The world is in turmoil. The economy in the US is struggling. We have a government intent on passing healthcare regulation that we cannot afford in so many ways. We have corruption all around us. We see news reports of murders flash across our TV screens. Dishonesty abounds. Innocent unborn babies are slaughtered every day. Infidelity seems to be the norm. The list can go on and on and on.
Yet, there is hope. Hope for a better tomorrow. Hope for peace. Hope for our world. Hope for our individual lives. That hope is in the gospel of Jesus Christ. No matter our trials or the darkness of the day, the Savior offers the healing balm of sunshine. In Him we can find the hope we need to endure life's tribulations. Of this I am sure.
Showing posts with label Hope. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hope. Show all posts
Friday, January 8, 2010
Friday, October 3, 2008
Hope and Endurance
To continue with the 13th Article of Faith, “ . . . indeed we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things and hope to be able to endure all things . . .”
Hope is as crucial a part of the gospel as are faith and charity. “And see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works” (Alma 7:24). Faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ, gives us hope. None of us will escape tragedy. No matter how faithfully we live our lives, we will still experience trials and tribulations. We cannot pick and choose our trials, only how we will react to them. It’s through our faith and hope that we can endure our trials
Imagine losing a loved one and having no hope of reuniting with him or her after this life. I know of two women who lost their husbands. One woman had hope of seeing her husband again. She continued to live her life, finding joy and serving the Lord. The other woman had no hope of ever seeing her husband again. She drifted aimlessly and succumbed to depression. After a few years, she died of a broken heart. Without hope of a life after death, it would be impossible to face losing those we love.
If we choose to endure our trials with faith and hope, we will receive all that the Father has.
“Wherefore, ye must press forward with steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life” (2nd Nephi 31:20).
This part of the 13th Article of Faith is especially poignant when we consider the environment in which the early saints lived. Amidst unbelievable persecution, the early saints still believed and still had hope. Joseph Smith, who first penned the Articles of Faith, endured many trials, beginning with the reaction to his sacred experience in the grove when God, the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ appeared to him. Joseph Smith was tarred, feathered, beaten, arrested on false charges, and finally murdered. He is a shining example of one who suffered so much, yet clung to hope, and never forsook his faith.
Of course, the ultimate example of suffering and endurance is the Savior. He was the Son of God. He did not have to suffer or endure anything, yet he chose to do so. He deserved respect and reverence, but received ridicule and scorn instead. People spit in his face, mocked his claim of divinity, and finally hung him on a cross. The Savior endured his trials with grace. He loved those that belittled him. He laid down his life for the very people that crucified him.
Having hope allows us to deal with our trials and endure to the end.
Return to the neighborhood.
And while you're there, subscribe to our fantastic newsletter. Welcome to the yourLDSneighborhood newsletter. In addition to being able to shop in the new virtual neighborhood, the LDS newsletter brings you LDS articles, LDS products, LDS services, LDS resources and LDS interviews from around the world—all with an LDS focus. Look for issues delivered to your email inbox every week on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. LDS Newsletter Subscriptions are FREE, and joining is easy.
Hope is as crucial a part of the gospel as are faith and charity. “And see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works” (Alma 7:24). Faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ, gives us hope. None of us will escape tragedy. No matter how faithfully we live our lives, we will still experience trials and tribulations. We cannot pick and choose our trials, only how we will react to them. It’s through our faith and hope that we can endure our trials
Imagine losing a loved one and having no hope of reuniting with him or her after this life. I know of two women who lost their husbands. One woman had hope of seeing her husband again. She continued to live her life, finding joy and serving the Lord. The other woman had no hope of ever seeing her husband again. She drifted aimlessly and succumbed to depression. After a few years, she died of a broken heart. Without hope of a life after death, it would be impossible to face losing those we love.
If we choose to endure our trials with faith and hope, we will receive all that the Father has.
“Wherefore, ye must press forward with steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life” (2nd Nephi 31:20).
This part of the 13th Article of Faith is especially poignant when we consider the environment in which the early saints lived. Amidst unbelievable persecution, the early saints still believed and still had hope. Joseph Smith, who first penned the Articles of Faith, endured many trials, beginning with the reaction to his sacred experience in the grove when God, the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ appeared to him. Joseph Smith was tarred, feathered, beaten, arrested on false charges, and finally murdered. He is a shining example of one who suffered so much, yet clung to hope, and never forsook his faith.
Of course, the ultimate example of suffering and endurance is the Savior. He was the Son of God. He did not have to suffer or endure anything, yet he chose to do so. He deserved respect and reverence, but received ridicule and scorn instead. People spit in his face, mocked his claim of divinity, and finally hung him on a cross. The Savior endured his trials with grace. He loved those that belittled him. He laid down his life for the very people that crucified him.
Having hope allows us to deal with our trials and endure to the end.
Return to the neighborhood.
And while you're there, subscribe to our fantastic newsletter. Welcome to the yourLDSneighborhood newsletter. In addition to being able to shop in the new virtual neighborhood, the LDS newsletter brings you LDS articles, LDS products, LDS services, LDS resources and LDS interviews from around the world—all with an LDS focus. Look for issues delivered to your email inbox every week on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. LDS Newsletter Subscriptions are FREE, and joining is easy.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Contest: Win Perfume
I'm sponsoring a contest. The winner will receive a bottle of Hope perfume (the fragrance of Heaven Scent). You can read more about Hope here.
The rules:
1. Tell five people about my book. They must be people who haven't previously heard about Heaven Scent. You can talk to them, email them, write a letter to them, and/or post about my book on the internet (you can even sing about my book if you're so inclined). The idea is to make as many people aware of Heaven Scent as possible.
2. Leave a comment on this post and tell me about how you told people about my book.
3. I'll run the contest for two weeks. On August 22, 2008 I will put the names of all commenters in a hat and one of my kids will pick the winner (I'm sure I could do this more high-tech, but my son will be home from his mission in 5 days and I'm a little too distracted to figure out how to do the thingie other people use that picks a winner).
4. This will be on the honor system. I'll trust you that when you leave a comment you have, in fact, told at least five people about my book. You can enter a comment for every five people you tell for a better chance at winning the perfume.
Hope is the name of the perfume worn by Liza’s mother in Heaven Scent. It’s a soft floral blend of jasmine, freesia and mimosa. This fragrance is pivotal in convincing Liza that despite her new reality, her mother is never far from her. Hope reminds us that families are forever and we are constantly encircled by their love.
Good luck and thank you for helping me spread the word about Heaven Scent.
The rules:
1. Tell five people about my book. They must be people who haven't previously heard about Heaven Scent. You can talk to them, email them, write a letter to them, and/or post about my book on the internet (you can even sing about my book if you're so inclined). The idea is to make as many people aware of Heaven Scent as possible.
2. Leave a comment on this post and tell me about how you told people about my book.
3. I'll run the contest for two weeks. On August 22, 2008 I will put the names of all commenters in a hat and one of my kids will pick the winner (I'm sure I could do this more high-tech, but my son will be home from his mission in 5 days and I'm a little too distracted to figure out how to do the thingie other people use that picks a winner).
4. This will be on the honor system. I'll trust you that when you leave a comment you have, in fact, told at least five people about my book. You can enter a comment for every five people you tell for a better chance at winning the perfume.
Hope is the name of the perfume worn by Liza’s mother in Heaven Scent. It’s a soft floral blend of jasmine, freesia and mimosa. This fragrance is pivotal in convincing Liza that despite her new reality, her mother is never far from her. Hope reminds us that families are forever and we are constantly encircled by their love.
Good luck and thank you for helping me spread the word about Heaven Scent.
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