I suppose this is the kind of thing you usually post on facebook, but I have this love/hate relationship with facebook, and at the moment we're in a fight.
These fine fellows from Denmark make me rather happy right now.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Monday, October 3, 2011
The Lens (Understanding Hope)
"For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as I am known." 1 Cor. 13:12"...for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure." Moroni 7:48
I've redefined hope in my mind as not a wish but an expectation. When you have hope--when you fully expect what the Lord has promised, a burden is lifted as you realize the power of the atonement is beyond expectation and you magically see clearly! It's like getting a new prescription for your glasses. You don't realize you weren't seeing things properly until you try on the new lenses and voila! Everything is crisp, clear, and beautiful!
I was talking with a friend recently about the power of emotion in shaping our perceptions of reality. Emotions are incredibly potent. Not only can they flavor the way you see something, color the lens through which you look, but that emotion can also rub off on others. If we start associating someone or something with a particular emotion, after a time that emotion is automatically triggered each time we are exposed to that person or thing.
The past several weeks I have been studying hope. I'm just getting started, but I'm kind of blown away by the things I've learned so far. One interesting thing about hope is that it can act as a lens cleaner. We all do our best to see things clearly and I know God wants us to see things the way they really are, but sometimes, especially when lots of strong emotions have been at play for a while, our perceptions may be a bit distorted. I've seen this happen with myself a lot. The good news is, we have hope!
I've redefined hope in my mind as not a wish but an expectation. When you have hope--when you fully expect what the Lord has promised, a burden is lifted as you realize the power of the atonement is beyond expectation and you magically see clearly! It's like getting a new prescription for your glasses. You don't realize you weren't seeing things properly until you try on the new lenses and voila! Everything is crisp, clear, and beautiful!
I know that when we have hope (real hope... an expectation that God can and will perform miracles in our lives and will help us when we need it) we see clearly. It's beautiful really.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)