To illustrate "the infinite power of hope," President Dieter F. Uchtdorf told of a harrowing experience endured by his mother, fleeing Czechoslovakia with her young children near the end of World War II.
At a stop, the mother left the train to search for food for the children, finding to her horror upon her return that the train was gone. She frantically searched the station until, at last, she located the train with her children aboard.
"I know with certainty her faith overcame her fear, and her hope overcame her despair," reflected President Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency, during his talk in the opening session of general conference."
He said if he could go back in time, he would sit by his mother's side and ask her how she managed to go on in the face of her fears. "While that is impossible, perhaps today I could sit by your side and by the side of any who might feel discouraged, worried or lonely. Today I would like to speak with you about the infinite power of hope."
President Uchtdorf said hope is one leg a of three-legged stool that stabilizes one's life regardless of rough or uneven surfaces that might be encountered.
"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," he said. He added that such hope is both a principle of promise and a commandment.
"As with all commandments, we have the responsibility to make it an active part of our lives and overcome the temptation to lose hope," he said. "Hope in our Heavenly Father's merciful plan of happiness leads to peace, mercy, rejoicing and gladness. The hope of salvation is like a protective helmet; it is a foundation of our faith and an anchor to our souls."
Posing the question of why there is despair, President Uchtdorf noted: "The scriptures say that there must be 'an opposition in all things.' So it is with faith, hope and charity. Doubt, despair and failure to care for our fellow men lead us into temptation which can cause us to forfeit choice and precious blessings.
"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 a beam of sunlight rising up and above the horizon of our present circumstances. It pierces the darkness with 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 fear."
Noting that there are linguistic variations of the word hope, President Uchtdorf said, "I wish to speak today of the hope that transcends the trivial and centers on the Hope of Israel, the great hope of mankind, even our Redeemer, Jesus Christ."
He said hope is not knowledge "but rather, the abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill His promises to us; it is confidence that if we live according to God's laws and the words of His prophets now, we will receive desired blessings in the future. It is believing and expecting that our prayers will be answered. It is manifest in confidence, optimism, enthusiasm and patient perseverance."
President Uchtdorf drew a distinction between "things we hope for and things we hope in," the former being future events and the latter being things that sustain one through trials, temptation and sorrow.
"Is it possible to imagine a more glorious future than the one prepared for us by our Father in Heaven?" he asked.
"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."
Regarding things one hopes in, he said, "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.
"We hope in Jesus the Christ, in the goodness of God, in the manifestations of the Holy Spirit, in the knowledge that prayers are heard and answered. Because God has been faithful and kept His promises in the past, we can hope with confidence that God will keep His promises to us in the present and in the future."
President Uchtdorf said one learns to cultivate hope one step at a time. "As we study the scriptures, speak with our Heavenly Father daily, commit to keeping the commandments of God like the Word of Wisdom and paying a full tithing, we attain hope."
He taught that faith, hope and charity complement and build on one another. "Hope is critical to both faith and charity," he said.
He noted that each time a hope is fulfilled, it creates confidence and leads to greater hope.
"To all who suffer — to all who feel discouraged, worried or lonely — I say with love and deep concern for you.... Embrace and rely upon the Hope of Israel, for the love of the Son of God pierces all darkness, softens all sorrow, and gladdens every heart."
