Ode to Joy

Eight years ago, a man with a good life was carrying a load of uniforms from one room to another, misstepped, fell, and broke his hip. The doctors took extra care setting the femur—so his legs would be the exact same length and allow him to continue teaching athletics at a collegiate level—but the precision caused the surgery to go an extra three hours. A bit of tissue snuck through his heart and caused a stroke three hours after he awoke. Another stroke days later. A third stroke weeks later. At this time, his wife of 34 years left him, he lost his job, and was forced to move into his own basement and rent the upstairs to keep the bills paid. Eventually he got in his car, drove West, and audibly asked, "Carest thou not that I perish?", as he traversed the country.

Today he is an employed sportsman at a different university, speaking and moving beautifully, happily remarried “to the woman of his dreams”, and building a new home. This is the point I met him at, as “the man who had it all”.

Well, my Bishop asked Mr. Perfect to speak to our congregation about FEELING JOY DURING ADVERSITY. His qualifications for addressing such a topic floored me. I had no idea his not-too-distant past was a total nightmare.

Two things he said that really stuck with me:

1. Jobless and hopeless, he first moved in with a sibling in Utah. The therapies that helped him best recover physically and verbally from his strokes were doing odd handyman jobs for his new neighbors and playing guitar while serenading his nieces and nephews. Small, outward acts of love are what pulled him out of the hole.
2. Regarding the topic of his talk—FEELING JOY DURING ADVERSITY—he honestly admitted that he didn't feel joy during that time, or at least the joy that is synonymous with “great happiness, glee, elation, bliss”. However, he found an unexpected definition of joy waaaaaaay down the list that mattered to him: “TRIUMPH”. He survived. He fought multiple fights against trials, troubles, and afflictions but ultimately was the last man standing (on equally long legs, I might add). Because of that one little meaning he could look us all in the eye and testify joy really can exist during adversity.

As someone who has raised an eyebrow to joy during adversity, to the alleged downpour of confetti during storms of trial, this made sense to me. It quelled my deep stirrings about “men are that they might have joy” while these men are also required to have "opposition in all things". It can cause confusion to expect joy’s colorful carnival of connotations to be present in a righteous life. I feel a sense of relief—and a greater understanding of the Savior’s Atonement as the precursor to my endurance—to know that joy, at times, simply means outlasting the pitfalls.

Photo of some seriously joyful 60s art. Photo quote from this talk.

New JOY scripture I love: John 16:22 "And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you."

Last, but not least, don’t we all love to blast “Ode To Joy”? It’s everywhere: commercials, concerts, movies. I crank the volume at the chorus and speed up, fist pump, or dance around feeling all the more invigorated, empowered, and satisfied—even though I have no clue what is actually being said. (To be fair, it’s in German.) I recently read the translation of the text, written by Friedrich Schiller and gift-wrapped by Beethoven, and it’s no wonder my spirit soars when it hears such power. This song is about joy, defined as “the spark of God”, and about that spark igniting human unity under God’s kind and watchful eye. Also, “halidom” means “holy place, sanctuary”. Had to look that one up. Yay for new words!

GERMAN

Freude, schöner Götterfunken,
Tochter aus Elysium,
Wir betreten feuertrunken,
Himmlische, dein Heiligtum!

Deine Zauber binden wieder
Was die Mode streng geteilt*;
Alle Menschen werden Brüder*
Wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt.

Seid umschlungen, Millionen!
Diesen Kuß der ganzen Welt!
Brüder, über'm Sternenzelt
Muß ein lieber Vater wohnen.

ENGLISH

Joy, thou spark of God so radiant,

Daughter of Elysium!

Teemed with fire, divine immortal,

We invade thy halidom!

Let thy magic bring together

All whom earthborn laws divide;

All mankind shall be as brothers,

‘Neath thy tender wings and wide.

Love t’ward countless millions swelling,

Wafts a kiss to all the world!

Brothers! O’er you stars unfurled,

Some kind Father has his dwelling!