The Infinite Power of Hope

I have spoken previously about the talk that President Uchtdorf gave on hope in which he spoke of his mother moving her family during the war. I love that little story. Anyhow, the title of the talk is The Infinite Power of Hope. It is one of my all time favorite talks. There are some points that President Uchtdorf makes in this talk that hit home to me very powerfully and that I relate to. Click here to link to the complete talk. I just read it myself, it is so good. I will also add a couple of quotes that stood out to me as I read it this time.

Hope... 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, who has prepared a way for those who seek for eternal truth in a world of relativism, confusion, and of fear.

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.

We hope in Jesus the Christ, in the goodness of God, in the manifestations of the Holy Spirit, in the knowledge that prayers are heard and answered. Because God has been faithful and kept His promises in the past, we can hope with confidence that God will keep His promises to us in the present and in the future. In times of distress, we can hold tightly to the hope that things will “work together for [our] good” as we follow the counsel of God’s prophets. This type of hope in God, His goodness, and His power refreshes us with courage during difficult challenges and gives strength to those who feel threatened by enclosing walls of fear, doubt, and despair.

Hope is critical to both faith and charity. When disobedience, disappointment, and procrastination erode faith, hope is there to uphold our faith. When frustration and impatience challenge charity, hope braces our resolve and urges us to care for our fellowmen even without expectation of reward. The brighter our hope, the greater our faith. The stronger our hope, the purer our charity.

The things we hope for lead us to faith, while the things we hope in lead us to charity. The three qualities—faith, hope, and charity —working together, grounded on the truth and light of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, lead us to abound in good works.

At this point I could have just copied the entire talk and included it in my blog. Only kidding, there is still much more. I don't know how many times I have listened to this talk. When I read it I hear President Uchtdorf's voice. I think if I had to pick a theme talk for my life over the last couple of years this would be it. I have experienced the despair that President Uchtdorf discusses. I have felt myself on a stairway that points forever downward. I have experienced moments of great sadness and yet through it all I have found strength through hope, specifically hope in Christ. I am grateful for the infinite power of hope in our lives.

I am pressing forward with another hope in my life right now. I am lonely, I feel that loss of companionship and that is difficult. I recognize that there are a lot of things that I lack that my children need. I am not a fan of dating. If you thought it was hard before try it with all of the stresses involved with kids and the need you feel and have to protect them. Try it with a good size helping of self doubt and a battle with the fear of rejection. It takes faith. It takes trust. It takes hope.

On Saturday I went out on a date. This was my second date in 2011 the first was with Natty and that was a little easier. Anyhow, the date went well. The gal is very nice and we have chatted a couple times since then. I am going down to Vegas this weekend and am going to attend a singles conference. I keep joking about this speed dating thing that is on the agenda Friday evening. I don't know if I will make it for that or not. It is probably way out of my comfort zone. Anyway, I have to show the Lord that I am willing to try. I cannot sit back and hope for the Lord to bless me with companionship if I am not willing to go forth and do my part. That means overcoming fears and pressing forward with faith.