Hope.

I have been trying to think a lot about the concept of HOPE recently.

One of the girls at the treatment center is doing something for one of her values projects and she gave us all a piece of paper with this question at the top:

What gives you hope?

At first I thought it would be easy to answer it.

But every time I would sit down to write it I would get baffled.

Not because nothing gives me hope, but because it was a way bigger question than I first thought.

Hope is defined as:

the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best;

to feel that something desired may happen;

So what is it that gives me that feeling of events turning out for the best?

What is it that makes me know what I desire will happen?

I've concluded these are the reasons that give me hope:

In a spiritual sense:

*I've had answers to prayers before, so because of that experience it gives me hope that future prayers will be heard and answered.

*I've seen miracles happen and I have hope miracles will continue to happen.

*I've personally been taken out of the hole of despair through my belief in the Atonement.

*Basically my belief in Heavenly Father & Jesus Christ give me the hope to know everything in my life will turn out the way it should.

*I believe in a living prophet so because of that it gives me hope that what they advise us to do will make our lives better and we can be the best people we can be.

In other senses:

*I have seen people that you would not expect to do good, do good. That gives me hope for anyone who is in a tough spot.

*I have seen people overcome tragedy through their personal goodness and that gives me hope that I can do the same.

*I have hope for human kind after watching this video.

I feel like there are more reasons that even I don't understand that give me hope.

But for now that is good enough for me.

All I need to know is that I do have hope.

Hope gets me up every day.

Hope motivates me.

Hope is lasting.