Hope Is Courage
Hope. As someone who deals with chronic depression, the concept of hope often seems unattainable. I must admit, I'm a little prideful, and as a result often feel like people don't understand when they say hope is possible for all who make the choice. How can I make the choice to have hope when everything is fighting against me? Such notions only limit me. They allow me to remain where I am, but the halt progression.
This morning, during my scripture study, I read Psalms 33:18 "Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy" (emphasis added). This verse prompted a rigorous study of a talk by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf entitled, "The Infinite Power of Hope". While I did find joy in many of the promises, a few of his statements arose in me feelings of discontentment. Again, I felt like he just didn't understand how hard it was to have hope. He seemed ignorant when he promised that hope will bring peace and joy into our lives. These feelings persisted until I reached this line: "This type of hope in God, His goodness, and His power refreshes us with courage during difficult challenges and gives strength to those who feel threatened by enclosing walls of fear, doubt, and despair." That's when it hit me. He isn't claiming that hope will bring immediate joy, instead, his promise is that hope will provide you with enough strength to make it through despair. I was humbled to realize that he understands perfectly how difficult it is to find hope at times when all seems lost, but doing what we can to cultivate it provides us the ability to wait out the storm.
So what exactly is hope? President Uchtdorf defines hope as "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 isn't an immediate remedy, instead, it promises eventual relief. Maybe that isn't comforting to many individuals, but to someone with depression, it allows you to envision a life free from the weights that drag you down constantly. Hope is "glorifying God through good works" and with it "we can 'have patience, and bear … [our] afflictions.'" Essentially, hope is acting, despite how difficult times may get. It's never giving up. It's accepting trials and moving past them. Hope is taking control.
This morning, during my scripture study, I read Psalms 33:18 "Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy" (emphasis added). This verse prompted a rigorous study of a talk by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf entitled, "The Infinite Power of Hope". While I did find joy in many of the promises, a few of his statements arose in me feelings of discontentment. Again, I felt like he just didn't understand how hard it was to have hope. He seemed ignorant when he promised that hope will bring peace and joy into our lives. These feelings persisted until I reached this line: "This type of hope in God, His goodness, and His power refreshes us with courage during difficult challenges and gives strength to those who feel threatened by enclosing walls of fear, doubt, and despair." That's when it hit me. He isn't claiming that hope will bring immediate joy, instead, his promise is that hope will provide you with enough strength to make it through despair. I was humbled to realize that he understands perfectly how difficult it is to find hope at times when all seems lost, but doing what we can to cultivate it provides us the ability to wait out the storm.
So what exactly is hope? President Uchtdorf defines hope as "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 isn't an immediate remedy, instead, it promises eventual relief. Maybe that isn't comforting to many individuals, but to someone with depression, it allows you to envision a life free from the weights that drag you down constantly. Hope is "glorifying God through good works" and with it "we can 'have patience, and bear … [our] afflictions.'" Essentially, hope is acting, despite how difficult times may get. It's never giving up. It's accepting trials and moving past them. Hope is taking control.
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