Living with Hope - Part II

Here is the thing I have observed about change in a country’s history. With a lifting of repression or an end of war or famine, immediately something rises up in the people – like bubbles in root beer. When you break the seal on a bottle, bubbles gather and push to the top. You twist the lid open a crack and they chase themselves into a froth. When the lid is removed, they foam up ‘en masse’ and spill over in wave after wave of effervescent energy. That energy in people in times of change is hope. All hope needs is a little crack of light to bring it rushing to the surface. With the slightest changes that hint at opportunity, hope pushes upward, seeking more light, opening the cracks wider, lighting hearts on fire and filling minds with possibilities. It’s hard to say what comes first – change or hope – for change begets hope, but hope clamors for change - in a very chicken-and-egg kind of scenario.
We spent time in Hungary visiting with dozens of my son’s friends in their homes and communities and churches. We met non-members and members both – brand-new converts and those with years of church activity. For the most part people my age, those raised under a very repressive Communist regime, had hoped and seen that hope crushed enough times that they dared not hope again. The churches of their parents’ past were broken and failing. They had placed their faith in government or revolutions or other institutions which eventually failed or disappointed them. As a result, most of the active members of the Church are under thirty five. The changes that took place during their childhood, caused hope to bubble up in these youth. And the effervescent nature of hope, with its light and possibilities, brought a renewed interest in faith. In spite of their youth they have amazing faith in Jesus Christ and carry heavy responsibilities in the Church. AND in spite of their faith and diligence, their parents are not interested in their faith. So we saw firsthand the correlation between hope and faith. It is another chicken-and-egg scenario: when we dare to hope, we begin to exercise faith. When we have faith in something, hope blossoms. Here is the lesson I learned from my cynical, baby-boomer peers in Hungary and my troublingly-content, post-Mao peers in China: in order to ensure that our hope is not lost or crushed, it is essential that we place our faith in Jesus Christ and his promises which will not fail. This is the first element of living with hope that I’d like to talk about today.
Throughout the scriptures we are promised repeatedly that Heavenly Father loves us, his children, and that through Jesus Christ we can have eternal life. That is a powerful promise. Heavenly Father himself vouches for His Son and tells us our faith in him is not misplaced:

2 Nephi 31: 15, 20
And I heard a voice from the Father, saying: Yea, the words of my Beloved are true and faithful. ..
(If we) press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men… (we) shall have eternal life.

Certainly I am not the only one who ever read these promises, but wondered and worried that perhaps they didn’t apply to me. Have you heard or thought the following? "Others might be able to obtain these promises, but I’m just not Celestial Kingdom material." OR "I am too weak/flawed/sinful/all-of-the-above to return to my Heavenly Father’s presence." Nephi’s people must had similar thoughts, because in a sermon to them, he assured them that they should believe that Jesus will keep his promises to save every person who comes to Him.

2 Nephi 26
24 He (Jesus) doeth not aanything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he bloveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw call men unto him…
25 Behold, doth he cry unto any, saying: Depart from me? Behold, I say unto you, Nay…
27 Hath he commanded any that they should not partake of his asalvation? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but he hath bgiven it free for all men…
28 …all men are privileged the one blike unto the other, and none are forbidden.
33 …and he inviteth them all to ccome unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him…

My faith in these promises given by our loving Father and made possible by our Savior, Jesus Christ, brings so much hope into my life. I love that Heavenly Father’s plan for all of his children is called the Plan of Salvation and The Great Plan of Happiness, not the Plan of Damnation and The Great Plan of Unhappiness. His plan is not a selective plan, where a few of His children come home. It is an inclusive plan and each of us is included in these promises because He is our Father and He loves us unconditionally. His Son, Jesus Christ has done everything in His power to ensure that our faith in him will not fail and our hopes for eternal life will not be crushed. He does not look at us and see us differently – some worthy of salvation and some not. He sees our divine potential and invites us all to come unto Him and have eternal life.