Messages of Hope

Amidst recent trials, the idea of hope has been ever present and quite necessary.  We often have the missionaries from our church over for dinner and they always leave us with a short spiritual message and a prayer.  Sometimes when I am struggling with something specific, or have a specific spiritual question on my mind, I text them ahead of time and ask them to prepare a message about what's on my mind.  Things have been so rough lately that two weeks in a row, I requested a message of hope. (The first week, I also suggested that it would be in their best interest not to show up without chocolate, but that is completely beside the point!)  Let me tell you: these missionaries never disappoint. 

Week one's message of hope came from the book of John in the New Testament.  Having heard this story many times before, it had never before been presented to me as a message of hope.  But these dear Elders had the spirit of the Lord behind them as they testified of the hope this scripture can bring.  In John 20:15, We find Mary Magdalene crying at the tomb of her Savior when she finds his body is no longer there.  Upon seeing her there, Christ asks, "Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou?"  This is such a message of hope!  Christ has a plan!  And Christ knows that Mary knows that plan!  With a knowledge of our loving Heaven Father's plan, we have no need to weep!  We KNOW that everything will work out in the end.  It may not, and probably won't work out in the way we want it to, but it WILL work out the way our PERFECT Creator has in mind!  Now, hear me out on this.  I am in no way saying that we will not suffer hardships in this life, or that there's no crying in this mortal existence, (This isn't baseball people!) What I AM saying is that there is NO situation that is hopeless!!!  Christ asked Mary, "whom seekest thou?"  Mary, being the amazing woman that she was, was seeking Jesus Christ, whom she knew to be her Savior.  If we have a testimony of our Savior, then we know that His plan, and not ours is perfect.  We can rest assured that there isn't any trial He will bring us to which He will not also, in turn, bring us through as we seek Him!  He is our Savior.  He has our back!  So have a good cry, then carry on in the name of Christ!

The next week, as I continued to struggle with some specific trials, I texted the missionaries again and asked them, to please bring another message of hope.  Again, these two young missionaries, truly showed the Chapman family what they are made of.  This time, they brought hope through a scripture the Book of Mormon.  This reminder can be found in Alma 34:41  "But that ye have patience, and bear with those afflictions, with a firm hope that ye shall one day rest from all your afflictions."  Lets start with that first part, about patience.  Elder Doshier asked be to read that scripture out loud.  By the time I got to the word patience I gave that poor Elder a stare of death that only a mother can give.  I thought to myself, "This Elder had better watch himself.  I'll show HIM a thing or two about patience."  As his face turned a bright shade of red, he assured me that I should keep reading, and, boy, am I glad I did.  The word REST was what I needed.  It wasn't until that moment that I realized that REST was truly what I was in search of.  I was seeking rest from the thoughts that clouded my mind and the trials that invaded my life. I whole-heartedly believe the Book of Mormon ( as well as the Bible) to be the word of God.  And this was God's way of reminding me that help is on the way; rest was near. 

Don't lose hope, folks.  And when you do, because, lets face it, we all do, be of good cheer!!  Christ has overcome the world!!! 

I hope this makes sense!
Keep the Faith!
God is Good
Love,
Brooke