Hope Goes a Long Way

Christ was our perfect example.  He didn't have any flaws.  He did nothing wrong.  He was perfectly kind.  He was perfect.  So, it's no wonder in the LDS church we study his attributes so much.  For missionaries, there is an entire chapter in the preparation manual dedicated to the study and development of Christ's attributes.  In this, faith, hope, and charity are often lumped into a single entity, much like the Godhead is often understandably confused to be one entity.  I have shared my thoughts about charity and faith.  Now, my goal is to explain my understanding of hope.

Hope is tricky because it's one of those words that people use in any given conversation, yet don't fully understand what it means.  We say things like, "I hope I get ____", or "I hope I don't get caught", and so on.  While the use of hope isn't necessarily wrong in these and other examples, there's an important entity of the nature of hope I think is lost.  

Dictionary.com defines hope as: "the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best."  So, hope is the eagerness we feel for an outcome.  While you can be eager for a present or sincerely expect not to be caught, at church we discuss a different ideal for our hope.

In numerous posts I have mentioned or explained eternal life:  a gift given to us through Jesus Christ's atonement, enabling us to live forever with our families should we follow the path laid out for us.  As Christians, and specifically Latter-Day Saints, this is what we hope for.  We have hope that going to church every week will enlighten us.  We have hope that when we do good things, good things will happen.

I have hope.  I hope that I will get straight A's this semester.  I hope that I will someday meet a woman that can tolerate my companionship for eternity.  I have hope that my family can be there with us when we are sealed in the temple.  I have hope that I will see my beloved grandparents again.  I have hope that those people I met in Japan will remember the things I told them and thank me when we meet again.  I have hope that I will be forgiven and that I will be perfect.

I have hope because of the atonement of Jesus Christ.