WHEN HOPE IS GONE

     In the book 21 Days Closer to Christ, written by Emily Belle Freeman, she wrote a chapter called, "When Hope is Gone."  I would like to include that chapter in this blog because she captures the essence of how we can rely on our Savior when we feel all hope is lost.  She wrote; The bitterest times are black.  When I look back at the hardest times in my life, the sensation I remember most is darkness.  A sense that the world is closing in, the empty feeling of nothingness, the inability to see clearly enough to make simple decisions.  That darkness has the ability to shroud the soul, preventing all light from penetrating.  In the book of John we read of a man in this condition.  This man was blind from birth.  He spent every day in the dark.  Although surrounded by people, he was completely forgotten and left alone with his trial.  I wonder how many times he must have sat in the black world he lived in and pondered his existence.  I wonder if at times he even doubted his ability to go forward.  Were there days when he questioned everything he had been taught, the reality of God, the beliefs which had sustained him through life so far?  I think so.  

    There is a moment of epiphany after the soul has doubted all it knows, when it begins to reach out for solid answers and firm ground.  This moment is defined by one emotion that sustains and creates a desire for change. Before faith or knowledge is found, before joy or happiness is experienced, before the healing begins, one emotion starts to stir from deep within the depths of despair.  It is hope.  Hope is the light that will begin to lead through the darkest hour, which will enable us to move forward along the darkened path.  It was this light that the blind man sought.  

    Sometimes this epiphany, this small portion of hope, will bring a change in thought.  This change simply helps us to evaluate the situation from a different view than we have previously seen.  We are given small portions of knowledge, line upon line, as we work through the abyss.

    The blind man experienced this process.  The Lord simply changed his point of view.  Dust was turned into clay.  Simple.  And then he was told to go to a place of healing, Siloam, and wash-an ordinary experience that symbolized so much.  Wash.  Let go, rid yourself of what is holding you back, and heal.  The man's eyes were opened.  He could see (see John 9:1-41).

    There are so many times I have prayed for the Lord to touch my eyes so I might see.  In the darkness of the night I have wept and pled for sight, praying that the Lord will help me see the reason for the trial and what I am supposed to learn.  I question how long it will be until the trial will finally be over.  Sometimes the light is slow in coming, and I wonder if I have the strength to endure.  When the reason for the pain is not forthcoming, I turn to the Savior and instead of pleading for the answers, I beg for comfort.  I remember that during one of the Savior's greatest struggles, Heavenly Father sent unto Him from Heaven an angel to strengthen Him (see Luke 22:43).  I have learned to trust that in my darkest hours, when I require strength to just exist, He will send an "angel" to help me through.

    Sometimes a burden will exhaust our energy so much we can't even begin to remember what it feels like to have faith.  Although we trust that Christ lives, we may have a hard time believing that we will ever get past the point where we are.  There are so many occasions when I have prayed for the Lord to sustain me in a time of trial, to strengthen me, comfort me, and increase my faith and hope to the point that I can begin to heal.  I have proved Him, and He has been there.  

    When the apostles asked Christ why the blind man was blind, He answered that it was for one reason, "that the works of God should be made manifest in Him" (John 9:3).  Never underestimate the purpose of the trial.  The works of Christ will be made manifest in your life.  It is through adversity that we experience the sweetest parts of the atonement.  Enduring our trials allows us to experience the healing power of Jesus Christ.  This process strengthens our testimony of the reality of Christ and enables us to eventually help lift the hands of another.

    President Heber J. Grant gave this sweet promise: "The Lord will be always near you.  He will comfort you; you will feel His presence in the hour of your greatest tribulation" (First Presidency Message, in Conference Report, Apr. 1942, 96).  In the ours of greatest tribulation we can feel the Lord's presence.  He will bring us comfort and He will be our strength.  Most important, He will give us the hope we need to move forward when hope is gone.  Elder Jeffry R. Holland once said, "On those days when we have special need of heaven's help, we would do well to remember one of the titles given to the Savior.... 'an high priest of good things to come'" ( "An High Priest of Good Things to Come," Ensign, Nov. 1999, 36).

    At the end of this amazing chapter, sister Freeman then gives us an invitation.  The invitation...... HOPE! (READ THE STORY OF THE BLIND MAN FOUND IN JOHN 9:1-38).

    * Next, Attempt to analyze through different eyes a situation that has been troubling you.  Pray that the Savior will touch your eyes so that you will see what you need to do differently. 

    * Take time to write down some of the good things that have come to you through Christ.  How does recognizing these blessings bring you hope?

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What incredible insight sister Freeman gave to us in that chapter.  I know many of us can relate to feelings of despair and all hope feeling lost. Sometimes we can even relate to the blind man in the sense that sometimes we find ourselves in the dark and don't know where to find the light when so many things seem to darken our views and perspectives in the midst of adversity. I myself have had many moments of darkness, and then when hitting rock bottom, the only way out was looking up.  Elder Uchtdorf gave a wonderful talk called "A Higher Joy" given in our recent General Conference in April 2024. He poses the question, "WHERE CAN WE FIND HAPPINESS"?

   " Life is not an endless sequence of emotional highs.  "For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all thing."  If God Himself weeps, as the scriptures affirm He does, then of course you and I will weep as well.  Feeling sad is not a sign of failure.  In this life, at least, joy and sorrow are inseparable companions." However, you can experience the glorious dawn that fills the soul with joy so profound that it can scarcely be kept in.  You can discover for yourself that this peaceful confidence comes from following the Savior and walking in His Way.  The peace He gives us is not like what the world gives.  It's better.  It's Higher and holier.  Jesus said, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." The gospel of Jesus Christ is truly the "good news of great joy"! It is a message of matchless love.  A message of yoke-bearing and burden-lifting.  Of light-gathering.  Of heavenly favor, higher understanding, holier covenants, eternal security, and everlasting glory!  Joy is the very purpose of God's plan for His children.  It's what you were created for, "that you might have joy"!  You were built for this!  Our Father in Heaven has not hidden the path to happiness.  It is not a secret.  It is available to all!  It is promised to those who walk the path of discipleship, follow the teachings and examples of the Savior, keep His commandments, and honor covenants you make with God.  What a remarkable promise!  

    A few beginning steps on the journey of discovering pure joy include:

• Draw near unto God. “I have learned that if we draw near to God and reach out to touch Him, we can indeed find healing, peace and joy.”
• Look for it. “We rarely find something we are not looking for. Are we looking for eternal joy? Seek and ye shall find.”
• Bear one another’s burdens. “True joy multiplies when it is shared.”

    As people follow these invitations and strive to walk in God’s way, they will experience “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding,” even in the midst of sorrows. 

    

    “God has something more to give. A higher and more profound joy — a joy that transcends anything this world offers. It is the joy that endures heartbreak, penetrates sorrow, and diminishes loneliness.”

    “It is the nature of all earthly things to grow old, decay, wear out or become stale. But godly joy is eternal, because God is eternal.”

    “We rarely find something we are not looking for.  Are we looking for eternal joy? Seek and ye shall find.”

Elder Uchtdorf

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As I have sought after the things that would bring me joy, it was simply by turning my burdens over to the Lord , crying for his tender mercies , pleading for comfort and expressing my thoughts and pains with Him. And then opening the door for him to work his miracles in my life.

  I have been through many things in my life. Very hard challenging things. But the constant in my life has been God and my Savior. They never turned their backs on me. Through them , all of my trials and sorrows became possible to endure. And when I chose them, miracles began to occur. It didn’t erase the things I went through and will go through, but it became stepping stones towards greater joy. I’m now in a blessed home with a loving husband that honors his priesthood. After years of sorrow and pain of infertility I turned my will over to the lord and allowed his will to work however he saw fit for me , I am now blessed with two more beautiful souls that my husband and I are lucky to call our own. I get to go to the temple often and have the luxury of a temple just minutes away. I get to help a friend in need going through trials I have been through myself or trials I haven’t been through but have the understanding of helping bear one another’s burdens . I have learned compassion towards those who have wronged me. I have learned to love others even those who don’t like me. I have learned to forgive the hardest people. I  have learned to turn the other cheek and seek Christ’s atonement. I have learned to lean on Heavenly Father and my Savior even more-so  when I’m going through emotional or physical pain.  I have discovered the joy from the sorrow. I have discovered how to conquer the next battles that come because of what I have learned from my past battles. I have taken those past battles and use them as my armor for what’s to come. I use Christ as my main armor as well. All things are possible through Him. Nothing else can make the challenges bearable. Only Christ can help you get through it all. We cannot do this life on our own. We can help bear one another’s burdens , and we should. But we also need our Savior and Father in heaven to help us take those necessary steps towards exaltation. We can only get ourselves there. No one else can get us there. We can have help along the way , but it is our responsibility and our own choices and thought process that determines how far we will go. And through Christ, you can get there. Don’t stand in your own way. Open the door and let Christ in. 

Don’t let the father of lies and contention deceive you. Let the prince of peace enter your souls. Let Him in. And watch miracles unfold. 

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO REGAIN HOPE AND FIND A HIGHER JOY?

#1) Spend time in a sincere, full-hearted effort to draw near unto God.

#2) Seek diligently for everyday moments of hope, peace, and joy.

#3) Bring joy to others around you.

    As you search the word of God for a deeper understanding of God's eternal plan, accept invitations, and strive to walk in His Way, you will experience "the peace of God, which passeth all understanding," even in the midst of sorrows.  You will feel a greater measure of God's unsurpassable love swelling within your heart.  The dawn of celestial light will penetrate the shadows of your trials, and you will begin to taste the unspeakable glories and wonders of the unseen, perfect, heavenly sphere.  You will feel your spirit lifting away from the gravity of this world.  May you seek and find Hope, and the Higher Joy that comes from devoting your lives to our Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer.