In the Hebrew Bible, one of the several words for joy is simcha. Joy defined this way signifies living with a strong sense of mission and purpose and seeing our existence as something meaningful. Living with this kind of joy is dedicating ourselves to continual progression—growing not only in recognizing joy but also in our capacity for joy.
And when we center our lives on Christ, our days can be filled with simcha—no matter our circumstances.
On the Magnify podcast, institute teacher Tammy Uzelac Hall shared, “If we are focused on the Savior and we are focused on His path, that is joy, that is simcha, and we’re just moving ever presently towards Him. It doesn’t matter what our surroundings are or what we think can bring us joy. When we’re rooted in Christ, we are joy.”
This understanding can help us recognize joy in our lives through times of sorrow. Simcha is a joy that transcends our earthly existence and taps into our divine heritage and potential. Suffering we may experience turns purposeful and joyful when we look at it as a way of continuing our progression to be with, and like, God.
Elder Quentin L. Cook recently shared this thought from the second edition of Preach My Gospel: “As we rely on Jesus Christ and His Atonement, He can help us endure our trials, sicknesses, and pain. We can be filled with joy, peace, and consolation. All that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.”
Trials, suffering, and heartache are not always escapable as we go through life, but they are not impediments to our ability to have joy. Rather, they can be stepping stones to the deeper, sustained joy that comes from knowing God and knowing our Savior.
Opposition Deepens Our Joy
Before we read that we are meant to have joy in 2 Nephi 2:25, Lehi teaches, “For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one” (2 Nephi 2:11).
The use of the word “compound” can help us understand finding a sense of purpose through joy defined as simcha.
One of Tammy’s daughters takes a compound medication for mild cerebral palsy. In the pharmaceutical industry, a compound medication is one that is made with a specific dosage for a single patient. The compound contains everything the patient needs for the medicine to be effective and to not cause the patient any harm.
Tammy shares, “Sometimes we get in this idea that we just want righteousness. ... Let’s get rid of wickedness and misery. ... And here’s Lehi saying, no, those are good things. You need those. They’re all compounded into one so that they can have the full efficacy. ... We have [misery and] death so that we can fully experience the joy.”
God’s plan includes all things that are needed for our growth and happiness. As we increase our capacity for daily joy by expanding our definition to include simcha, joy becomes more than something we hold for a moment. It turns into an abiding way of being.
Learn more about the scriptural doctrine of joy from Tammy on the Magnify podcast. And join the Magnify community in their study of joy in January and February. Subscribe to the podcast and follow @magnifycommunity on Instagram to get started.
Tammy Uzelac Hall is also the host of Deseret Book’s Sunday on Monday podcast.
More articles for you:
▶ The seeming absence of peace joy is an opportunity to increase understanding of joy
▶ The meaning of this Hebrew word helps Luke 2 be more meaningful
▶ How awe and wonder help us find more joy in the gospel
