Hope

There are many compelling reasons to lose hope at the moment.

We may lose hope because the future for the world in general or for ourselves personally – looks increasingly bleak.

We can lose hope because it seems there are no solutions, there is no way out, or perhaps no escape from the challenges ahead.

Is that your reality?

I believe there is great hope for everyone…

Hope is “the anticipated fulfilment of a desire, to expect with confidence.”

For me, hope is the antidote for despair.

Working with missionaries every day I find that when we have hope, we trust in God’s promises.

Dieter F Uchtdorf said: “Hope is one leg of a 3-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.”

In a recent Zone Conference I used a 3-legged stool to reinforce this principle even further.

See Moroni 7:33, 40-43, 47-48 in the Book of Mormon.

Hope will always lighten our load and it strengthens our resolve to succeed.

Here are some ideas to build hope…

– Work on your self-discipline

– Focus on the positive

– Identify and challenge any negative beliefs

– Take care of yourself -physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually

– Surround yourself with hopeful people and environments

– Celebrate even the smallest of victories.

How are faith, hope and charity like a 3-legged stool?

What do you need to do to develop them?