So...hope

It feels like we have had many talks, lessons, and testimonies given on hope in church during the last few months. It is obvious that we are living during difficult times, so it only makes sense that we would talk about hope in order to help us through these times and look to a brighter future.

Our lesson in Relief Society yesterday was based off of Pres. Uchtdorf's conference talk "The Infinite Power of Hope." I loved this talk when I heard it during Conference, I loved it again when I read it in the Ensign, and I loved it even more after hearing our lesson yesterday and discussing it in Relief Society. The main points that stuck out to me during the lesson yesterday were:

1. Recognizing the fruit of our hope - optimism, confidence, patience perserverence, and one more that I can't remember... These are all things that I want! All of these things are qualities I strive for daily and attitudes that bring happiness and joy to our lives. Now I know - I can get these by having hope!

2. There are things that we hope for and things that we hope in. Pres. Uchtdorf explains this in his talk. We made a list on the board during the lesson of things we hope in today (Christ, the prophet, ourselves, prayer, scriptures, etc.) and things that we hope for tomorrow (eternal life, eternal families, forgiveness, healing, the Second Coming, growth of the church, etc.). One sister in our Relief Society made the point that we cannot hope for things tomorrow, without hoping in things today. All of the thing that we hope in lead to things we hope for. We cannot hope for eternal life or forgiveness without having hope in Christ. We cannot hope for knowledge and spiritual growth in the future without having hope in prayer, the scriptures, or the prophet today. I love that thought - we have to have hope TODAY in things that are here TODAY in order to hope for all of the wonderful things and blessings in store for us in the future.

3. Our RS President made an important point that we need to have hope in ourselves. Hope that we can rise to the occasion, that we are good enough, that we are children of God and that we are worthy of His blessings. We need to have hope in our individual worth and divine nature and our spiritual gifts that have been promised and given to us. This is so important! Having hope in Christ and hope in ourselves will allow us to do anything that is asked of us and get through any trial in our lives.

This thought remained on my mind the rest of the day. How can we maintain hope in ourselves everyday? I know it is easy (for me) to be hard on myself, get down on myself, and have feelings of depression, especially when things are difficult, but sometimes for no reason at all. How can we hold on to that hope during those times in order to make it through? Or how can we find that hope when things feel hopeless? Here are some thoughts that came to my mind:

1. prayer - this is our link to Heavenly Father. This is how we develop and strengthen our relationship with Him. Without that relationship, we will have a difficult time feeling His love, comfort, and guidance during our times of despair. He is there for us no matter what, but we will have an easier time recognizing and feeling Him in our lives if we develop that relationship with Him through prayer.

2. family & friends - Heavenly Father cannot physically be with us, but He can and He does send people to us to help us, love us, uplift us, and serve us. One HUGE way He shows love for us is through the people around us that love us. He has told us that we do not need to be alone. Yes, this does mean that He is always with us, but I think it also means that He has put people in our lives for specific reasons so that we literally do not need to be alone. Letting people love us and be there for us during difficult times will help us feel the love of the Lord and help us find hope in our dark moments

3. scriptures & good books - reading and studying the word of the Lord and the examples in the scriptures will give us guidance and hope. Other church publications can also be a great source for further understanding, knowledge, and hope. I read a great article in the Ensign last night that I felt was very applicable. Even though it is talking about a specific trial, I think it can be applied to any feelings of despair, depression, discouragement, or any other struggle. Favorite quotes from the article:

"I have learned firsthand that feelings of guilt are difficult and require patience, but I have also learned that in such times, the Lord can strengthen us to enable us to meet the challenge. Happiness will return, and former capacity will be restored. Light will replace darkness, despair will give way to hope, and life will regain its meaning."
"Good friends and loving family members can give support and withhold judgment. I am grateful for the people in my life who know my limitations but still accept and love me. I try to serve them as well; it is important that these relationships do not become unbalanced. Each of us has a responsibility to be a good friend and family member. Everyone needs to serve and be served."

I love the gospel and the peace, joy, and HOPE it brings. And I love going to church and feeling inspired, motivated, and uplifted like I did yesterday. With the New Year coming this week, I am very HOPEFUL for the future and what it may bring. I think in my process of setting resolutions, I will also make a list of 2008 accomplishments to help me have more hope in myself in 2009. Let's not forget all of things that we are good at or that we have accomplished in the midst of deciding all of the things we need to be better at! Maybe we can have more HOPE in ourselves now which will lead to hope for ourselves in the future.