Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Ether 12:4 -- On Hope as an Anchor to the Soul

"Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God."
Ether 12:4


I love the idea of hope as an anchor.  I suppose the symbolism of an anchor could be seen as dragging us down and restraining our freedom, but anchors are useful to help ships and other vessels stay where they mean to be, and prevent drifting.  And this anchor of hope we know from Hebrews 6:19-20, "entereth into that within the veil."  Our anchors of hope aren't just any hope, but specifically hope in Christ.

I love the "with surety hope for a better world" part.  It's getting pretty close to knowledge when you can be sure of your hope.  I think that is where the faith comes in.  That certain trust and commitment to a very tangible dream: A better world.  And if we hold onto this hope, then we will become sure, and steadfast, always abounding in good works, and being led to glorify God.  ... I totally want to be that person, don't you? :)

You know, sometimes we *desperately* need an anchor.  We have days when all of our mistakes and sins and stupidities are brought to mind, and we remember just how far we are from any eternal goals, and it is tempting to despair.  It's hard to see the hope when we are looking at ourselves through a dark filter of regret, and wondering how we can ever be better when we really haven't been very good at it so far.  And yet, that is why we don't anchor to ourselves, or to Satan, who loves to discourage us.  We anchor instead to our hope in God, who loves us despite all our efforts to mess up our own and others' lives.  Who sees beauty and possibility in us, and who knows how great we can be, and is willing to help us do the work to get us there.  There is no better anchor for a soul.

Today, let's anchor our souls in Christ.  Let's believe in God, and hope for a better world.  And then, let's jump in there and start doing the work to help make ourselves, and others, part of that very real dream. :)

2 comments:

  1. Our family likes to fish. We learned that an anchor can be used to keep you in the most productive areas too.

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