Hope

I've always had an attachment to the word hope and the principle behind it because it is my middle name. Hope and trust are closely intertwined in terms of the gospel of Jesus Christ. As we have hope in the Saviors plan we press forward no matter our circumstance with a deep abiding trust that all will work out. When we have hope we do not fear. When we have hope we don't stress about things that are unfair. If we have a "perfect brightness of hope" we truly are able to find joy in this life in spite of the mortal trials that will inevitably pass before all of us. Like Neal A Maxwell shared, "hope spurs us on" no matter the level of adversity.
                - Sara

“We turn with hope…to Him who walked the dusty paths of villages we now reverently call the Holy Land, to Him who caused the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the lame to walk, and the dead to live. To Him who tenderly and lovingly assured us, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life’(John 14:6).”

                -President Thomas S. Monson, “Mrs. Patton, Arthur Lives,” Ensign, May 1991

“Don’t be discouraged at seemingly overwhelming odds in your desire to live and to help others live God’s commandments. At times it may seem like David trying to fight Goliath. But remember, David did win.”

                -David B. Haight, “Young Women-Real Guardians,” Ensign, November 1977

“Our task is to become our best selves. One of God’s greatest gifts to us is the joy of trying again, for no failure ever need be final.”

                -President Thomas S. Monson, “Never Give Up” New Era, September 1994

“Go forward in life with a twinkle in your eye and a smile on your face, but with great and strong purpose in your heart. Love life and look for its opportunities.”

                -Gordon B. Hinckley, “How Can I Become the Woman Of Whom I dream?” Ensign, May 2001

“Daily hope is vital, since the ‘Winter Quarters’ of our lives are not immediately adjacent to our promised land either. An arduous trek still awaits, but hope spurs weary disciples on.”

                -Neal A. Maxwell, “Brightness of Hope,” Ensign, November 1994

“Faith fuels hope… As it flows freely, our perspective changes; our vision becomes clearer. We begin to look for the best, not the worst, in life and in others. We gain a deeper sense of life’s purpose and meaning. Despair gives way to joy.”

                -David S. Baxter, “Faith, Service, Constancy,” Ensign, November 2006

“If you are lonely, please know you can find comfort. If you are discouraged, please know you can find hope. If you are poor in spirit, please know you can be strengthened. If you feel you are broken, please know you can be mended.”

                -Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, “Broken Things to Mend,” Ensign, May 2006

“When we hear the transcendent truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ, hope and faith begin to blossom inside of us.”

-President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “The Way of the Disciple,” Ensign, May 2009

“We can and in due time certainly will influence all of humanity. It will be known who we are and why we are. It might seem hopeless; it is monumentally difficult; but it is not only possible but certain that we will win the battle against Satan.”

                -Elder Boyd K. Packer, “The Power of the Priesthood,” Ensign, May 2010

“There are cycles of good and bad times, ups and downs, periods of joy and sadness, and times of plenty as well as scarcity. When our lives turn in an unanticipated and undesirable direction, sometimes we experience stress and anxiety. One of the challenges of this mortal experience is to not allow the stresses and strains of life to get the better of us,to endure the varied seasons of life while remaining positive, even optimistic. Perhaps when difficulties and challenges strike, we should have these hopeful words of Robert Browning etched in our minds: ‘The best is yet to be’ (“Rabbi Ben Ezra,” in Charles W. Eliot, ed., The Harvard Classics, 50 vols. [1909-10], 42:1103)”

                -Elder L. Tom Perry, “Let Him Do It with Simplicity,” Ensign, November 2008