HOPE - A joyful life

The HOPE of God’s Light

HOPE:the belief in things which are not seen. At first glance, one might think that is the definition of a crazy person, but with further inspection it becomes clear that this is the way to live a joyful life.

Believing in something that is unseen is like walking through your house in the dark—tricky and painful. But in the same way that you know where the light switches are, so does God. He knows the exact moments to flip a switch or light a candle and let the light of HOPE gradually radiate your life. As our loving Father, He will never let us stay in darkness. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Only in the darkness can you see the stars.” So it is with God, He will always guide our way, even if it is with the stars before the radiant dawn.

Now… here is the catch. With God, it is never a “clap-on, clap-off” light kind of deal. We cannot sit in darkness, clap our hands and demand that the light or the way be shown to us. The only way He can fill our lives with the light of HOPE is if we are moving towards a bright future. We cannot sit in darkness and wait for Him to flip the switch, or stand at the edge of darkness in the light waiting for Him to remove the risk and let us see the end from the beginning. It rarely, if ever works that way. We must move expectantly into the darkness trusting the light will come. Just like turning on a light in your house you must walk towards the switch, trusting that it is there. We must do the same with God.

The Mormon Message, The Hope of God's Light, produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, brings greater understand to why sometimes God allows us to walk in the darkness. It’s not that He enjoys seeing us bump into things and get beat up and hurt, but rather He trusts us to become something because of it. To emerge triumphant from the darkness with a greater understanding of who He is, who we are and our potential for what comes next.

Why is HOPE essential? Because it shows God that we believe that He knows better than we do what we need, and that He will always give it to us as we move forward trusting in His timing. So HOPE on… TRUST on… and know that in the end God wants to give you something better, He wants to make you into something better.

-AJ