Joy

Lately, in my hour a day of personal scripture study, I've been looking up every passage that I can in the New Testament and the Book of Mormon that has anything to do with joy. There are other scriptural book in the standard works, including the Old Testament, but I am most familiar with the Book of Mormon and the New Testament. When I become more familiar with the other books, I will search what they have to say about joy, but I suspect it is largely the same as what I have learned so far. Fact is, the gospel is going to be the same, no matter who's saying it. But, different viewpoints often bring a broader and deeper understanding on a given topic. Multiple sources provides stronger evidence.

Joy: the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires (from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/joy)
Rejoice:to feel joy or great delight (from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rejoice)

First, what we take joy in affects the duration of it. If we rejoice in the things of this world alone, (like having money or creature comforts) then our joy will be very short lived. If we take joy in the things that aren't just of this world (like family relationships or our relationship to and with God) then our joy will be longer lasting, and if we remain faithful, eternal. In other words, we need to choose what we set our hearts on.

Second, not only are the sources of eternal joy longer lasting, they can be more intense. I have come to this conclusion because, in some of the passages that I've come across so far (as of June 26, 2012), there's an idea that such joy is beyond the power of words alone to fully describe. Words can and do help, but they do not give the full picture or image.

Third, we are to rejoice in the fact of our salvation and its source: Jesus Christ. The best source of individual joy is in our own salvation. Such is the "peace which passeth all understanding" (Philippians 4:7). Such joy can always be there for us, provided that we are making a solid effort of being truly Christlike, which requires repentance whenever we sin. The more strive to be like Christ, the more joy we will experience because someone else is choosing to repent and bring their lives more in harmony with God's will. Some the best experiences I have had on a mission have been where someone that I cared about chose to clean up their lives. For some, this involved the ordinance of baptism, and for others, this involved recommitting themselves to the gospel. For all, greater joy, happiness, and peace has resulted from their decision.

In my study so far, there are two scriptures that I feel greatly demonstrate the point I'm trying to make here: John 16:20-22 and 2 Nephi 2.

John 16:20-22, the words of the Savior spoken to the Apostles after the last supper, just before the events of Gethsemane and Calvary.

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.  And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you."

The Apostles are about to see their Messiah arrested, and later crucified. To their minds, such events cannot happen because they are expecting Christ to free Jersualem from Roman rule and fulfill the prophecies associated with the Second Coming of Christ. Seeing part of Christ's suffering, torture, cruelty, rejection, and an ignomious and painful death, it is natural that they would sorrow. But Christ promises that He will see them again, as a resurrected being after having completed the Atonement. Seeing that would mean, among many other things, that He was speaking truth and that their salvation is there. No wonder that, when they are later preaching the gospel of Christ, they count it joy, and do not really dwell on, the things they suffer.

Someone who just gave birth is, in my own opinion, not just going to instantly forget the pain that came from 9 months of pregnancy and the process of labor. Their body will remind them of that. But, because of their child being there, they won't focus on what they've been through.  Instead, they will dwell on much more happy things, putting their efforts now into making sure that the child has the best childhood possible. Their love and joy is, in my view, more intense because of the pain and trial that they have experienced.

The joy of our salvation can be the same way. Life is hard, and often very cruel and unfair. But, such things are not the sum total of our existence. Just as a pregnant woman needs to maintain good physical health in order to have a healthy child, so we need to keep our spiritual health in good condition. We can have personal experiences that teach us, assure us, and bring us of God's love and our own salvation. Those who have those experiences focus on them and the joy which is impossible to completely articulate. They do not dwell on all the pain they've gone through to arrive at the point. There's better things to focus on.

2 Nephi 2 an amazing chapter in the Book of Mormon. Part of what makes this chapter amazing for me is verse 25 which reads: "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy." This statement is made in the context of Lehi, a prophet of God, talking about how opposition is a fact of existence. It is a fact of life that, we do not begin to truly understand something until we have experienced, in some way, its opposite. We don't truly know why we like candy until we bite into something sour. We don't fully appreciate air conditioning until we been outside on a hot summer day, which for me growing up in Arizona, was really hot. Like at least 110 degrees every day for at least four months hot. It is the same thing with joy. I have come to understand, recognize, and appreciate genuine joy because I've had to deal with misery. Now, God wants us to be happy, and while our trials and afflictions may not be immediately removed (if ever), by relying on the Atonement, we understand (in part for me at this point) how to enjoy life in the midst of trial. Furthermore, when we rely on the Atonement, we are able to bear our burdens much better than we would otherwise.

It is my testimony that the trials in our life can teach us, among many other things, what true joy is. When we rely on the grace of Jesus Christ, we are able to endure hard and tragic things far better than we would be able to otherwise. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ both love us, and since They are both omniscient, They both know what is truly best for us. When we do what they encourage us to do, we enjoy life far better. It's been my experience that, the more I strive to live the gospel, the more I am able to enjoy the little things. The joy that I have experienced (and currently do amdist the frustrations of daily living) is available to any and all who seek it.

Thanks for reading my thoughts. Hopefully they weren't too much like a rant.