As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I get to study the Book of Mormon at Brigham Young University. One of my favorite places to read and study is in second Nephi, chapter two. Within that chapter is one of my favorite verses, verse 25 – “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.” In my opinion, that is one of the greatest truths ever. I enjoy laughing, smiling, and having a good time. I enjoy being happy. It seems only natural that babies will even smile and realize it’s a good thing, because it’s almost as if they understand their reason for being on earth. Our whole reason for existence is to obtain the greatest joy that we can. It is not going to be a temporary feeling, and it will be greater than anything that we have experienced before this.
The Gospel of Christ brings joy to individuals, families, and friends.
Another verse helps to describe why joy is so great. 2 Nephi 2:13:
And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin. If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness. And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not there is no God. And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for their could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things must have vanished away.
This verse is interesting for several reasons. I will focus mainly on that of happiness. Think about it, if you had never felt misery or some sort of pain, how could you realize what joy is. If you have nothing to compare to, no opposition, then what can you measure up against. We feel joy because we have all felt the alternative.
Life is hard for many reasons, and I believe that one of those is to help us realize the joy we will have one day. We can look back and be proud of what we accomplished. It’s like a sports event. If you enter a tournament, but you are the only team, then you aren’t happy to get a medal or an award. However, if that same team had won against ten other teams, it is another story. That sense of accomplishment through hard work is what we are all striving to achieve. It’s the same for me here at college. I can tell you that I will be very happy once I have earned my degree. Not because I have that degree, but because it will represent the effort and hard work that was put into it.
To sum it all up, I think that one of the most important ideas is that God wants us to be happy. We live to become joyful. It won’t necessarily happen in the moment, but once we overcome the hard times, we will look back and be able to feel more joy than we would have if it had just been given to us. God loves everyone and He wants us to feel the same joy He has.
This article was written by Demetri S., a student at Brigham Young University and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is from Palo Alto, CA, and enjoys drawing, soccer, mountain biking, and playing the violin.
Additional Resources:
Blessing of Family
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