my favorite scrpiture

2 Nephi 22:25 “men art that they might have joy,” I have always loved this scripture. Originally for the sole reason that it has my name in it. Over the years though my understanding of this scripture has grown.
Starting with the first word, Men. Simple enough, God is not just talking about the male population. He is referring to everyone. There is an approximate seven billion people on earth right now. The world, yes, the spinning orb that we are all sitting on is approximately 1,578,044,160 inches around. If everyone in the world were one inch wide, about the length of you thumb, and we were all to stand shoulder to shoulder we would make an air tight chain around the entire earth not just once or twice but four times and a half times. Those are just the people living now. When God says men he is talking about a population the size of the sands on the sea. Yet he knows all of us personally. The signs that God knows us personally are overwhelming: fingerprints, DNA, and just look at the person sitting next to you. You are unique to God. Although he addressed every single person who ever existed remember he knows you well enough to make it a personal message just for you.
The word Might is the past tense of the word May. The inferred origin of the word may is from the ancient Roman Goddess of spring who is called Maia. Not to be confused with the Greek Gods Maia who was the eldest and most beautiful of Atlas’s seven daughter. The Roman Goddess Mia’s name relates to the Oscan word mais and the Latin word majus both of which mean “more”. Because Mia was so powerful she is often referred to as “Maia the Majestic”. Essentially this title is a doubling of her name. Both maia, and majestic are rooted to the Latin word magnus “great or powerful” Some historians even wonder if Maia was the original name of the ancient goddess Bona Dea (the Good Goddess), whose name is so sacred it was forbidden to speak out loud. All of this relates to the fact that the word might does not simply refer to something that could happen if you wish hard enough. No, the word might’s origins signify that when God says “men are that they might have joy” he is referring to something as constant and enriching as spring. Joy is a promise from God.
According to Webster the word “have” means: to hold or maintain as a possession; to hold in one‘s service; to hold a part of a whole. All of Webster’s definitions for “have” coin the phrase “to hold”. In traditional wedding vows the bride and groom promise their spouse “to have and to hold” one another. When God says that we are to have joy he is not simply talking about giving us a big gift with a bow on top. No, the word “have” is a verb, meaning there has to be a concrete action connected to it. Imagine how different someone’s life would be if they were as committed to having and holding joy as they were to their spouse. That person would have joy “from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; and till death do us part.” I now declare you Husband/Wife to joy. The phrase “till death do us part” is the most vital. Taking our knowledge of the scriptures we know that there are two types of death: physical, and spiritual. With out joy in our lives we become spiritually dead, and we are truly separated from God’s light and truth.
My personal favorite is the word joy, oh let’s capitalize it, because it really is my name. starting over… My personal favorite is the word Joy. Yes, I am vain, but that is not why I asked you to change joy to Joy. I want you to insert your own name in the verse.
“men are that thy might have (your name)”
In order for you to understand this verse as I see it you have to apply everything that I have been talking about, and change the wording around a little. Now it reads “everyone who ever lived-- who God knows personally, has the promise from God to become committed to (your name).”
I thought you said you changed joy to Joy because you were not vain. Now this scripture seems selfish. Could be what you are thinking, but have you forgotten who you are? You are a literal child of the God. You have divine potential in the Lord’s great plan of happiness, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. You will one day become a creator of worlds with out number.
When I read this scripture I hear God telling me that I need to discover my true identity. I am a continually progressing; consequently the discovery of who I am is an eternal endeavor. That is why I have trails, hardships, and opposition. It’s all to help me discover me. Anne Morrow Lindbergh once said, “I do not believe that sheer suffering teaches. If suffering alone taught, all the world would be wise,” The Lord of Lords, King of Kings, Savior of Man Kind, could be teaching the most valuable lesson-- life, and I will not understand a pinch of it if I do not humble my heart and listen. God giving me the opportunity to progress is what joy means to me. The creation, fall of Adam and Eve, Atonement all revolve around this idea. “Men art that they might have joy,” in it’s everlasting and continually progressing form.