“There is an important reason why we must understand the distinction between joy and fun.”
Is there no fun in the afterlife? You’ve got to be kidding me! I love having fun.
Pranks, jokes, amusement parks, games, sports, you name it! Is it true that these things will not exist in the afterlife?
I was shocked (still am, to be honest) when I heard Elder Bednar imply that they wouldn’t exist in a talk he gave to BYU students in December of last year.
Now, I’m not saying that I believe in a fairy tale vision of what Heaven will be like. Nor do I have the idea that the Celestial Kingdom is going to be a place of solemn gatherings where we will walk in a reverent manner or talk in whispers all the time.
You may also be interested in: “What is the language of God’s love?”
So what do you mean?
“Men exist to have joy,” right? And if we experience that joy here, chances are we will enjoy it there too. However, joy and fun do not mean the same thing and that is what Elder Bednar was implying.
Aren’t joy and fun the same thing?
What are you thinking? Is joy the same as fun? Certainly, we feel joy when we laugh and have fun with our friends and family.
But would this also be the case if the situation were the opposite? Can we say that we are also having fun when we feel joy after being forgiven for our sins?
I don’t believe it. And I don’t think that’s what Elder Bednar was thinking either.
You may be wondering why the distinction between these two aspects is important. Why do you think it should matter? I would say it is important because we can come to know God through our feelings.
Since Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are divine beings, it is safe to assume that they also experience divine feelings. Feelings of joy, sadness, love, anger, mercy and justice. The fall of Adam and Eve teaches us that our emotions are given by God. And if so, they must be given to us to help us learn about God and grow closer to Him.
How do we feel when our relationships with God and Jesus Christ are good? We feel joy! It’s an amazing feedback system, right? First, joy and joy foster feelings of closeness that inspire more feelings of joy! They create a cycle.
However, there is another important reason we must understand this distinction between joy and fun, it is to help us fulfill the measures of our creation.
The purpose of fun in mortality
So what exactly did Elder Bednar say in his speech? Did he really say that there wouldn’t be any fun in the afterlife? Yes, he did, or at least something close to it.
But before we start, there is something you need to understand. Joy and fun are definitely different, but they are also important to our experience of mortality. Otherwise, why would we experience it? Just like joy, fun in mortality has a divine purpose.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is about uniting families. Prophets have advised us for decades on how to do this:
“Successful marriages and families are established and maintained by principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and healthy recreation.”
You heard it here, friends! Successful families stay together by having fun together. Healthy recreational activities help us create memories together, bonds with each other, and lasting friendships.
Just as I said before, we can feel joy when we are having fun. In fact, in some cases, having fun and feeling joy can begin that beautiful cycle of joy that helps us grow closer to our Heavenly Father.
So while fun can’t directly help us grow closer to our Heavenly Father, it definitely plays an important role.
The differences between joy and fun
Well, we’ll get to the bottom of it. This is what Elder Bednar said about the differences between true joy and fun:
- Joy is primarily spiritual; the fun is mostly temporary.
- Joy is primarily enduring; fun is temporary.
- The joy is above all deep; The fun is superficial.
- The joy is mainly total and complete; the fun is partial.
- The joy is mainly of mortality and eternity; fun belongs only to mortality.
Furthermore, Elder Bednar said:
“It is a spiritual gift and a state of being and becoming.”
So when we look at the differences between joy and fun, we must see that joy is a condition that we experience, while fun is just an experience.
The true and lasting joy that Elder Bednar speaks of comes from living the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That is, exercising faith, repenting and obeying the commandments.
Finally (thankfully), the joy we experience during mortality doesn’t have to be a one-time thing. In fact, it can accompany us wherever we go or are and in any circumstance we find ourselves.
Feeling spiritual joy is crucial to our spiritual survival.
This article was originally written by Kelsey Mangum and was originally published by thirdhour.org under the title “Elder Bednar Said There Would Be No Fun in the Afterlife, Now What?”