In True to the Faith, it says "sometimes the word Hope is misunderstood. In our everyday language, the word often has a hint of uncertainty." Some examples of this are: I hope I do well on my exam, or I hope that cute guy asks me on a date, or I hope I get my braces off before Christmas. But there is another kind of hope I would like to talk about and that is, as President Uchtdorf has said, "the great hope of mankind, even in our Redeemer, Jesus Christ...Hope in God, His goodness, and His power refreshes us with courage during difficult challenges and gives strength to those who feel threatened by enclosing walls of fear, doubt, and despair."
How do we obtain an unshakable hope in Christ? Jacob 4:6 says "Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea." Through the Prophets' teachings in the scriptures and from modern day prophets' testimonies, we can affirm for ourselves through the Holy Spirit that these things are indeed true. Hope is an expectation; we can hope or expect that we will be healed through Christ's Atonement or we expect to be resurrected if we are faithful and obey the commandments. Jacob 4:11 says "Wherefore, beloved brethren, be reconciled unto him through the atonement of Christ, his Only Begotten Son, and ye may obtain a resurrection, according to the power of the resurrection which is in Christ, and be presented as the first-fruits of Christ unto God, having faith, and obtained a good hope of glory in him before he manifesteth himself in the flesh." Once we have this hope in Christ and His Atonement, we can put our hope into action and apply it to our own experiences, and then blessings will come in our lives because of our hope in Him and our testimonies will be strengthened.
The scriptures teach us that there must be opposition in all things. Darkness, fear, and doubt are all part of this human experience and we all feel them from time to time. During those times, it is important to remember that "...the love of God pierces all darkness, softens all sorrow, and gladdens every heart," as President Uchtdorf has stated so well. We must look to the Lord with hope and an eye of faith, that these challenges will be for our good and our experience that we will one day be like God. Believeing this truth demonstrates hope and can help lift up our spirits to carry on with optimism and confidence. One of my grandpas has that kids of hope. He turned what could have brought discouragement to determination. Eight years ago he was diagnosed with lung cancer. He was told that he had a 10% chance of surviving 5 more years. Despite this shocking news, he remained strong, positive, and hopeful. He kept his sense of humor along the rough road of chemo, surgery and radiation. In his lung cancer support group, more and more of the other patients were not survivng, but my grandpa remained strong. To this day he continues to be cancer-free and shares his faith and hope with others who are now dealing with that terrible disease. His hope in the Savior is what kept him going in the face of opposition.
Hope in Christ brings us peace and sweet knowledge that we will live again after this life to live with our families again. My neighbor who was twelve years old unfortunately was not granted the blessing of overcoming leukemia. Even though he didn't make it, his family has the hope that they will be reunited with him again. Through hope in Christ and His infinite Atonement, the pain and sorrow of their loss has been replaced with peace. President Hinckley said: "There is nothing more universal than death, and nothing brighter with hope and faith than the assurance of immortality." In John 11:25-26, Jesus said: "I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die." The Savior's gentle and comforting words of this subject give all of us hope to keep living our lives worthily, with steadfastness of faith and hope in Christ that gives us the ultimate victory over death.
A powerful example of having hope in times of despair and desperation is Joseph Smith. He was tarred and feathered, many of his children died during infancy and he was imprisoned in horrible conditions at Liberty and Carthidge. Yet even after all this hardship and heartache, Joseph Smith remained faithful and kept a real hope burning right within him. I love the passage in D&C 121 where it makes an account of the prophet's time in Liberty Jail: "O God, where art thou? And where is the paviilion that covereth thine hiding place?" Then the Lord answers Joseph's anguished cry: "my Son, peace be unto thy soul. Thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; and then if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high." This comforting reassurance from God is what gave Joseph his hope during this dark and lonely time in Liberty Jail. We can have this same hope that if we endure our trials well we will be given eternal life and peace forever. It is so important that we remember this promise and that we maintain our hope in Christ during times of adversity.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Works Cited:
1. True to the Faith p.
2. President Uchtdorf's talk entitled "The Infinite Power of Hope" Ensign Nov 2008
3. President Hinckley "Stand a Little Taller" p.
4. John 11:25-26 CR from Alma 5:12
5. Jacob 4:6
6. Jacob 4: 11
7. D&C 121
8. Heb 6:19 CR Alma 5:12
How do we obtain an unshakable hope in Christ? Jacob 4:6 says "Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea." Through the Prophets' teachings in the scriptures and from modern day prophets' testimonies, we can affirm for ourselves through the Holy Spirit that these things are indeed true. Hope is an expectation; we can hope or expect that we will be healed through Christ's Atonement or we expect to be resurrected if we are faithful and obey the commandments. Jacob 4:11 says "Wherefore, beloved brethren, be reconciled unto him through the atonement of Christ, his Only Begotten Son, and ye may obtain a resurrection, according to the power of the resurrection which is in Christ, and be presented as the first-fruits of Christ unto God, having faith, and obtained a good hope of glory in him before he manifesteth himself in the flesh." Once we have this hope in Christ and His Atonement, we can put our hope into action and apply it to our own experiences, and then blessings will come in our lives because of our hope in Him and our testimonies will be strengthened.
The scriptures teach us that there must be opposition in all things. Darkness, fear, and doubt are all part of this human experience and we all feel them from time to time. During those times, it is important to remember that "...the love of God pierces all darkness, softens all sorrow, and gladdens every heart," as President Uchtdorf has stated so well. We must look to the Lord with hope and an eye of faith, that these challenges will be for our good and our experience that we will one day be like God. Believeing this truth demonstrates hope and can help lift up our spirits to carry on with optimism and confidence. One of my grandpas has that kids of hope. He turned what could have brought discouragement to determination. Eight years ago he was diagnosed with lung cancer. He was told that he had a 10% chance of surviving 5 more years. Despite this shocking news, he remained strong, positive, and hopeful. He kept his sense of humor along the rough road of chemo, surgery and radiation. In his lung cancer support group, more and more of the other patients were not survivng, but my grandpa remained strong. To this day he continues to be cancer-free and shares his faith and hope with others who are now dealing with that terrible disease. His hope in the Savior is what kept him going in the face of opposition.
Hope in Christ brings us peace and sweet knowledge that we will live again after this life to live with our families again. My neighbor who was twelve years old unfortunately was not granted the blessing of overcoming leukemia. Even though he didn't make it, his family has the hope that they will be reunited with him again. Through hope in Christ and His infinite Atonement, the pain and sorrow of their loss has been replaced with peace. President Hinckley said: "There is nothing more universal than death, and nothing brighter with hope and faith than the assurance of immortality." In John 11:25-26, Jesus said: "I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die." The Savior's gentle and comforting words of this subject give all of us hope to keep living our lives worthily, with steadfastness of faith and hope in Christ that gives us the ultimate victory over death.
A powerful example of having hope in times of despair and desperation is Joseph Smith. He was tarred and feathered, many of his children died during infancy and he was imprisoned in horrible conditions at Liberty and Carthidge. Yet even after all this hardship and heartache, Joseph Smith remained faithful and kept a real hope burning right within him. I love the passage in D&C 121 where it makes an account of the prophet's time in Liberty Jail: "O God, where art thou? And where is the paviilion that covereth thine hiding place?" Then the Lord answers Joseph's anguished cry: "my Son, peace be unto thy soul. Thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; and then if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high." This comforting reassurance from God is what gave Joseph his hope during this dark and lonely time in Liberty Jail. We can have this same hope that if we endure our trials well we will be given eternal life and peace forever. It is so important that we remember this promise and that we maintain our hope in Christ during times of adversity.
In closing, President Uchtdorf said: "No matter how bleak the chapter of our lives may look today, because of the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we may hope and be assured that the ending of the book of our lives will exceed our grandest expectations." Hope in Christ brings us through the rough times and if we remember the counsel given in Hebrews 6:19 "Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;" we can conquer any trial and challenge with optimism, courage and patience.
It's my testimony that the power of the Infinite Atonement is real and that it heals our lives, that if we have the infinite power of hope in Christ, our lives can be full of joy, peace and love, and that our lives in the world to come can be eternal with ever-lasting happiness. I know that the adversary also exists and he works hard to bring us down, but we must not let his weapons of despair and discouragement diminish our bright hope in Christ. I know He loves us and yearns for our return in His kingdom, and He will help us get there if we have strong hope in Him.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Works Cited:
1. True to the Faith p.
2. President Uchtdorf's talk entitled "The Infinite Power of Hope" Ensign Nov 2008
3. President Hinckley "Stand a Little Taller" p.
4. John 11:25-26 CR from Alma 5:12
5. Jacob 4:6
6. Jacob 4: 11
7. D&C 121
8. Heb 6:19 CR Alma 5:12
7 comments:
This was beautiful! thank you so much! Your writting is superb! thank you for all of your input
.:/katie
I think this is a really important message. Thank you!
Okay I loved your entire blog! My favorite part was at the very beginning, though. I had never before thought of how the meaning of the word hope has changed so much in today's world. What a profound thought! Thanks!
I liked how you showed us that even though the Lord might not give us what we want, we can still have hope in him. I think that's really important to remember.
Kelli,
Wow, this was such a great blog. In a world such as ours with all the experiences we go through, we do as President Uchdorf said, need hope and the love of Christ to save us from its darkness and disillusionment. Also, I thought it was very insightful to compare our "faithless" hopes of "I hope I do well on this test" or "I hope I get a date" to the true hope we have in Christ.
I liked your blog very inspiring.
That was a beautiful blog. You are an amazing writer. Thank you for inspiring me to have hope through all things!
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