that enable us to set aside temptations to do wrong. It is a wonderful feeling to conquer wrong practices and to be free and unencumbered from their detrimental effects, both physically and spiritually. When we have conquered our bad habits and replaced them with good ones, living as we should, obedient and faithful, then we are on our way to the presence of God. We should become so involved in acquiring good quality traits and participating in character building activities that there is no time to engage in anything worthless or harmful. Our habits should be those that make us susceptible to faith and testimony. The Bible teaches that all unkind and negative reactions must be purged from the mind. #RandolphHarris 8 of 12

If our minds are filled with hatred towards others, we really hate ourselves. If we lack confidence in life, it is because we first lack confidence in the self. And if we are afraid of God and the future, it is because we are not acquainted with love and confidence. Unfortunate as it may be, there is no question but that one of the great fundamental fears of the whole human race is the belief in hell and in future punishment. And probably more sorrow, human suffering, and morbidity have come from this one belief than all others combined. It is time for us to clarify the situation and realize that God of love cannot hate, the God of life cannot destroy, the God of good cannot desire evil, and that is why we have to be careful about what we do and focus on. One of the best habits to be cultivated is that of reading the scriptures to become knowledgeable of our responsibilities. By learning God’s commandments and keeping them, we develop the ways of righteousness that are an expression of our faith. With good habits we prepare ourselves for excellence. Dear God in Heaven, God of the brightest days, send our troubles all to flight, burn them in thy sacred fires and replace then with our heart’s desires! Keep us whole, and let thy wisdom fill our souls. May the circle never be broken, may the Earth always be whole, may the rattle never be shaken, may God live in our souls. Blessed be the God within, for he brings courage and freedom, love and life, intelligence and understanding. May our purposes be blessed. At the gate of dawn we stand, God, on either hand, guard us with your power, guide us through the crossroads hour. From the beauty of the night and glory of the light. #RandolphHarris 9 of 12

It is on this basis that we should create a great hope and faith. We should be willing to admit that we are punished by our mistakes, and in common sense recognize that while we continue our mistakes we must of necessity continue to suffer; but always with the certainty in mind that when light comes darkness disappears, when forgiveness comes to our own mind we are forgiven, when we are willing to give we shall receive, when we learn how to enter into Heaven we shall leave everything unlike Heaven behind. We need to ask ourselves, “Are my usual thoughts and present actions worthy of eternal life? Am I setting my sights on eternal goals and working to obtain them?” Anything short of our best is not good enough, especially in the service of the Lord. The divine peace is not disturbed by any hymn of hate, nor is the majesty and might of the eternal presence disturbed by our thoughts of discord. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand; it is here and now. It is not something to wait for, something that is going to happen by and by. It is at hand. The question is, are we seeing it? Are we actually beholding? Think things over again until you finally realize that God is love, God is life, God is peace, God is joy, God is givingness, God is forgivingness. The Lord has counseled us to repent and adhere to strict moral principles and honesty of purpose. We are instructed to make our home an adobe of righteousness. #RandolphHarris 10 of 12

There is a law of life which reacts to a person in the way one uses it, and while refuses to use it, one cannot be forgiven while one refuses to forgive one cannot be forgiven while one refuses to see in every person one meets the divine image one hopes is within oneself, we cannot find God at the center of our beings. There can be a perfect balance between our thoughts and our acts and what is going to happen to us. And it is upon this that we should base all our beliefs and acts. How wonderful is this idea of being enfolded in the everlasting arms of peace and love on the very day that we forsake our distrust, our hate, our fears, and doubts. And how simple should be our salvation. All that it means is turning from wrong to right, from darkness to light, from fear to faith, from hate to love, from Hell to Heaven. How satisfying to know that no one can hinder us but ourselves, and except for the hep of the great and the good God, no one can help us but ourselves. Honor encompasses duty, responsibility, and respect for the eternal values. It also suggests a firm holding to codes of right behaviour and the guidance of a high sense of self-control. Let us dare to be different from the ways of the World when its ways are not the ways of God. We must be dependable, honest, moral, and display every other good attribute that will lead us to integrity of character. We begin, then, with our thoughts and end with our destiny. #RandolphHarris 11 of 12

Our destiny is determined by our character, and our character is the sum and expression of our habits. Character is won by hard work. Someday, as surely as we live, this is the God that will be presented to humanity—one Universal Divine Presence forevermore blessings his creation; one infinite ocean of love in which all are immersed; or Father which are in Heaven, the one and only God, who is not a God of wrath nor rettribution but a God of peace and joy and wholeness. The day will come when the other God will be forgotten, and humanity will learn to live as though this Earth were the Kingdom of Heaven, with God himself the host. Yes, the character required to attain eternal life must be formed in this life with hood habits supplying the building material. When the qualities that are desirable in individuals become Universal in the people of a nation, that nation also will have good character. Goodness either in a person or in a nation is not simply the absence of wrongdoing. It is a love of and practice of all things that are true, honest, lovely, and of good report. Let us set high goals for ourselves and work to achieve those goals by making God the center of our lives. God is all truth, justice, and peace. Let us remember that God’s laws are eternal.”God divides wicked from righteous,” reports 1 Nephi 15.30. #RandolphHarris 12 of 12