Polka dots and Pineapple: Talk: Hope

I find it quite interesting that whenever I am asked to give a talk or prepare a lesson, the topic is always something I am struggling with at the moment. And I’m not going to lie, but this talk was extremely difficult for me to write, so bear with me if it seems a bit jumbled. Today I will be speaking on the topic of hope. What is hope? As I was thinking about hope, I was thinking about how I use the word hope in my daily life. Such as, I hope I pass this test, I hope I have enough money, I hope I get better quickly, and so on. I think we can all come up with ways we have used the word hope in our daily lives. Each time I use the word “hope” it comes with uncertainty. Each thing I hope for, but may not necessarily get.

The definition of hope in a regular dictionary is: Noun: A feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. As a verb: Want something to happen or be the case. Again, uncertainty. You want it, but it may not necessarily happen.So why have hope when there are so many opportunities in life to lose hope and become hopeless?

Many situations in my own life cause me to have this “hope” which has much uncertainty, causing a loss of hope and eventually leads to moments and days of hopelessness. In the past three years I have had some health problems that have caused me to lose hope at times. I have gone to many doctors, had many tests, and received very few answers. I hope for answers, solutions, and anything that can help alleviate even a bit of the pain I experience every day. Each doctor I go to I get no answers; or few answers that then lead me to nowhere. Living with no answers to what is causing the physical pain I experience has been extremely difficult and brought me down into the depths of despair at times.

Think of a time in your own life where you hoped something would happen, whether it be a certain job, physical healing, answers, consolation from depression. anything. and when what you hoped for didn’t happen, How did you feel? were you pretty disappointed? What did you initially do?

We all experience disappointments and loss and this worldly hope becomes a barrier or roadblock to what can bring us true happiness. We focus so much on the future and think we know what is best, when in all reality, we don’t know what the future holds. No wonder so manys heads hang hopelessly low. The hope they are trying to hang on to is a hope that often leads to uncertainty and disappointment. As I have tried to cling to this hope,I have spent all my energy hoping for things that either won’t happen, or will happen in their own time. Why waste my energy on this worldly hope?

Now I want to talk to you about a different kind of hope. A hope that does not lead to uncertainty and despair but to peace and certainty. The hope of the Gospel. In Preach My Gospel it gives a great example of what hope truly is. It says, “Hope is an abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill His promises to you.”

Hope isn’t just a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. That is the worldly definition of hope. The hope that brings hopelessness and despair many times. The hope of the Gospel brings lasting comfort, peace, and joy. Preach my Gospel goes on to say, “[Hope] is manifest in confidence, optimism, enthusiasm, and patient perseverance. It is believing and expecting that something will occur. 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.” The hope of the gospel does a lot more for you than the hope of the the world.

This basic definition of hope was a reminder to me of why I need hope in my life, and not just hope, but a hope in the Gospel, a hope in Jesus Christ. A hope that all he has promised me will come to pass if I have hope and do my best to do my part.

Hope does not mean we sit idly by wishing and waiting for something better to happen. Rather hope implies confidence that God will deliver what he has promised. Hope provides an anchor to our souls and propels us to act in faith. Hope, charity, and faith are concepts that are often linked throughout the scriptures. It is difficult to have one without the other.

Alma 32:21: says, “... If ye have faith, ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.

and in Moroni 7 it says, Wherefore, if a man have afaith he bmust needs have hope; for without faith there cannot be any hope. And again, behold I say unto you that he cannot have faith and hope, save he shall be ameek, and lowly of heart... and if a man be meek and lowly in heart,... he must needs have charity; for if he have not charity he is nothing; wherefore he must needs have charity.

These are just a few examples of how hope, charity, and faith are all linked together and how you cannot have one without the other.

President Uchtdorf said in a talk from the October 2008 Conference that, “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. The scriptures are clear and certain about the importance of hope. The Apostle Paul taught that the scriptures were written to the end that we “might have hope.” 1 Hope has the power to fill our lives with happiness. 2 Its absence—when this desire of our heart is delayed—can make “the heart sick.”

Have you had this absence of hope? a sick heart? I sure have, but the times I remember the Savior Jesus Christ and his Atonement are when I am able to feel his healing power in my life and experience the power that hope can have when my hope is anchored in the Savior.

President Uchtdorf goes on to say: “Hope is a gift of the Spirit. 4 It is a hope that through the Atonement ofJesus Christ and the power of His Resurrection, we shall be raised unto life eternal and this because of our faith in the Savior. 5 This kind of hope is both a principle of promise as well as a commandment, 6 and, as with all commandments, we have the responsibility to make it an active part of our lives and overcome the temptation to lose hope. Hope in our Heavenly Father’s merciful plan of happiness leads to peace, 7 mercy, 8 rejoicing, 9and gladness. 10 The hope of salvation is like a protective helmet; 11 it is the foundation of our faith 12 and an anchor to our souls.” Who doesn’t want peace, mercy, rejoicing, and gladness? I surely do.

“Hope has the power to fill our lives with happiness. Hope sustains us through despair. we learn to cultivate hope the same way we learn to walk. one step at a time. we grow in our ability to abound in hope through the power of the holy ghost as we more perfectly live the gospel we hope in Jesus Christ, in the goodness of God, in the manifestations of the holy spirit. In the knowledge that prayers are heard and answered. Hope teaches that there is reason to rejoice even when all seems dark around us. No matter how bleak the chapter of our lives may look today, because of the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we may hope and be assured that the ending of the book of our lives will exceed our grandest expectations. And to all who suffer, to all who feel discouraged, worried, or lonely, I say with love, and deep concern for you. Never give in, never surrender, never allow despair to overcome your spirit. For the love of the Son of God pierces all darkness, softens all sorrow, and gladdens every heart.”

So how do we obtain or nourish this hope? If we have lost all hope, we can still obtain it again.

We obtain hope by attaching ourselves to the wellspring of the Savior's love. We become steadfast and immovable in Christ. We no longer drift. We no longer waver. We don't allow unwanted change, trials or the heartaches of life to result in the loss of our hope. We choose to first confront and then move past our challenges. We look to Christ with a kind of joyous expectation. We allow faith to be our anchor in troubling seas. Christ invites all to come unto him and partake of his goodness. It is the glad tidings of the gospel that steady us and produce a perfect brightness of hope. We move forward, having a love of God and all mankind. God created us that we might have joy.

“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass; it’s about learning to dance in the rain.” Let us live to dance in the rain.

While preparing my talk I was listening to music and this song came on. I want to share it with you. It is called: If you want me to

If You Want Me To

The pathway is broken

And the signs are unclear

And I don't know the reason why You brought me here

But just because You love me the way that You do

I'm gonna walk through the valley

If You want me to

No I'm not who I was

When I took my first step

And I'm clinging to the promise You're not through with me yet

So if all of these trials bring me closer to You

Then I will walk through the fire

If You want me to

It may not be the way I would have chosen

When You lead me through a world that's not my home

But You never said it would be easy

You only said I'll never go alone (yeah oh oh)

So when the whole world turns against me

And I'm all by myself

And I can't hear You answer my cries for help

I'll remember the sufferin' Your love put You through

And I will walk through the darkness

If You want me to

'Cause when I cross over Jordan, I'm gonna sing, gonna shout

Gonna look into your eyes and see you never let me down

So take me on the pathway that leads me home to you

And I will walk through the valley if you want me to

Yes, I will walk through the valley if you want me to

All we are asked to do is walk through the valley. It is not and will not be easy, but we are promised that we are not alone nor will we ever be. When you feel yourself losing hope on your journey through the valley, cling to this truth. Have hope, or an abiding trust, in Jesus Christ that he will fulfill all he has promised. Have faith that God knows what is best for each one of us. He sees the whole picture. As you have faith and hope, you will be able to work through trials and difficulties with the confidence and assurance that all things will work together for your good. I bear my testimony that these things are true, and I do it in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.