Brim with Joy
I just listened to this incredible talk by Elder Maxwell entitled "Brim with Joy." I had so many takeaways, which I am writing about here, but really his delivery is so good, and you might get different things out of it an I did, that I really suggest you listen to it here.
In his talk Elder Maxwell is explaining what joy is and why it is so prevalent in the Gospel. I will highlight a couple of his points that really stuck out to me. Then, at the end, I will summarize what I learned.
What are you deprived of by gospel living?
-Lung cancer, disease
-Alcohol-induced poor decisions
-Being hurt by having multiple sexual partners
-Human despair because of iniquity
-Ignorance, because you value education
-Trying to create a meaningful life amid permissiveness
-Cynicism
-Inability to cope with adversity
-The exhausting job of trying to satisfy people in order to always have popularity
Joy is different and longer lasting than pleasure
"A major point about joy is that joy is obviously of a higher order than mere pleasure. Pleasure is perishable. It has a short shelf life. Mere pleasure is not lasting because it is constantly feeding on itself. Thus the appetites of the natural man, though frequently fed, are never filled. For instance, even as gluttony digests its latest glob, it begins anticipating its next meal. The same pattern prevails with regard to the praise of men, to lust, and to greed. Strange as it seems, so far as the carnal pleasures are concerned, the very act of their consumption insures the cancellation of their satisfactions. They just do not last!
Joy, on the other hand, is lasting. It involves the things that really matter, such as being forgiven and forgiving another. One true test of ultimate value has to do with whether or not something is lasting. Of so many human endeavors, even those celebrated with great excitement, the child’s question in one of Southey’s poems stands as a stark reminder: “But what good came of it at last?” (Robert Southey, The Battle of Blenheim [1798], st. 11). This criterion is not one to which the things of the flesh can successfully respond."
With joy, you are no longer bored in routine
"What is interesting is that joy has a way of renewing itself, and the ripple effects of joy are constant and ever emanating; joy has a momentum of its own.
Another great advantage of joy, contrasted with pleasure, is that joy overrides routine, which, otherwise, could make us bored. We don’t know, for instance, how many times Heavenly Father has been through the plan of salvation before with other of His children elsewhere before our particular sequence on this planet. God even hints at the repetitiveness of His redemption when He says, “[My] course is one eternal round” (see 1 Nephi 10:19; Alma 7:20; D&C 3:2). Yet God is never bored by what might seem mere routine. Why? Because of His perfect love for His children! What He calls “my work and my glory” brings abundant and pure joy! (see Moses 1:39)."
Living in joy increases our individuality. So interesting to think about!
"Another thing about joy: Joy not only helps us do our gospel duties but it increases our individuality. It is sinners who reflect such a stale sameness. Righteousness lends itself to individuality. Think, in contrast, of poor Lemuel, who “hearkened unto the words of Laman” (1 Nephi 3:28). He was Laman’s satellite. One wonders if poor Lemuel ever had any thoughts of his own.
As we see righteousness in someone like Brigham Young or Eliza Snow, then we see a flowering of individuality and an immense use of talents and integrity. But we have to be patient and educate our desires."
The gospel creates never-ending excitement. The excitement found in pleasure is fleeting, but in the gospel, it's around every turn. Never-ending excitement is JOY!
"I have often tried to describe, though feeling inarticulate, how the gospel creates excitement in us. In that connection may I share this attempt with you?
No wonder, given its intellectual expansiveness, we are still inventorying the harvest basket of the Restoration! Having dashed about the wonder-filled landscape of the Restoration, exclaiming and observing, it should not surprise us if some of our first impressions prove to be more childish than definitive. Brushing against such tall timber, the scent of pine is inevitably upon us. Our pockets are filled with souvenir cones and colorful rocks, and we are filled with childish glee. There is no way to grasp it all. Little wonder some of us mistake a particular tree for the whole of the forest, or that in our exclamations there are some unintended exaggerations. We have seen far too much to describe. Indeed, we “cannot say the smallest part which [we] feel” (Alma 26:16)."
Joy is experienced in a thousand ways
"Joy will come in a thousand ways—when we see a relationship mended or enriched as between spouses and siblings and friends."
Fully living the gospel allows your afflictions to be swallowed up in Christ. Therefore living again in more joy! It never ends!
"The phrase “alive in Christ” describes individuals whose aliveness is enhanced by their righteousness. We are the most joyful when we are the most alive. And Jesus, because He was the most empathic, most loving, most forgiving, and the most appreciative individual to ever live on this planet, has a perfect fullness of joy. No wonder He instructs us, “What manner of men [and women] ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am” (3 Nephi 27:27). He wants us to have great joy. No wonder, too, His lamentation “O Jerusalem” was so stark and sad.
When we reach a point of consecration, our afflictions will be swallowed up in the joy of Christ. It does not mean we won’t have afflictions, but they will be put in a perspective that permits us to deal with them. With our steady pursuit of joy and with each increasing measure of righteousness, we will experience one more drop of delight—one drop after another—until, in the words of a prophet, our hearts are “brim with joy” (Alma 26:11). At last, the soul’s cup finally runs over!
May you be sufficiently committed to be “alive in Christ,” even in the turbulent last days in which you will live. For, indeed, whatsoever afflictions you may have, they can be “swallowed up in the joy of Christ” (Alma 31:38). Then you will be able to say with Brigham Young, even though things perplex and vex you even beyond your capacity to resolve them at times, “It is all right.” Thereby you will be acknowledging the hand of God. For His hand is a loving hand, stretched out to love and to lead us, if we will, into a fullness of joy."
To sum up, HERE is how fully living the Gospel provides joy.
-It keeps you from the big causes of misery in Earth life as a result of sin.
-It lasts FOREVER rather than being fleeting like pleasure. Pleasure has to be renewed again and again in order for you to keep feeling it. Think of forgiveness-- once you have it, the peace and comfort and JOY never go away.
-Gospel living removes boredom in routine and replaces it with JOY
-Joy increases our individuality. Satan's followers repeat the same thoughts and parrot the same ideas for centuries on end! There's no increase, no growth, no discovery, no learning.
-Conversely gospel-living creates never-ending excitement with new things to learn and experience around every turn! Part of why full Gospel living relieves boredom is because you can never stop learning about Gospel truths. They are infinite and eternal!
-Joy can be experienced in a never-ending number of ways. From the reuniting of a family, to experiencing true repentance, to finding joy in nature, to true love, to showing compassion, through serving others, through missionary work, temple work-- joy is not exclusive to one event or deed, it is a huge gift that can be felt through every facet of the Gospel. As Elder Maxwell stated, "God is serious about joy."
-Through fully living and accepting the Gospel, even those events in your life that aren't joyful, your afflictions, can be "swallowed up in joy." It seems to me like the better deal, as opposed to the fleeting feeling of pleasures, is the long-lasting, affliction-blasting, boredom-decreasing, excitement-inducing, never-ending iterations of JOY!
