I read this scripture this morning and it caused me to stop and think.
"And if ye have no hope ye must needs be in adespair; and despair cometh because of iniquity." - Moroni 10:22
This led me to look up Despair, which was related to Sorrow and I found the following scripture:
"But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye asorrow not, even as others which have no bhope." - 1 Thessalonians 4:13
I haven't been iniquitous or anything, but the first part saying if you don't have hope, you're pretty much in despair, makes me feel a little better. Here I am thinking, you know I really don't think I have any hope. But you know what? I do. Why? Because I am NOT despairing. Yes, my hope may be weak, but it's still there.
Then I considered the scripture in Thessalonians. To not be ignorant of those who are asleep... maybe those who are "asleep" in the gospel? Those who have lulled themselves into thinking they can do whatever they want and it's not going to affect them? Those who don't fully live the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Even I have found myself "dozing off" from time to time. This scripture says to me that as we are "awake" in the gospel, that is when we do not sorrow because we have that hope. The hope of eternal life and salvation through the merits of Jesus Christ. Folks, I had a confirmation and realization that this principle is real. I didn't used to believe so. It really does matter. Hope has a HUGE presence and I don't think we realize how essential it is in our day to day lives.
I looked up Hope on lds.org and 3 of the top 5 Church magazine articles that popped up were authored by some of my favorite apostles: James Faust and Neal Maxwell. Elder Maxwell had two and Elder Faust had one. I figured that if anyone would know about Hope it would be these two men, who dealt with respectively different difficulties near the end of their lives.
Maxwell's article "Hope Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ" is amazing. Seriously. I tried to find a few gems to share with you and it was almost half of the article. But the tag line was what really got me:
Real hope is much more than wishful musing. It stiffens, not slackens, the spiritual spine.
ISN'T THAT AWESOME?!?
Here's more fantasticness by Elder Maxwell:
Life’s disappointments often represent the debris of our failed, proximate hopes. Instead, however, I speak of the crucial need for ultimate hope.
Ultimate hope is a different matter. It is tied to Jesus and the blessings of the great Atonement, blessings resulting in the universal Resurrection and the precious opportunity provided thereby for us to practice emancipating repentance, making possible what the scriptures call “a perfect brightness of hope” (2 Ne. 31:20).
Unsurprisingly, hope is intertwined with other gospel doctrines, especially faith and patience.
Just as doubt, despair, and desensitization go together, so do faith, hope, charity, and patience. The latter qualities must be carefully and constantly nurtured, however, whereas doubt and despair, like dandelions, need little encouragement in order to sprout and spread. Alas, despair comes so naturally to the natural man!
Faith and hope are constantly interactive and are not always easily or precisely distinguished. Nevertheless, ultimate hope’s expectations are “with surety” true (Ether 12:4; see also Rom. 8:24; Heb. 11:1; Alma 32:21). Yet in the geometry of the restored theology, hope corresponds to faith but sometimes has a greater circumference. Faith, in turn, constitutes “the assurance of things hoped for” and the proof of “things not seen” (JST, Heb. 11:1; see also Ether 12:6). Thus hope sometimes reconnoiters beyond the present boundaries of faith, but it always radiates from Jesus.
No wonder souls can be stirred and rallied by real hope’s “reveille” as by no other music. Even if a few comrades slumber or desert, “lively hope” is still there “smiling brightly before us” (“We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet,” Hymns, no. 19; see also 1 Pet. 1:3). Hope caused downcast disciples to go quickly and expectantly to an empty garden tomb (see Mark 16:1–8; Luke 24:8–12). Hope helped a prophet to see rescuing rain in a distant cloud which appeared to be no larger than a man’s hand (see 1 Kgs. 18:41–46).
Such ultimate hope constitutes the “anchor of the soul” and is retained through the gift of the Holy Ghost and faith in Christ (Heb. 6:19; see also Alma 25:16; Ether 12:9). In contrast, viewing life without the prospect of immortality can diminish not only hope but also the sense of personal accountability (see 1 Cor. 15:19; Alma 30:18).
Anyway, it lifted my soul and I hope it will lift yours, too.
Here are the other links.
Brightness of Hope- Neal A. Maxwell, November, 1994.
Hope, an Anchor of the Soul- James E. Faust, November, 1999.
In closing, despite the difficulties that each of us face, I think we need to remember, myself included, that no matter how much we think we are in control of our lives, the Lord really IS in control. Elder Ballard illustrates this beautifully. I'll let him finish it for me and sign off.
"My message to you today, my brothers and sisters, is simply this: the Lord is in control. He knows the end from the beginning. He has given us adequate instruction that, if followed, will see us safely through any crisis. His purposes will be fulfilled, and someday we will understand the eternal reasons for all of these events. Therefore, today we must be careful to not overreact, nor should we be caught up in extreme preparations; but what we must do is keep the commandments of God and never lose hope!"- M. Russell Ballard, "The Joy of Hope Fulfilled," Ensign, Nov. 1992, 31
YEAH! AMEN!
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