BAPTISM AND CHURCH STUFF

I love that our Church leaders have been inspired to focus on a home-based, church-supported curriculum this year.  It has made this crazy quarantine business easier in that we are prepared to worship when, where and with who we can.  It has been a spiritually uplifting experience. 
And yesterday, we did gather, in a VERY SMALL group to baptize Shawn.  It was wonderful.  The Spirit of the Lord was so strong.  And Shawn was so happy.  He's a GREAT kid!  I know the Lord has great things in store for him.  What was also amazing was that he was able to receive the priesthood right afterwards.  I'm so grateful he now has the power of God and the Holy Ghost as his guide always.  The gospel is true.  And I am glad to be a part of God's work.

Shawn with us!

Shawn with the missionaries!

I love Sister Missionaries!

They are truly a blessing!

I miss my baby girl - but glad she's a missionary!

These two guys are some of my favorites!

I love Anthony and Blake!

Yesterday, I saw a beautiful sunrise:

I took this picture.

Cody took this adorable picture!

Speaking of worship... My husband assigned me a talk for today.  I was able to choose my own subject.  Here are my thoughts:

HOPE

This week I’ve had to rely a lot on the principle of hope.  With the struggles and problems all around us right now – especially the Corona Virus and Quarantine – I’ve had to rely on this little phrase: There is always hope.  No matter how horrible things appear, no matter how big the problems are in the world, no matter what happens, there is always hope.  Hope is the thing that has kept me going. 

I think of a verse in the song “We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet”: “When dark clouds of trouble hang o’er us And threaten our peace to destroy, There is hope smiling brightly before us, And we know that deliverance is nigh.”  Do we really believe that right now?  Do I?

What is hope?  It’s kinda like trying to define faith or love – it’s not easy.  I kinda like to define it as light.  A wise teacher once said, “Happiness can be found in the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the light.” Hope pierces the darkness of doubt and discouragement.  Another example: We talk about Christ being the light of the world – He is also the hope of the world.  So… maybe… hope is also defined as Christ!?

John H. Groberg, in his BYU devotional said, “A person without hope is like a person without a heart; there is nothing to keep him going.  As the heart gives life to the body, so it seems that hope is an enlivening influence to the spirit – which is the real us.”  Hope is eternal.  Hope is always within us.  It just depends on how brightly we allow it to shine in our lives.  The strength of our hope is in direct proportion to our faith in God and Jesus Christ.  Without our Savior, Jesus Christ, there is no hope.  He is hope.

So the next question is what do we all hope for?  I hope for my family to be safe and happy.  I hope I can get the laundry done in one day.  I suppose Cody hopes he can get good grades at school.  Kiara hopes her son will take long naps.  Katia hopes for more people to teach on her mission.  Scott hopes that the warehouse move will go smoothly.  Spencer hopes for more yogurt bites.  We all hope for different things at different times.  Ultimately, we all hope for the greatest of all gifts – immortality and eternal life.

This week I have noticed that there are some signs that accompany true hope: calmness, optimism, peace and true charity.  And just as discouragement and depression can feed on themselves, so can hope!  Can’t you just hear the Savior saying, “You can do this!  You can make it!  I love you!”  That is the peace of hope… hope in Christ.

One of Satan’s ultimate weapons is to remove hope from our lives.  He tries to convince us that there is no hope.  Be removing hope, he removes Christ.  Remember that this a lie.  There is always hope.  We can share that hope.  We can encourage each other.  Hope grows when we share it.

Is there anything more universal than a need for hope?  We all do things wrong, we need hope in the Atonement.  We all have problems, we need hope that they will go away.  “I can change; there is always hope” is the message of the gospel.

The scriptures talk about a “perfect brightness of hope.”  Wouldn’t that be awesome?  I would love to never be down or discouraged.  But just like anything else good, hope isn’t always easy.  It does not come without effort.  Satan will try to discourage us if he can.  The Savior will help you increase in hope.

So… how can we build enduring hope?  The scriptures are filled with stories of people who endured.  People who were persecuted, sick or poor.  There stories are all different, but there is one thing that unites them all – an enduring hope in Christ.

And since I love lists… here are three simple ways to build enduring hope in Christ.

1.      We can strengthen our hope by shifting our focus.
It is nearly impossible to build hope if we are focused on negative aspects of our lives.  We need to move our focus to God.  Remember what the Lord declares “…I know the thoughts that I think towards you…thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”  Things won’t always be perfect, but he will comfort us in the midst of our trials.

2.      We can strengthen our hope through consistent prayer.
Prayer is a powerful way to build our hope in Christ.  We are counseled to “pray without ceasing.”  Prayer strengthens us in time of weakness, it provides direction, and gives us peace.  There is not a better way to strengthen our hope in Christ.

3.      We can build up our hope with love and support to our family, friends and neighbors.
We are not alone.  Heavenly Father has made sure we have a support system with our families, our friends, and our fellow church members.  There is comfort in knowing we are not alone in our battles.   We can support one another, pray for one another and help each other grow.

I have hope.  I find peace in the knowledge that we will live through this outbreak.  And I have a lot of hope in the Plan of Salvation and that this life is only a part of our existence.  I am striving to strengthen my hope by shifting my focus to the big picture, prayer and loving others.  And I know that God lives.  Jesus Christ atoned for all of us.  And I’m grateful for HOPE!