The Infinite Power of Hope

Recently I was going read through some past conference talks and I came across one from Dieter F. Uchtdorf, The Infinite Power of Hope.

At times I have struggled with hope. As a teenager hope was the thing that kept me going. Hope that the future would be better.

Yet with the depression it has been hard to have hope. One of the thoughts I constantly have in the depths of depression is, things will never get better, the trials will never end, I will never be happy, life is always going to be hard. It is the opposite of hopeful. It is so discouraging. Still I have pressed on, hoping that the depression will let up even if it is only for a little while.

Parts of Elder Uchtdorf's talk that stood out to me:
"Hope has the power to fill our lives with happiness"

"Hope is a gift of the Spirit. It is a hope that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the power of His Resurrection, we shall be raised unto life eternal and this because of our faith in the Savior... Hope in our Heavenly Father’s merciful plan of happiness leads to peace, mercy, rejoicing, and gladness."

"The adversary uses despair to bind hearts and minds in suffocating darkness. Despair drains from us all that is vibrant and joyful and leaves behind the empty remnants of what life was meant to be. Despair kills ambition, advances sickness, pollutes the soul, and deadens the heart. Despair can seem like a staircase that leads only and forever downward. Hope, on the other hand, is like the beam of sunlight rising up and above the horizon of our present circumstances. It pierces the darkness with a brilliant dawn. It encourages and inspires us to place our trust in the loving care of an eternal Heavenly Father, who has prepared a way for those who seek for eternal truth in a world of relativism, confusion, and of fear."

"Hope is not knowledge, but rather the abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill His promise to us."

"With hope comes joy and happiness. With hope, we can “have patience, and bear … [our] afflictions.” Alma 24:41

"No matter how bleak the chapter of our lives may look today, because of the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we may hope and be assured that the ending of the book of our lives will exceed our grandest expectations."

"Everyone has experienced discouragement and difficulty. Indeed, there are times when the darkness may seem unbearable. It is in these times that the divine principles of the restored gospel we hope in can uphold us and carry us until, once again, we walk in the light."

"Hope comes of faith, 32 for without faith, there is no hope."

"Hope sustains us through despair. Hope teaches that there is reason to rejoice even when all seems dark around us."

"And to all who suffer—to all who feel discouraged, worried, or lonely—I say with love and deep concern for you, never give in. Never surrender.
Never allow despair to overcome your spirit."