hope on, trust on.

"Adam fell that men might be and men are that they might have joy." 
-2 Nephi 2:273

The Apostle Paul taught that the scriptures were written to the end that we “might have hope.” 

Can we experience true joy without hope? I think not.
I know that if we want to have more hope, we must strive to study and ponder the scriptures more. This can help us to cultivate a greater sense of hope in the Saviour and faith in Heavenly father's plan for us.


Moroni 7 tells us that without faith there can be no hope.

So what's the difference between hope and faith?
Neil a maxwell said that "as the perimeter of faith expands, so the circumference of hope enlarges accordingly." Picture this:

When you have faith it's like you are holding a candlestick and you take a step in the dark. After each step of faith we take, a subsequent lantern is lit further down the hallway - this is the shining hope we receive after each step in faith, showing us that there is more to hope for and work towards.

"Ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith" -Ether 12:6

Sometimes, that witness that we receive is the gift of hope.

Hope has the power to fill our lives with happiness. Its absence—when this desire of our heart is delayed—can make “the heart sick.” 

I think this is so true and it's good to do a bit of self assessment and realise that our lack of hope can often lead to feeling of depression and paralysing despair.

"Hope is a gift of the Spirit. It is a hope that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the power of His Resurrection, we shall be raised unto life eternal and this because of our faith in the Saviour. This kind of hope is both a principle of promise as well as a commandment,  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,  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. ^"

Having hope is actually a commandment. Satan tempts us to lose hope. As hard as it is, we must realise that this is a very important commandment to keep, probably one of the most important. Especially in our day and age, the adversary tried to convince us that there is no hope for us. We are either too damaged or too flawed, too broken or too rejected, too fragile or too weak. While we may be damaged, flawed, broken, rejected, fragile, or weak, we are NEVER too far gone that the Saviours love cannot reach us and heal us. No one is perfect. Recognising that is important. But having the hope that one day we can be perfected through the atonement of Christ is essential to our happiness.

"Moroni in his solitude—even after having witnessed the complete destruction of his people—believed in hope. In the twilight of the Nephite nation, Moroni wrote that without hope we cannot receive an inheritance in the kingdom of God."

Moroni was an amazing man! The fact that he witnessed the entire destruction of his people, and had to live out his days in solitude, yet did not lose hope is amazing. There is no doubt in my mind that the only way he could have had that sort of hope was through his testimony of the Saviour Jesus Christ and his constant and complete reliance on Him.

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

I really like this imagery of despair being a staircase that leads only downwards and hope being the brilliant dawn that pierces even the darkest of nights. I think that scripture is so try - we are free to choose liberty and eternal life, or captivity and death. We are free to choose joy or remorse of conscience. No matter what has happened to us in the past, we a responsible of the attitude we choose to take on in the present and into the future.

"The Prophet Joseph Smith declared—and he never taught more comforting doctrine—that the eternal sealings of faithful parents and the divine promises made to them for valiant service in the Cause of Truth, would save not only themselves, but likewise their posterity. Though some of the sheep may wander, the eye of the Shepherd is upon them, and sooner or later they will feel the tentacles of Divine Providence reaching out after them and drawing them back to the fold. Either in this life or the life to come, they will return. They will have to pay their debt to justice; they will suffer for their sins; and may tread a thorny path; but if it leads them at last, like the penitent Prodigal, to a loving and forgiving father’s heart and home, the painful experience will not have been in vain. Pray for your careless and disobedient children; hold on to them with your faith. Hope on, trust on, till you see the salvation of God."

Let us strive to be more full of hope, even when our situation seems completely hopeless.
I add my testimony to the testimony of Joseph smith, that as we put our hope and trust in the Redeemer of Israel, we WILL see the salvation of God.
"Hope on, trust on, till you see the salvation of God."