Hope Talk - Part Four

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf gave a talk in October 2008 Conference called ‘The Infinite Power of Hope’. When preparing this talk I highlighted half of it to use, and while I cannot use it all, I would encourage everyone who is interested in this topic to go home and reread this talk. It is truly an inspiring talk. Some of what he said “Hope is one leg of a three-legged stool, together with faith and charity. These three stabilize our lives regardless of the rough or uneven surfaces we might encounter at the time…Hope has the power to fill our lives with happiness. Its absence … can make “the heart sick.”… Hope in our Heavenly Father’s merciful plan of happiness leads to peace, mercy, rejoicing, and gladness. The hope of salvation is like a protective helmet; it is the foundation of our faith and an anchor to our souls…The scriptures say that there must be “an opposition in all things.” So it is with faith, hope, and charity. Doubt, despair, and failure to care for our fellowmen lead us into temptation, which can cause us to forfeit choice and precious blessings. The adversary uses despair to bind hearts and minds in suffocating darkness. Despair drains from us all that is vibrant and joyful and leaves behind the empty remnants of what life was meant to be. Despair kills ambition, advances sickness, pollutes the soul, and deadens the heart. Despair can seem like a staircase that leads only and forever downward. Hope, on the other hand, is like the beam of sunlight rising up and above the horizon of our present circumstances. It pierces the darkness with a brilliant dawn. It encourages and inspires us to place our trust in the loving care of an eternal Heavenly Father…”

President Uchtdorf talks about the difference in having hope for things and having hope in things. For example:

· A child might have hope for a special present for his birthday

· A teen might hope to be asked to a school dance

· A college student might hope for inspiration while writing a paper

· A pregnant woman might hope for a healthy child

· A single person might hope to find a spouse

· An employee might hope for a raise

· The residents of the Wasatch Front might hope for clean air

· During a trial one might hope for comfort; or a speedy resolution; or guidance; or peace.

Knowing what one hopes for is one thing; but hoping ‘in’ something or having faith in something is different. “The things we hope in sustain us during our daily walk. They uphold us through trials, temptations, and sorrow. Everyone has experienced discouragement and difficulty. Indeed, there are times when the darkness may seem unbearable. It is in these times that the divine principles of the restored gospel we hope in can uphold us and carry us until, once again, we walk in the light.” (President Uchtdorf)