Hope

I gave an adrestimento today about Hope, for our District meeting.  I learned so much and I thought I would write down a few of the things I learned, so that I can remember them.

Moroni 7:41 asks "what is it ye shall hope for?"  I think we all hope that we can be happy and that our family will be safe and happy too.

2 Nephi 31:20 says to , "press forward ...having a perfect brightness of hope."  

These pictures symbolize hope to me, because they are pictures of light. When we are discouraged we feel darkness and no light in our life.

"Hope is an abiding trust that The Lord will fulfill His promises to you.  It is believing and expecting  that something will occur." (Preach my gospel page 117)  Just as we believe the sun will set each day and rise again the next.  We believe The Lord when he says something.

In Preach My Gospel, it says, "when you have hope, you work through trials and difficulties with the confidence and assurance that all things will work together for your good.  Hope helps you conquer discouragement."

I love the scriptures that talk about hope.  Two favorite ones are: Romans 15:13. "The God of hope (will) fill you with ALL JOY AND PEACE in believing that ye may abound in hope."  And I found a new favorite in 2 Chronicles 20:15   .....".The battle is not yours but God's."  That scripture gives me a lot of hope.

Ether 12:4 says, "Whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world."

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we would ask The Lord each day to "touch my life with love, and fill my heart with hope."

Each of us can hope to shine with the light of Christ and to bring that hope to those we come in contact with each day. I remember a quote in a book I read once, that said "my hope is to tuck a bit of happiness in their pocket each day."

 Sister Julie Beck gave a beautiful talk about Hope and quoted her mother's motto for each day of her life:

        WELCOME the task 

that makes you go beyond yourself,

         And you will GROW.

When we have  hope, through the atonement, we are able to serve others and love them as God wants us to love.  When we have little or no hope we are thinking of our own troubles and we do not  believe that God can help us.  "Hope doesn't calculate the odds."   

The primary song we sang this week  for the primary program, summarizes it just right.

                                        What does the father ask of us?

                                        What do he scriptures say?

                                        Have faith, have hope

                                        Live like His Son

                                       Help others on their way."

Sister Susan W Tanner gave a talk in general conference in 2003 and told the following story:

A number of years ago our family lived in Brazil for a short while. Two weeks before we were supposed to return home, we were in an auto accident. As we drove home in pouring rain from sacrament meeting, we entered a neighborhood intersection. A car pulled out from behind a parked vehicle and hit us broadside. Fortunately no one in either of the cars was injured, but the automobiles were both quite badly dented. As my husband, John, got out to discuss our plight with the other driver, I kept reminding him that it was not our fault. Soon he returned to the car and slowly drove back to the little farmhouse where we were living, with metal grinding against the tires on every rotation. The other car followed. All John said was, “I’ll explain later.”

When we got home, John found our little envelope of emergency cash, and he paid the family to get their car repaired. They happily left. I was astonished. Then John gathered our family together. He was somewhat apologetic as he explained his actions. “I know this accident was not our fault, but as I was negotiating with this family, the only thought in my head was that only a little over an hour ago I had covenanted with Heavenly Father to always act as He would. I knew that if He were standing in my position, He would have had compassion on this family and would have done all He could to help them.” What an exemplary husband and father! He had remembered his covenants. Acting with Christlike love, he had softened hearts.

I testify to you that when I remember my covenants each day, I do feel hope and I feel love. I know that being steadfast in Christ brings a perfect brightness of hope to me and a love of God and all men to my heart.

I hope I can remember these things every day.  I hope these things might help one of you too.