Finding Hope

Last week President Allan Pratt called me at the hospital and asked if I would put together a few thoughts on the topic of Hope; In addition would I be willing to share my thoughts with some of the brethren we serve with…I said I would do my best.

I struggled for inspiration on what to say and how to say it… late Saturday night I went to bed still empty of thoughts and direction on how to fulfill this assignment.  After arising early Sunday morning I offered a prayer and a plea for help… In the still quiet hours of the morning I found the needed peace and knowledge I was seeking.

By the gentle nudging and request of Cindy I am including a few of these thoughts here for others to read… I hope you don’t mind as they all come from our experience with Adam and his journey.

At times, I believe that we can all lose a measure of hope;  In this world there are so many conflicting messages.. for some their situation might even appear  hopeless;  Depression and Discouragement become twin sisters leading down a darkened  staircase to the pit of Despair where a soul cries out for Hope.

I have seen Hope and I have seen Despair… I have seen Light and I have seen Darkness… their contrast is striking.

Faith, Hope and Charity:

Faith:      Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ

Hope:      Hope in the Atonement of Jesus Christ

Charity:  The pure love of Christ

My desire is to address HOPE and why the Atonement of Jesus Christ is so fundamental in finding HOPE for each and every one of us.

God created this earth for us; We are to experience for ourselves this mortal experience; We are to learn from our choices… the lessons we learn while sojourning through this life will be a benchmark for our learning in the next life.

Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden; As a consequence of their action they were no longer innocent, they became mortal and left Eden.  Adam and Eve were now able to know the difference between good and evil, which allowed Sin to slip into the world.  They were now mortal; Death followed the fall and is bequeath upon all.  Sin and Death were now part of our eternal journey.

A Savior was needed: An earth had been created for us to inhabit:  Adam and Eve were now mortal, thus all of their offspring would inherit this mortality; they would inherit mortal bodies and be subject to death.  In addition to death, the knowledge of good and evil was introduced, all the sons of Adam and all the daughters of Eve would be able to choose for themselves between good and evil. Sin had entered into the world. Most of our hopelessness extends from these two Titans of Unhappiness.

Those who choose darkness over light;  Those who choose evil over good and those who willfully choose contrary to the  will of God make  themselves unclean and unable to return to the presence of the Father.  Our ultimate goal is to return to and live with God; to live in eternal happiness with Him:  But if we are unclean we cannot enter back into His presence.

“And no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom:…”  (3 Ne 27: 19)

Christ in Gethsemane

A Savior was needed:

A Savior was needed to overcome the effects of Sin.. to become clean again… and to overcome the effects of death… that we might live again with Him.

The Atonement of Jesus Christ overcomes the effects of Sin… if we will repent.  He took upon himself our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane if we will come unto Him, Accept Him as our Savior and Repent of our wrong doings.

“And no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end.”       (3 Ne 27:19)

Jesus Christ also overcame the bonds of death by willingly giving up his life on the Cruel Cross of Calvary; no man took his life from him;  his life he freely offered for you and I:

“No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power  to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.”  (John 10: 18)

On the Third Day Jesus was resurrected, His spirit and body rejoined never to be parted again. He broke the bands of death, he being the first fruits of the resurrection.  This gift of resurrection is a free gift to all.

Resurrected Savior

Even though we suffer through severe physical ailments, we shall all live again… We have HOPE.

The Three D’s:  3D’s

Despair, Disappointment, and Discouragement:

My experience in the hospital with Adam has amplified my understanding of the three D’s and the hopelessness some individuals experience.

I saw individuals who struggled with mortality and the finite aspects of this life… I understand this;  Our feelings run deep and our desires for life flow strong. When threatened with a loss of a loved one or a body in an altered physical state, our emotional pain and uncertainties sink our “hope” to new lows… Despair, Discouragement and Disappointment can set in… it is a pain which finds no comfort…But there is a comfort if we will allow the Atonement of our Savior to apply the Balm of Gilead in our lives.  This life is meant to be finite… it will pass, and we will live again because the chains of death have been unlocked; Death has lost its sting.

Adam brought death into the world which passes to all his posterity;  Christ took the darkness out of death that all might live again in the light.  Death was conquered by the resurrection when Jesus rose from the tomb on the third day.

“‘For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ  shall all be made alive.” (1Cor 15:22)

Sin:  Sin is acting against or contrary to God’s will.

Sin leads us on a path which ends in despair, depression and disappointment…. unhappiness. You can see the effects of sin in the world around us: observe the rise of the moral decline compared to the large numbers of those with low levels of hope.  People seek to find happiness in that which is contrary to God’s will… they might find short-term relief  from the 3D’s or find a perceived form of happiness for a season, but in the end, there is no happiness in sin; Seeking for hope in sin is contrary to eternal laws…. it will not happen.

The Atonement: It is through the Atonement that the gift to be forgiven is found;  That the effects of sin can be overcome and we can find happiness, true happiness.  It is through a “broken heart and contrite spirit” that we will come to our knees and seek forgiveness… it is then when we are sufficiently humble that we will find the Mercy and Grace of our Savior.

The Demands of Sin were answered in a Garden called Gethsemane; The Sting of Death has been neutralized by a glorious day in The Garden Tomb.  The 3D’s of this life which plague us all are conquerable by the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  HOPE is offered through His Atonement.

Where To Turn: It is very important to predetermine where you will turn in times of trouble.  Will you turn towards the Savior for real hope or will you turn to the world which offers an ever changing and fading portfolio of terminal philosophies?

Goodness Of Others: My hope has been renewed through this ordeal in the goodness of others.  I have seen their faith, I have heard their prayers and I have received their uplifting words.  Members of our family and of our church have pulled together; They have fasted and prayed for Adam all the while working on their own trials.  Without asking they have put Adam’s name on most of the temple rolls across this country.

Members of  other congregations and communities that I have never met nor do I know have been united in prayer for our son out of sheer goodness of soul.

I met Jay on the phone; Jay is the Chaplin for Carl Black GMC.  He was very understanding of our situation; he was willing to ask his connections of over 5000 individuals to pray for Adam…Then he offered a prayer for Adam on the phone while he was driving…

I have seen and heard corporate executives write and speak of our Savior and offer their prayers in behalf of our son; A politically incorrect action in a politically correct world… but it was the right thing to do and they did it.

Thank you all so much.

Miracles: Miracles do happen; Offering  Hope to all who can see them.

Miracles happen each and every day around us… if we know where to look or what we are looking for.  Our son went into the hospital on a Wednesday, while there had two major brain surgeries where several parts of his brain were removed.  He left the hospital 18 days after entering… This is a miracle.  Through the small and simple… GREAT things are realized.

Miracle of Prayer:  There is power in prayer… there is power in united prayers… Miracles are brought about through prayer.  Thank you for your prayers.

Inspiration: Hope can present itself in many forms, I found hope arriving in the form of inspired ideas from others.  Listen and watch as others can bring much needed inspiration into your life.  We have received great help and hope from others these past few weeks.  From Armando suggesting Adam drink “ensure” when he could not keep other foods down.  Adam was in desperate need of nutrition, but was not able to keep the food in his stomach,  nor did he feel like eating in the days following surgery due to his nausea.  It was by inspiration that Armando as he was helping us with Adam when we mentioned about Adam not being able to eat.  He quickly stated that we ought to try “ensure” as it worked for him when he was in the hospital after his brain surgery… It worked well for Adam… it was the first thing in days that Adam was able to keep down.

Inspiration that came and kept coming to our speech therapist.  The inspiration and the love of Lindsey, our nurse, who would nurture Adam back to strength.. always optimistic and hopeful for Adam’s recovery… This gave us such great hope.

The Three P’s”:  Prayer, Priesthood and Patriarchal Blessings

Prayer: The Power of prayer cannot be overstated.  Pray, Pray often and be unified in your Prayers.

Priesthood: Priesthood is God’s authority given to man to act in His name.  Priesthood allows us the opportunity to pronounce blessings upon the sick and afflicted; To bless those who are Discouraged, or in Despair or have found  Disappointments.  The Priesthood and the blessings it offers, brings the gift of HOPE in an unsettled world.

Patriarchal Blessings: Patriarchal Blessings are given by a Patriarch.  A Patriarch is an office within the Priesthood and those who hold this responsibility have the authority to pronounce a blessing upon individuals which is a guide to them throughout their life… a simple way of stating it; A patriarchal blessing is a personal letter from Heavenly Father to help you as a guide in your life.

Adam has had his patriarchal blessing… The words from this blessing have been a great source of help in troubled waters.  They have been a fountain of hope in rough seas.

The Three P’s are a wonderful remedy for the 3D’s.

The Scriptures: The written word from divine sources are a blanket of comfort on a cold lonely night.  In our darkest hours, the words of the prophets bring light into night.  If I might share one example;

While dealing with Adam and the many unknowns after surgery the world became very uncertain for us.  Cindy is our optimist, I am a realist.  Cindy is always looking for the good in the situation, I wanted to know the facts… I wanted to know what I was fighting to help Adam in his recovery.  The doctors could not give us or did not want to give us the details of the last operation… we were worried.  I expressed this to Cindy, she sweetly looked at the positives… even though we had to stretch to find them.  I had cast doubt into her mind concerning Adam and the extent of damages and other possibilities from this surgery…. Unintentionally, I had taken some hope away from her.

I had left the hospital for the night, leaving her with come uncertainties… Where did she turn in a time of despair? …She turned to the scriptures.  The Lord was kind to her that night and guided her fingers as she opened the holy writ.  As she opened the scriptures up she looked upon them and read:

“Verily I say unto you my friends fear not, let your hearts be comforted; yea, rejoice evermore, and in everything give thanks;

Waiting patiently on the Lord, for your prayers have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, and are recorded with this seal and testament—the Lord hath sworn and decreed that they shall be granted.

Therefore, he giveth this promise unto you, with an immutable covenant that they shall be fulfilled; and all things wherewith you have been afflicted shall work together for your good, and to my name’s glory, saith the Lord.” (D&C 98: 1-3)

Her Heart and Soul found comfort and HOPE  on that lonely night in the scriptures.

There is HOPE in the Atonement… Have assurance that Christ will fulfill all of  His Promises. He has conquered all that we cannot;  He offers it as a free gift to you and I.

Where do you turn in the changing seasons of life?  Will they be a smooth highway or the roads less traveled?