Blog by April T Giauque
Elder Anderson
My first thought at this opening talk of General Conference: Why is Elder Anderson first, and why is he talking about hope? Suddenly the Spirit whispered, “The world is dark and chaotic. People need hope!” I inhaled sharply. That’s true! We, many people, are hopeless.
It is a dark and chaotic world that has intensified over the past few years, months, weeks, and days! The Lord needs the world to know that if we can all but “hope,” we might see a pinpoint of light and head in that direction out of the deep darkness engulfing the world.
Elder Anderson said, “The scriptures link three words powerfully together: faith, hope, charity. The gift of hope is a priceless endowment from God.” The word “endowment” made me think of the ASL sign for it. The letter “e” in both hands is coming toward you like a gift. It is a gift from God. It can then bless you as you use that gift.
I started thinking of how I use hope in my life, like a gift, and how my hope is tied directly to my faith. And in faith, I take action, and the Savior asked us to serve and love others. They are three strands of a chord that has the strength to move the world one individual at a time.
As I cross-referenced this talk, it led to a talk President Nelson gave on the BYU campus in 1984: “Hope is essential to faith; faith is essential to hope; faith and hope are essential to charity. All three relate to our Redeemer. Faith [is rooted in] Jesus Christ. Hope centers in his atonement. Charity manifests in the “pure love of Christ.”—President Nelson. Powerful!
Hope For Eternal Life
Elder Anderson said, “Our hope of eternal life is assured through the grace of Christ and our own choices….On earth, we experience joy and sorrow as we are tested and proven. Our victory comes through faith in Jesus Christ.” The trick I need to remember is that I have to “think celestial.”
My mind seemed to flash google images of the chaos, then the signs of the times, and in that swirl, I was overwhelmed, and then President Nelson’s two-word sentences slicing through the darkness, “Think Celestial!” There is so much more to life than what is happening right now. I know that we are eternal beings and that what we do and learn here is important. Knowing that it carries forward eternally helps me punch Satan in the face because when I mess up, and he tries to fill me with doubt, I know that if I repent and stay with Jesus, my pathway is in the light.
“As we strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ, we see beyond our struggles to the blessings and promises of eternity. Like a light whose brilliance grows, hope brightens the darkened world, and we see our glorious future.” Now that is HUGE hope!
Hope Comes from God
Suddenly, Elder Anderson brought us to the first story of the first family in the scriptures, Adam and Eve. In the power of that story, an angel promises them of Jesus Christ. The gift of hope enlightened their lives.
Think about being cast out of Heavenly Father’s presence to be in the lone and dreary world and have hope that He would still listen to you if Adam prayed. “The Holy Ghost brought hope to Adam.” That comfort testifies of the Savior and that companion bringing faith, hope, and peace “not as the world giveth.”
So, when I think of my personal life, we will have hard times in life, so we have a choice: sit in doubt, fear, or despair, or choose to trust the Lord in faith. Elder Anderson said, “We quietly pray, ‘Not my will but thine be done.’ The Apostle Paul taught, “The God of hope [will] fill you with … joy and peace … , that ye may abound in hope,” “rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation,” “through the power of the Holy Ghost.” Again, this is the first talk right out of the gate, and he is teaching us to believe in hope and faith in Jesus.
A Lesson of Hope
I have felt alone and isolated in my life; it was at the height of abuse from my first husband. In that state of isolation, physical hunger, stress, and despair, I knew that God was there with me; I turned to Him and learned only to trust my deepest pain, fear, and bright joy with Him. People are lovely, but God is the only one I know I place all my hopes in, and He will care for me.
Elder Anderson also talked about Moroni and his isolation. Moroni knew firsthand about having hope in Christ during tribulation. He was alone and being hunted. And yet, “If a man has faith, he must need to have hope; for without faith there cannot be any hope.”
“What is it that ye shall hope for? … Ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal.”
I love this quote, “My brothers and sisters, hope is a living gift, a gift that grows as we increase our faith in Jesus Christ. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for.” BAM!
A House of Hope; House of God
The Lord’s house is a place to see more and more hope! “To fortify our hope in a time of increasing wickedness, the Lord has directed His prophet to dot the earth with His temples.
There is no pain, sickness, injustice, or suffering, and nothing that can darken our hope as we believe and hold tightly to our covenants with God in the house of the Lord. It is a house of light, a house of hope.”
I love how Heavenly Father is dotting the world with his home of hope for all of his children. I feel so moved to share with the world about the gospel, to invite them to come, see, learn, and feel the love of hope in their lives. I guess it comes down to watching those I love try a lifestyle that isn’t really producing peace or joy, so I invite them to come and try it this way. See what good, hope, and joy can come from it.
When Hope is Discarded
I have seen hope discarded, the light in someone’s eyes fully swallowed up. I understand that this can happen, but it doesn't have to. Jesus is still there. Sometimes, I guess they might need to be taught on the other side, but I still pray and hope for them. That’s all I really can do, and it feels hopeful for them.
Hope in Heartbreaking Tragedy
When tragedy strikes in your life, do you search for hope or give in to the heartbreak? It seems harsh when you think of it like that, but as the trials of life fall upon us, do we stay in the heartbreak and despair, and then Satan can feed off of that and create doubt and pain, and anger, and a whole myriad of negativity that keeps you hopeless, or do you fight to see a pinpoint of hope in the darkness? Do you strive to cling to the iron rod (word of God), prayer, church, and temple attendance, no matter the darkness?
Elder Anderson shared the story of a family who went through such heartache and still found hope and peace. They were even filled with the joy of Jesus because they understood the higher purpose of their son’s life. They never left the gospel of Jesus Christ because Christ is the hope that there is more and that His understanding surpasses all the darkness that tragedy can generate. Stick to that hope no matter the pain.
The Promise of Hope
2 Nephi 31:20 says, "If we press forward with a perfect brightness of hope… and endure to the end, eternal life is promised. So it is that part to hang onto and know that the sun will rise as surely as the Son has Risen. Elder Anderson says, “May we nurture our precious faith, pressing forward with a perfect brightness of hope."
In our hope, we can endure the tough stuff. In our hope, we can see the great stuff. In our hope, there is the BEST of life to come! We can be happy even after tragedy. What a hopeful message as we are in the last days in the heart of chaotic scream, evil all around us. There is STILL HOPE!!
The powerhouse of Hope to start off conference in these last days as we prepare for the second coming is LOVE! Heavenly Father loves us so much. All I can do is end with Elder Anderson’s words. “I testify that our hope is our Savior, Jesus Christ. Through Him, all our righteous dreams will be realized. He is the God of hope—the triumph of hope.”
Keep Hope Alive in These Last Days!
Forever Shining,
April
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