Look for the Good: Finding Enduring Joy

We have often hear the phrase, “Have a good day!” All of us are entitled to have great days. A deeper look at having a good day might mean we can seek after joy. Afterall, what is holding us back from having joy?  What can we do to increase joy in our everyday lives? 

President Thomas S. Monson, former President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints, used to say, “Live with an attitude of gratitude.”  This type of mindset can rechannel our thinking and enable us to feel more joy amidst the conundrums of life.

  Brigham Young University President, Kevin J. Worthen and is wife, Sister Peggy S. Worthen, recently spoke at a BYU devotional in the Marriot Center in Provo, UT on January 7th, 2020. 

He addressed the students with the topic of “Joy” as they wrestle with the many challenges in their present day lives. Several leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints have been emphasizing “joy” and our great need for it within recent months. With this, the Worthens decided it was a worthy and needed reminder to talk to the students about.

In 2 Nephi 2:25 we read, “Adam fell that men might be, and men are that they might have joy.”

There is power in joy.  President Worthen encouraged the students at BYU to think of joy as more of a principal of power.  He asked them to “…come to view it not just as a mental or emotional concept or feeling of comfort but as a simple principle of power.”

Joy is different from happiness.  Joy is more of an eternal nature from living God’s commandments, and happiness is one of temporary value.  President Worthen identified joy as being “enduring” and where we want to be with our Heavenly Father.

We must practice joy in order to continue to feel it in our lives. We are not perfect beings but we are striving to be as we align our lives with Jesus Christ. President Worthen commented saying, “…one of the purposes in this life is to develop our capacity for joy.”
President Nelson has been often quoted as saying, “The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.”

Here are 6 important steps to keep focused and to recognize Joy in our lives from President Worthen:

1. “We need to recognize and constantly remember , that our ability to have joy in this life—and in the eternities—is not dependent on external circumstances.”
2. “Recognize and remember that true joy, enduring joy…ultimately comes only through keeping God’s commandments.”
3. “Repentance is a critical part of experiencing enduing joy.”
4.  “We begin to have joy when we focus on Christ.”
5. “We should recognize and remember that enduring joy, constant joy, does not mean uninterrupted bliss and a life free of challenges.  Suffering and adversity are part of the eternal plan, a part of the process by which we come to develop enduring joy.”
6. “Recognize and remember that joy is a principal of power that can increase our ability to stay on the covenant path.”