If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all, Martin Luther King Jr.
So what is hope?
Neal A Maxwell: Real hope is much more than wishful musing. It stiffens, not slackens, the spiritual spine.
The Marriam-Webster dictionary defines hope as a verb meaning to cherish a desire with anticipation, to desire with expectation of obtainment, to expect with confidence. The wikipedia definition is a belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one's life. Hope implies a certain amount of perseverance — i.e., believing that a positive outcome is possible even when there is some evidence to the contrary. The opposite of hope is despair, depression, pessimism, sadness, gloom, grief, dissapointment, and doubt.
These emotions often plague us today. Many of us are depressed and doubtful much of the time. How many people out there live only surviving from day to day? How many are too busy going and doing, that we don’t take the time to feel and enjoy faith and hope. We now have a standard of despair, and we are losing hope in ourselves and those around us. We have the mindset “If I want something done right, I must do it myself” and “never going to be good enough”. I know for myself, feeling like I always have to prove myself in one way or another, and being overwhelmed every day, can cause me to lose hope.
To be hopeful, in today’s world, is not simply a blessing. It is now a necessity. Gordon B Hinckley is one of my most favorite people in this world, and I admire him greatly. He has said, “People are not without hope. Everybody ought to recognize that in the most dire circumstances there is an element of hope, that people can recover from what they have done, that they can do better, that they can turn around, that they can improve and increase their happiness by so doing.” Even through difficult times and trying experiences, people should keep their hope. Hope is motivational. Hope is encouraging. Hope is reassuring. Hope is our way of mentally and emotionally supporting ourselves and others.
Hope is closely related to faith and to fear. It comes from fear, and is fueled by faith. There is no hope unmingled with fear, and no fear unmingled with hope, Baruch Spinoza. What is fear then? Fear is a distressing emotion caused by heightened nerves or thoughts. And what is faith? Faith is the belief in something that cannot be seen or touched, but is known to be true. Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Job is an example of a man with great faith. He had faith in God, and in God’s plan for him. Isn’t it a reassuring thought to know that God is not only counscious of you and your life, but he is always caring and mindful and in control? He knows what you are going through, and will be there to support you and love you through it. I can think of nothing more comforting than the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
As stated by PK Thomajan hope can always cope. It is putting faith to work when doubting would be easier. Doubt is to be uncertain, distrusting, or hesitant to believe. How many of us are doubting when it comes to the gospel in our lives? How many of us pray that we may have trust in God’s plan for us, but inside think we know exactly what would be best for us? How many of us know the truth of the Gospel, yet don’t want to believe it because it means we would have to alter ourselves? To doubt, is to be untrusting toward God- and how ridiculas is that? Lol Can you see yourself telling God that you think you know better than He? Doubt may be the first reaction- our first thoughts may be to think we know it all and will get through this on our own. But I’ve learned from experience that God really does know what he is doing, he knows it a lot better than I do, and therefore trusting in His plan and letting Him guide me will get me through anything a lot easier. It gives me hope to know I can rely on Him, and everything will be taken care of.
It also gives me hope knowing that there is a bigger picture. Sometimes, in our lives, we can’t figure out how this trial or this difficulty could possible be a benefit. Paul had an experience similar to this. He was in town teaching a multitude of people. While teaching, the Lord told him to leave the multitude to go teach one person. So he went. Paul knew the Lord was all knowing, and had a desire to do whatever the Lord required of him. He knew the Lord had a higher plan, and this gave him hope that what was he was doing was for the bigger picture.
For me, hope also brings happiness. Knowing that things will eventually get better. Knowing that things are taken care of. Knowing that there is hope for the future, relieves the pressure and stress. It allows me to be happy and enjoy life. Alma 28:12 supports this idea, “While many thousands of others truly mourn. . . yet they rejoice and exult in the hope, and even know, according to the promises of the Lord, that they are raised to dwell at the right hand of God, in a state of never-ending happiness.”
Hope brings peace in death. Death seems depressing and final, when thought of in a worldly sense. But when we think about death in the bigger picture, it is not death at all. It is the next stage in life. I believe death is the passing from this spiritual state to the next. We are freed from the physical limitations of this world, and we move into a more beautiful, spiritual, loving and so much more accepting. The family, friends and acquaintances still here in this world are grieving for us when we pass on, however we are celebrating to have left behind the worldly limitations and rejoicing with others who have already moved into the next stage of life. We are able to once again, be right there with our Heavenly Father and Mother, Jesus Christ, and all our other brothers and sisters in our heavenly family.
Hope is wonderful and is God given. But just as anything else, we must strive to keep our hope strong and active. Mother Teresa compared hope to a lamp. “To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it.” We must feed our hope to keep it alive. To do this, we can treat it as we would other element in our lives. Pray to have hope. Study hope in our daily scripture study. Have a positive outlook on life, encouraging postiive thoughts and perspectives. Things actions will keep hope in our lives. Jeremiah 17:7 “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.”
I have a testimony of hope. A personal example of needing to have more hope in my life, was just before my wedding. The bishop, my husband, and all my family members were working on a single major factor of the wedding. Everyone else had confidence in the Lord and hope that everything would be alright. Because we planned our wedding in six weeks, we were rushed to get certain VERY needed paperwork done. Bishop Woodard, President Whitaker, and my husband were all working hard to be sure it would be accomplished by the due date. And as they were taking care of everything, I was panicking. It was one of those moments I felt that I had to do everything, and I just couldn’t. I needed to step back, and trust that my husband was aware of all that was happening and doing what was needed. Once I finally did, things changed. I gave up the so called control I thought I had, and handed my stress and anguish over to the Lord. I put confidence in His plan, and got my hope back that everything would be taken care of. The very next day, the paperwork came through. Our wedding took place ten days later, on the date we had originally chosen and in the temple we had chosen. It was a very difficult lesson for me, and one I will never forget. I learned to keep Hope in the Lord’s plan for me, and trust that he knows what he is doing. I learned that others are just as if not more capable than I am. I learned to trust in the priesthood around me. And since that lesson, I have been able to remind myself the Lord knows all, and everything will be okay according to His plan.
I would like to bear my testimony to you. I have a testimony of Joseph Smith. I believe he was a prophet of God. I believe Gordon B Hinckley is a prophet called of God. I have a lot of respect for both of these men and what they did for people and for the Lord. I look forward to meeting them in the next life. I believe God has a plan for us. I believe and I am grateful for the gift of family. My great-granny down to my future children. I am grateful for my husband, whom I love so much and I am so blessed to have in my life. I am grateful for my dad and step-mom. They are wonderful people and excellent examples. Judy is one of the most patient people I have ever known. I am grateful to my brother and sisters- all of them. I am grateful for the Bible and the Book of Mormon. I am grateful for the gift of freedom and living in America, so that I may believe and worship as I choose to. I am grateful for the opportunity and luxury of employment. I am grateful for this ward and the opportunity to meet and visit and enjoy being around people of God. I am grateful for education, and the chance to learn and further knowledge. I am grateful for good friends. I have a testimony of God, and I am glad to have Him in my life. God makes all things possible and gives hope in all things. And I have a testimony of Jesus Christ. He is my savior, my example, and my hero. I say these things, in the holy name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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