Questions and Answers
How Can I Reignite Joy during Times of Suffering?
The author lives in Puerto Rico.
God wants us to be happy, even if we are suffering. But how do we do that?
When I returned from my mission, I was confused. On my mission, I felt the guidance of the Holy Ghost, I was confident in the truth of the gospel, and I saw many miracles. But regular life was … well, regular. And it suddenly seemed much harder.
I kept asking God, “Why? Why is life so different now?”
I was going to institute and attending sacrament meeting, but I just wasn’t feeling the Spirit as frequently as I had on my mission. Then I remembered a phrase my mission president told the missionaries at nearly every conference:
“In life, we can strive to suffer with joy.”
When I’d first heard this, I didn’t get it. But in that moment of remembering, I suddenly understood. Heavenly Father wants us to find lasting joy—even if we are in a season of suffering in life.
After experiencing difficulties in my life, I’ve learned a few ways that Heavenly Father helps us feel joy, no matter what is happening in our lives.
Seek Daily Restoration
Several years after this realization, my spirituality faltered when an unexpected challenge crossed my path. I began straying from the covenant path and lost the joy I had felt. After several months, I knew I needed to come back, so I decided to watch general conference.
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke about the simple, daily habits that help us stay aligned with God: “We can navigate our way through the darkness and trials of this life and find our way back to our Heavenly Father if we seek and accept the spiritual landmarks He has provided, embrace personal revelation, and strive for daily restoration.”
I realized this was where I needed to start to reignite my joy.
God has given us all the tools we need to find joy in this life, even amid trials. When we remember simple daily actions that bring daily restoration, like prayer and scripture study, we open our hearts to God and our struggles seem much smaller. We will feel stronger and more joyful, regardless of our circumstances.
Remember Your Covenants
Through repentance and relying on the Savior’s Atonement, I returned to the covenant path. As I began preparing to be a temple worker, I realized another important way the Lord has enabled us to have joy in our suffering: covenants.
Elder Yoon Hwan Choi of the Seventy recently asked, “Do you want to be happy?” In response, he quoted President Russell M. Nelson, who said: “If you want to be miserable, break the commandments—and never repent. If you want joy, stay on the covenant path.”
Remembering my covenants with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ brought me joy when my faith was challenged, when my loved ones were facing poverty, and when I faced opposition on my mission. And today, keeping my covenants with Them brings me joy no matter what I’m facing.
No matter how life goes and no matter how strong the struggles of life may be, you will see miracles if you stay on God’s covenant path.
Listen to the Music of the Gospel
Music has helped me remember the lessons of joy I’ve learned throughout my life.
When I was young, I remember listening to the closing hymn in sacrament meeting. After the prayer, I sat at the piano for the first time and played the melody. It was as if I had always known it. This experience can be compared to how we can learn to suffer with joy.
The covenant path is kind of like that piano. Once we start to play it, the melody—the joy of the gospel—comes to us as if we’ve always known it. As we continue to practice, the melody is easier to play. Likewise, as we engage in simple daily actions that help us feel the Spirit, like prayer and scripture study, the joy of the gospel becomes easier to find. When suffering comes our way, we can still find the joyful melody, as long as we keep playing and keep practicing.
When he was a member of the Seventy, Elder Wilford W. Andersen taught: “If you’re not hearing the music of the gospel … , please remember these two words: keep practicing. With God’s help, the day will come when the music of the gospel will fill your home with unspeakable joy.”
God’s Love Will Carry You
Now when I remember my mission president’s words to “suffer with joy,” I know where to start. I think of the ways God showed me how to find joy during these previous challenges. Heavenly Father has provided us many gifts and blessings that can remind us of His love and the joy that is possible through Jesus Christ.
Their love will carry us through and help us be joyful—in our good times and in our suffering.