HOPE, FAITH, and CHARITY

I have still not watched all of conference, I had a very busy weekend, and was not able to watch much, but each day I watch a talk, and I loved the talk by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf. He talked about Hope. "Hope is Not knowledge, but the abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill his promise to us. It is confidence that if we live according to god's laws and the words of his prophets now, we will receive desired blessings in the future. It is believing and expecting that our prayers will be answered. It is manifest in confidence, optimism, enthusiasm, and patient perseverance." I love this quote. I have struggled, because it is hard for me to gain the knowledge I want of the gospel. But I know now as I have seen time fly by each day, that this is something I hope for. I know without a doubt in my mind that the Lord knows and loves me. I know that, "The Savior is TRULY the author of our salvation." and I know from the core of my soul that, "The ending of the book of our life will exceed our grandest expectations". This "hope will sustain us through despair." "Hope has the power to fill our lives with happiness. It's absence can make our heart sick. Hope is a GIFT of the spirit." I have hope that "through the power of the atonement and Jesus Christ, and through the power of Resurrection, we shall be raised into life eternal, and this because of our faith in our savior." "Hope is like a protective helmet." How do we obtain HOPe? "The same way we learn to walk.....ONE step at a time!" I know that these Latter Days are full of confusion, anger, and pride. I pray each day for the faith to Hope to overcome despair and be able to endure to the end. "Despair drains from us all that is vibrant and joyful. Despair kills ambition, advances sickness, eludes the soul, and deadens the heart." "It is a commandment to overcome the TEMPTATION to lose hope." I love that, we are commanded to have hope, I love that because I believe many of us believe we don't deserve to hope for things. It takes a lot of faith in something that is so beyond our comprehension, I believe in Hope with all my heart, I know that this life is nothing close to the beautiful life that awaits us. These things I testify of, and believe with all my heart, in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.