Steps to Defining Joy and Gladness
By Rebecca Cluff
Ever since President Nelson’s often referenced talk about joy, I’ve been trying to pin down what exactly joy means. I am a person who needs to know precise definitions for words in order to fully process them and feel like I can implement them in my daily life. For me, joy has been a term that has been challenging to nail down. In fact, I find that it often feels too big for me to apply to my daily routine. However, as I have been studying the scriptures over the past year while also dealing with postpartum depression, I have noticed that the Lord has provided a way around this particular challenge. The scriptures are full of other words that the prophets have used to describe the emotions we commonly equate with joy. Some examples are gladness, delight, and happiness. These terms are often easier for me to examine and define on a personal level. Here are some of the things I have started considering:
- What does the word feel like to me either emotionally or physically?
- What do I expect from this word? How do I use it?
- Is there something that influences my perception of this word?
- What is the dictionary definition?
- If it’s from the scriptures, how was it used?
- How does my definition fit with the other uses?
Let me share part of my journey of discovery with the word glad. To me, glad feels like relief. It’s grateful. Sometimes it feels like letting go; almost like a sigh. I use it when I’m relieved that something either did or did not happen. I’m glad we got this done. I’m glad that my son passed his test. I expect it to be small and even mundane; everyday glass dishes don’t break, my kids enjoy something I planned, I get to help someone, or I avoid something un-pleasurable.
I think my first exposure to the word glad was watching Pollyanna when she plays the “glad game.” The way I remember it from the movie, it still seems like it’s a comparison thing largely based in relief. As in, I’m glad this happened because that would have been worse. There are definitely some scriptures that go along with that idea like when the Egyptians were glad to see the Israelites leave (Proverbs 12:25).
Another verse I like is Doctrine and Covenants 128:19:
“Now, what do we hear in the gospel which we have received? A voice of gladness! A voice of mercy from heaven; and a voice of truth out of the earth; glad tidings for the dead; a voice of gladness for the living and the dead; glad tidings of great joy. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that bring glad tidings of good things, and that say unto Zion: Behold, thy God reigneth!”
I can also see tones of relief here. It’s in the reference to mercy. It’s in the greater context of baptism and ordinances for the dead. I see this relief as greater than the temporal relief from everyday occurrences. This verse ties that relief to the greater concept of joy and the eternal nature of the relief the Lord provides when we are redeemed from sin.
You can contrast the Lord’s usage to the official meaning which ranges from experiencing pleasure to being very willing to do something, to someone being made pleased, satisfied or grateful. The final entry in Merriam Webster’s definition is full of cheerfulness. My personal definition most closely aligns with feelings of gratefulness.
It’s fascinating to me how my interpretation of gladness sort of matches up with only a narrow section of the Lord’s view or the secular world’s wider definition. Yet it largely shapes how I experience feeling glad. Now that I have pinned down how I use the word I can be more conscientious in looking for the times I feel gladness in my life. From there I can look at other words and get closer to having a better understanding of joy.
I would encourage everyone to keep a list of words in the scriptures that describe feelings of happiness and joy. Then do your own examination on how they apply to your own mortal experience. As you do, you may be surprised at how widely you experience those feelings and how nuanced they can be.
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