Hope in Christ

This post should take five minutes to read from start to finish. What does Hope in Christ means to you?

This post is based on an October 1986 General Women's Conference talk from General Conference called "Hope in Christ" by Sister Barbara W. Winder. I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the talk.

Sister Winder mentioned, "As our Father and the Savior planned for us to come to earth, they said, “We will prove them herewith, to see if they [you and I] will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them” (Abr. 3:25). This was to become a testing ground; we would come to an understanding of good and evil, of happiness and suffering, of joy and pain. We knew the plan. We desired it; we endorsed it. We defended it. We even fought for it!

With eagerness and excitement, we came to earth to learn each of us having our own particular set of circumstances with trials and temptations to overcome.

We were not left without hope. Our Savior, through his atonement, has made it possible for us to obtain salvation. He will not leave us helpless as we struggle to overcome the adversities of this life.There are so many kinds of challenges: the frustrations and disappointments of disobedient children or a difficult marriage, the loneliness of an empty house when one is so eagerly seeking companionship, the long upward road to repentance, or the difficulty of keeping a positive attitude and counting our blessings even in times of hardship.

The example of the Savior’s life and the teachings that he left us are patterns for us to follow. He faced trials similar to those we experience; he handled each situation in a perfect manner. In the wilderness of Judea and the Garden of Gethsemane, we witness two of the most grievous temptations of Christ, but during no part of his days in the flesh was he free from temptation. Otherwise his life would have been no human life at all. We read in Mosiah, “And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer” (Mosiah 3:7).

Which of us has not known disappointment, discouragement, and despair? That is one of the tests for all of us. Consider the Prophet Joseph, as he languished in Liberty Jail in March of 1839, having been there for months, knowing that his people had been driven from their homes and were destitute. His cry is touching: “O God, where art thou? … How long shall thy hand be stayed?” (D&C 121:1–2).

"Once you choose HOPE anything is possible."

And then the soothing answer came from a kind and loving Father: “Thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; “And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes” (D&C 121:7–8).

An then, later, tenderly, “Know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good” (D&C 122:7). Most of us have witnessed how living the gospel can change the lives of people in a positive way.

Sister Barnes writes: “As we read the scriptures, we found that Jesus gave the instruction to ‘be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee’ (Matt. 9:2), indicating that as we truly repent and forsake our sins, we may be optimistic about the future. He said, ‘Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me’ (John 14:1). And we do believe in him, and this belief has changed our lives. We now feel that we can say, as Paul did, ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me’” (Philip. 4:13).

Another sister wrote: “On August 3, my twenty-one-year-old son broke his neck in a diving accident six hundred miles from home. He hovers near death, but we are at peace. We do not understand the reason this had to happen, but we do understand the gospel.”

Elder Richard L. Evans was sensitive to the need to prepare spiritually and emotionally for difficult times: “We have to prepare even for what we are unprepared for and do the best we can … to improve, to repent, to be grateful for all that is good and to have faith and hope even [in hard times]. …

“And whatever happens in the interim, there is solid assurance that life is everlasting, and that eternal progress is its purpose” (Richard L. Evans, Thoughts for One Hundred Days: Volume Four, Salt Lake City: Publishers Press, 1970, p. 169).

Let us recognize and be grateful for the blessings we have. From the Savior comes hope! Understanding the gospel, doing his works of righteousness, and following the counsel of our prophet are our assurance of the realization of that hope."

I encourage you to read the whole talk in your own time. Here's the link,
www.lds.org/general-conference/1986/10/hope-in-christ

Stay Tuned

Am I Enough? "Yes"

 This post should take three minutes to five minutes to read from start to finish. 

As growing up, my mother have told me and reminded me that my first name "Megan" means strong and my mother often believes that I am a strong person. I know that I wasn't ever known to be weak because I have always been told that I'm strong.

Throughout our lives, we may ask ourselves the following questions;

"Am I strong enough to get through challenging times in life?" 

"Am I strong enough to get through difficult times in life?"

"Am I strong enough to get through finances hardships in life?" 

"Am I strong enough to get through recoveries times in life?" 

"Am I strong enough to get through hard times in life?" 
"Am I strong enough to get through tough times in life?" 

"Am I smart enough to share with friends or relatives or both of what I've learned within the last twelve months?"

"Am I smart enough to share with friends or relatives or both of what I've learned within three years?" 

"Am I smart enough to be continuing forever educated and constantly learning new things?" 

"Am I smart enough based on the education that I already have?" 

"Am I brave enough to get through what life has in store for me including unexpected turns?" 

"Am I brave enough to get through my fears in life?" 

"Am I brave enough to get through trials in life?"

"I am 
Strong Enough
Smart Enough
Brave Enough
Kind Enough
Good Enough
Worthy Enough"

"Am I kind enough to myself?" "Am I kind enough to my siblings?" 

"Am I kind enough to my parents?" "Am I kind enough to my friends?"

"Am I kind enough to my extended relatives?" 

"Am I kind enough to my colleagues at work?" "Am I kind enough to everyone else that I meet throughout my life?" 

"Am I good enough to keep pushing forward whenever something doesn't go according to plan?" "Am I good enough to stay positive throughout my life?"
"Am I good enough to keep my current friends?"

"Am I worthy enough to feel God's love?" "Am I worthy enough to feel loved?" 
"Am I worthy enough to make a difference in life?" 

All the questions above should've the same answer and the answer is "Yes." 

We are all strong enough. I know how easily moments comes into our lives whenever we don't feel like we have the strength of being strong.There is nothing wrong about feeling weak at times but we need to do our best to stay strong. 

We are all smart enough. I know how easily moments comes into our lives whenever we don't feel like being smart. There is nothing wrong about being smart. 

We are all brave enough. I know how easily moments comes into our lives whenever we don't feel like being brave. There is nothing wrong about feeling scared at times but we need to do our best to feel brave.

We are all kind enough. I know how easily moments comes into our lives whenever we don't feel like being kind to ourselves. I know how easily moments comes into our lives whenever we don't feel like being kind to our immediate relatives and our extended relatives. I know how easily moments comes into our lives whenever we don't feel like being kind to our friends and other people around us. We need to do our best to be kind to ourselves and others often. Whenever you love yourself, it should be easy to love someone else. Whenever you're being kind to yourself, it should be easy to be kind to others. 

We are all good enough. I know how easily moments comes into our lives whenever we don't feel like being good enough but we need to do our best to be feel good about ourselves and other people. 

We are all worthy enough. I know how easily moments comes into our lives whenever we don't feel like having God's love. Everyone is worthy for God's love no matter who they are and what they have done in the past. We need to do our best to be worthy to feel God's love at anytime in our lives.

Stay Tuned until next time.