“Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.” (2 Nephi 2:25). How mighty is the word might! We exist that we might have joy. Joy is not something that is guaranteed or required. At face value, that might seem discouraging, but it is actually a hopeful and liberating concept. If we are not full of joy in this particular moment, we are neither cursed nor failing at life. Maybe the trial has come upon us through our own foolish actions and maybe it hasn’t. Regardless, there is nothing wrong with ourselves or with the world if we are not experiencing joy in this particular moment. But however dark it is right now, it might get lighter. If we are sick, we might get better. If we are lost, we might be found. If we are alone, we might find the company of those who genuinely love and care about and want the best for us. If we are sad or downcast or depressed, we might have joy. The Founding Fathers were inspired when they said that one of our God-given, inalienable rights was the pursuit of happiness. They recognized that we will not always have joy, but we might have joy if we keep pursuing it. The promise that we might have joy is the hope that sustains us when we are overwhelmed. It is easy to believe when we are engulfed in darkness and terrors that we will never be happy again. It is easy when we are in fact experiencing joy that we start to let anxiety creep into our hearts that we will lose this joy and never get it back. We don’t need to cling to joy like a piece of flotsam in the middle of a storm-tossed sea. As long as we exist, there exists also the possibility that we might have joy. We will not have it with us always, but we will always find it again and again.
