The Triumph of Hope

Sitting in a recent Sunday school class, one young boy shared a surprisingly profound thought.  He said, “An anchor doesn’t work if there’s not rocky, hard ground for it to sink into.  If it has nothing keep it stuck, the boat still floats all over.  Faith is the hard ground the anchor sinks into to keep the boat steady.” 

I had actually been thinking about hope the last couple of days and so this hit home to me.  How do we describe hope as something more than just wishful thinking?  How do we stay hopeful in a world with so much pain and heartache? I believe this young man gave us the answer — hope is grounded in something deeper, something solid that keeps us steady.  Hope is grounded in our faith in Jesus Christ, He who heals and fulfills promises. 

In his most recent General Conference added, Neal L. Andersen said,  “On earth we experience joy and sorrow as we are tested and proven. Our victory comes through faith in Jesus Christ as we triumph over our sins, difficulties, temptations, unfairness, and the challenges of this mortal life. 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.” 

I’m so glad he said that it’s through our trials, difficulties and temptations that we gain greater hope.  Brene Brown has said that “Hope is the function of struggle.”  Had Adam and Eve not partaken of the fruit, what would there be to hope for? Without struggle followed by triumph, how would we know victory? With each victory we can then hope for that feeling again, and again, and again. 

Brown continued, “If we want our children to develop hopefulness we have to let them struggle.” And I think God is doing the same for us.  In order for us to gain hopefulness, we need to struggle.  As we struggle through the challenges we face and look to Him, the Lord will lighten our load giving us hope that we can “do all things through Christ which strengthens [us].” Though it pains him to watch us struggle, His greater desire is that we receive eternal life (Moses 1:39).  And there is not greater hope than that! 

Elder Andersen titles his talk, “The Triumph of Hope.” This seems so fitting considering this perspective of hope being born through struggle.  Having hope is triumphant!  Holding to all that we hope for when in the midst of intense tribulation, is a triumphant feat!  

I think of Ether, who we recently studied in our Come, Follow Me curriculum:

Ether 12:3-5

For he did cry from the morning, even until the going down of the sun, exhorting the people to believe in God unto repentance lest they should be destroyed, saying unto them that by faith all things are fulfilled — Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world…which hope comets of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men…And…Ether did prophecy great and marvelous things unto the people, which they did not believe, because they saw them not.

Why do we not believe?  Why do we lack in hope?  I think sometimes we worry that if we hope we’ll disregard the real pain and suffering in the world.  Also, if we hope “for a better world” maybe we’ll set ourselves up for greater disappointment in the long run.  Maybe it’s easier to look at the world in a negative light, not expecting anything.  That way of thinking will keep us safe. 

Dr. Jamil Zaki talks about this in his new book about overcoming cynicism.  Zaki encourages a development of hopeful skepticism by looking for the good around us. “This is not the same as burying my head in the sand or wearing rose-colored glasses—it’s acknowledging and fighting a bias to see the worst: taking off the mud-colored glasses we usually wear.” 

I love that!  Take off the mud-colored glasses!  

Similarly, Hannah Anderson writes, “The humble person doesn’t deny the pain of this world, or her complicity in it, but she does hope.  She continues to forage for the sweetness that God has promised (Humble Roots, p. 188).”

And again, going back to our young boy’s comment, hope is more than just looking for the good, it is looking for the assurance that God will and does fulfill His promises. “Hope is not knowledge, but rather the abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill His promise to us. It is confidence that if we live according to God’s laws and the words of His prophets now, we will receive desired blessings in the future. It is believing and expecting that our prayers will be answered. It is manifest in confidence, optimism, enthusiasm, and patient perseverance (Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Oct. 2008).”

Hope is a living gift born out of struggle! “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 (Romans 15:13; 12:12).”  Because of our Savior Jesus Christ — His birth, His sacrifice, His death, and His love — we can have hope! Hope not only for a better world, but a better moment and blessing each and every day! 

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“And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise.”   Moroni 7:41