The lesson in Relief Society a couple of weeks ago was on hope. One of the quotes the teacher used has been bouncing around in my head for the past couple of weeks. It is from Pres Uchtdorf from the October 2008 General Conference. He 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 to 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.”
There are some great descriptions in that paragraph about what it means to hope. It has made me pause before using it—do I really ‘hope’ for this? Not the fanciful hope, but real abiding hope. Doctrine and Covenants 98:2-3 really screams HOPE to me, it was a revelation given to Joseph while he was in Kirkland Ohio and the saints were being persecuted in Missouri (900 miles away), he said, “…in everything give thanks; waiting patiently on the Lord, for your prayers have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, and are recorded with this seal and testament—the Lord hath sworn and decreed that they shall be granted. Therefore, he giveth this promise unto you, with an immutable covenant that they shall be fulfilled; and all things wherewith you have been afflicted shall work together for your good, and to my name’s glory, saith the Lord.”
WOW!!! Can you imagine getting that message about your prayers? How quickly do we forget though the promises made to us? We have been promised EVERYTHING (!) that Heavenly Father has in exchange for our obedience and faith in Him and his prophets. I have to ask myself, re-reading Pres Uchtdorf’s comments, do I have HOPE? Am I going forth in my life with confidence, optimism, enthusiasm, and patient perseverance? Do I put an abiding trust in the Lord? Am I confident I will receive blessings according to my obedience? (Even if some of those blessings don’t come immediately)—We should be able to do this—we are expected to do this. On good days, I think that I am pretty good at it—but the real test is those hard days. The difficult times—isn’t that when we prove we are hoping and having faith?
This summer has been difficult at times. We’ve been far from all our friends and family members that we’ve grown accustomed to being surrounded by and left to be the sole supporters of each other. I have been so grateful though to have had not only Keith to help me when I’m weary, but that Heavenly Father has been my constant companion. I really have gained a greater understanding of the atonement and desire to utilize it in my life. I’m more committed to “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope” –On to the next chapter in our lives as we start this last year of school and make decisions about our future.
There are some great descriptions in that paragraph about what it means to hope. It has made me pause before using it—do I really ‘hope’ for this? Not the fanciful hope, but real abiding hope. Doctrine and Covenants 98:2-3 really screams HOPE to me, it was a revelation given to Joseph while he was in Kirkland Ohio and the saints were being persecuted in Missouri (900 miles away), he said, “…in everything give thanks; waiting patiently on the Lord, for your prayers have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, and are recorded with this seal and testament—the Lord hath sworn and decreed that they shall be granted. Therefore, he giveth this promise unto you, with an immutable covenant that they shall be fulfilled; and all things wherewith you have been afflicted shall work together for your good, and to my name’s glory, saith the Lord.”
WOW!!! Can you imagine getting that message about your prayers? How quickly do we forget though the promises made to us? We have been promised EVERYTHING (!) that Heavenly Father has in exchange for our obedience and faith in Him and his prophets. I have to ask myself, re-reading Pres Uchtdorf’s comments, do I have HOPE? Am I going forth in my life with confidence, optimism, enthusiasm, and patient perseverance? Do I put an abiding trust in the Lord? Am I confident I will receive blessings according to my obedience? (Even if some of those blessings don’t come immediately)—We should be able to do this—we are expected to do this. On good days, I think that I am pretty good at it—but the real test is those hard days. The difficult times—isn’t that when we prove we are hoping and having faith?
This summer has been difficult at times. We’ve been far from all our friends and family members that we’ve grown accustomed to being surrounded by and left to be the sole supporters of each other. I have been so grateful though to have had not only Keith to help me when I’m weary, but that Heavenly Father has been my constant companion. I really have gained a greater understanding of the atonement and desire to utilize it in my life. I’m more committed to “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope” –On to the next chapter in our lives as we start this last year of school and make decisions about our future.
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