hope

Over the past couple weeks I've been thinking a lot about the restoration. Which, I mean, after being a missionary and talking about the restoration nonstop-24/7-for-a-year-and-a-half, this shouldn't come as much of a surprise. 

But to be honest, recently I don't think about it enough. 

So the other night we (my large and loud family) were out to dinner for my uncle's birthday (at a restaurant that has terrible flow so you feel like you are always in the way. but that is beside the point.) And I somehow got stuck at the kids table. I say stuck but tbh I do my best socializing with humans under the age of 12. 

So I was catching up with my sweet angel cousin, Roxie (age 10). The conversation went something like this:

me: "So Rox, how's school? What are you learning about?"

roxie: "Well we were talking about the pioneers that started a church in New York and then the came to Utah." 

me: "Do you know what church they started?" 

roxie: "..." 

me: "your church. Roxie that is your church. Joseph Smith grew up in New York." 

roxie: "really!?" 

me: "Yeah girl." 

At this point I proceeded to teach Roxie about the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And it seriously amazed me how powerful that message is. No matter how many times I talk about Joseph Smith and his experience and the gospel of Jesus Christ, I still learn something from it. 

This time I was hit hard by the message of hope. 

I am amazed by the amount of faith and hope that a young boy in upstate New York was able to exhibit. He went through so much heartache and yet he still had hope that Christ would answer his prayers, and make it all worth it. 

And He did. 

Elder Dieter F Uchtdorf said this about hope, "Hope is not a knowledge but rather the abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill His promises to us. It is believing and expecting that our prayers will be answered. It is manifest in confidence, optimism, enthusiasm, and patient perseverance." 

With a new semester of school knocking at my door and a fresh start peeking around the corner I feel that it is crucial that I find that same kind of hope. Hope that God know's what is best for me and that He is making it happen right now. Hope that the experiences I'm having will work together for my good. Hope that I am where I need to be, doing what He needs me to do. And the hope that God's promises are sure. 

I believe there is so much that can be learned from the small boy who read, "if any of you lack wisdom, let his ask of God." 

hope on, journey on.