Hope

Hope. A word used too much with too little meaning. We all hope for A’s on our tests, hope to be good friends, hope to accomplish our goals. But do we hope in Christ? Are we actively exercising our hope? And by exercising, I mean truly living in hope. Hope is, after all, both a verb and a noun. It is not only something we act on but also something we must be. The definition of the verb hope is “to look forward to with confidence or expectation, to expect and desire, to have confidence; trust.” The noun definition of hope is “a thing, situation, or event that is desired; a person or thing that gives cause for hope.”

What gives us cause for hope? How do we hope actively? Elder Uchtdorf, second councilor in the first presidency in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints once said,

“Hope is not knowledge, but rather the abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill His promise to us. It is confidence that if we live according the God’s laws and the words of His prophets now, we will receive desired blessings in the future. It is believing and expecting that our prayers will be answered. It is manifest in confidence, optimism, enthusiasm, and patient perseverance. In the language of the gospel, this hope is sure, unwavering, and active. The Prophets of old speak of a ‘firm’ hope and a ‘lively’ hope. It is a hope glorifying God through good works, with hope comes joy and happiness. With hope, we can have patience, and bear our afflictions.”

When we truly hope, it moves us to change; it affects our very being. With hope, we are sustained during our daily walk in life, we are led to good works, we strengthen our faith, and we keep moving forward even when we feel like taking that next step is impossible. The prophet Nephi said, “Press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: ye shall have eternal life.” Elder Uchtdorf spoke of this proclamation, “This is the quality of hope we must cherish and develop. Such a mature hope comes in and through our Savior Jesus Christ, for ‘every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as [the Savior] is pure.”

If you want to be happy, have hope. As your ability to hope increases, so will your happiness until you are abounding in joy. Speaking from experience, I know that the increase in hope brings joy in the little things in life, joy in the element of surprise in life, joy in determination and persistence, and joy in Christ.

This past week for me was a challenge. I had much to ponder and felt that I had much reason to be depressed. On top of that, I had become ill and still had a lot of homework that had to be done and classes that could not be missed. I wanted to give up. It wasn’t even as hard for me this past week as it has been in other times, not even close, but I still despaired and felt that my heart was too heavy to look up and forward. But even in the darkest hour, there is still cause for hope. I was reminded by a friend to press forward in hope and once I made that decision, it changed my whole perspective and allowed me to end my week on a happy note. Suddenly, my feet were no longer cement blocks, my mind became unclouded, and my purpose clear.

The Article of Faith number thirteen, one of thirteen explanations of believes of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints, states, “…We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.”

If you feel low, or just feel that something is missing, try hope. If you truly try it, you will be amazed at your gladness of heart. :)

For the full of President Uchtdorf’s address on hope, which I HIGHLY recommend, see: http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/the-infinite-power-of-hope?lang=eng&query=hope#22-PD00009501_000_009