Whenever I hear the word "hope", I think of looking up into the sky, sunlight breaking through clouds and streaming on to my face, birds chirping, and butterflies circling me, all in a field of wildflowers.
Not really, but you get the idea. Hope, to me, means "look up". For me, I have hope for things in the future. I hope that I will get accepted into BYU Provo, and I act on that hope. I have hope that I will win the Student Body Presidency election, and I act on that hope. I have hope that putting in the time to exercise will benefit me in the long term, and I act on that hope. I look forward.
This past week I read a few scriptures that taught me about hope. In John 3:14-15 it says
14. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up;
15. That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
As Moses led the Israelites into the wilderness, many became sick. They begged Moses for a cure, so he gave them one. He put a serpent on a stick and raised it up. Anyone who had the faith to look up at the serpent would be healed. Although it was so simple, many did not look and died. As John 3 explains, the serpent was symbolic of Jesus Christ being raised upon the cross. Anyone who looks to him will be saved.
There are a few words I want to highlight. Lifted and raised, look, saved, believe.
Christ was raised on the cross. As his disciples, Mary, and others looked up at him, they witnessed the end to the most selfless and perfect act in human history; the Atonement of Jesus Christ. When we look up to this moment in time and its continuation into our lives thousands of years later, we are saved because we believe and we believe because we act. The act is to look.
Helaman 8:15 expounds even more on this principle.
15. And as many as should look upon that serpent should live, even so as many as should look upon the Son of God with faith, having a contrite spirit, might live, even unto that life which is eternal.
Contrite spirit. Live. Faith. Eternal.
All these words have one thing in common. Hope. Humility to hope. Live by hope. Faith, Hope, and Charity. Hope and faith in an Eternal God.
In Alma 37:47 we read Alma's advice to his son Helaman.
47: And now, my son, see that ye take care of these sacred things, yea, see that ye look to God and live. Go unto this people and declare the word, and be sober. My son, farewell.
There are four pieces of advice in this verse that guide us to look up. 1. Take care of sacred things. Honor covenants made with God. Live righteously. Men, honor your priesthood duty. Women, teach the children and youth to become Christlike people. 2. Live. Live with hope in God and Jesus Christ. Live to your full potential. Live with joy. 3. Declare the word. Be a missionary. By an example of the believers, edify, uplift, and love. 4. Be sober. This is a little confusing, so to clarify we'll look at a Spanish translation. The translation is "ser justicio", or be just. Live a life of fairness, mercy, and justice. Judge righteously.
Christ does not want us to live a trodden down life. He wants us to live a life full of joy, peace, laughter, life, and hope. He wants us to look up. Through his atonement and our faith, Christ will pull us up. He will pull us out of trials into peace. He will pull us from sin to repentance. He will advocate for us in front of the father and pull us to eternal life.
Christ wants us to look up.
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