Hope . . the Cure for Despair

I know. . . it's religious, but the message is non-denominational!! It really inspired me (the actual quote), so I put it in my congregation's newsletter for January. This is a difficult time for many who await the New Year believing that somehow, the change of the calendar will make everything perfect. The truth is, sometimes difficult challenges do not follow our timelines; however, HOW we deal with things has more of an impact on our lives than WHAT is happening. Many sink into a form of despair after January 1st because they focus only on what is . . . not what is to become. A little hope can work miracles in your life and in the lives of others. As stated by President Uchtdorf, “The adversary uses despair to bind hearts and minds in suffocating darkness. Despair drains from us all that is vibrant and joyful and leaves behind the empty remains of what life was meant to be. Despair kills ambition, advances sickness, pollutes the soul, and deadens the heart. Despair can seem like a staircase that leads only forever downward. “Hope, on the other hand, is like the beam of sunlight rising up and above the horizon of our present circumstances. It pierces the darkness with a brilliant dawn. It encourages and inspires us to place our trust in the loving care of an eternal Heavenly Father, who has prepared a way for those who seek for eternal truth in a world of relativism, confusion, and of fear” (Ensign, Nov 2008, P. 22). Hope is contagious . . . it has a power of its own and truly spreads like “a brilliant dawn” with a healing power second to none other. When circumstances are beyond our control, the mustering of hope is something we can control. May 2009 be a year full of Hope . . . and Peace.