"Now in this thing we do rejoice; and we labor diligently to engraven these words upon plates, hoping that our beloved brethren and our children will receive them with thankful hearts, and look upon them that they may learn with joy and not with sorrow, neither with contempt, concerning their first parents."
Jacob 4:3
I like rejoicing in writing to us, and hoping for us that we will learn with joy and not with sorrow... which is the point of passing lessons along, right? So that we can learn from them and not have to learn everything first hand.
The idea of hope here is an interesting one because there are things in life that we experience that seem to make cynicism pretty normal, and I think God totally understands our attitude problems, which we all have at times, and having suffered through some of the things we read about in the scriptures we could understand that too, especially from people like Moroni who witnessed so much wickedness and slaughter. But instead they all wrote to us, looking forward to something better, and the chance to make a positive impact for a future world.
Cynicism is understandable, but it is sort of like a new job... we have to go into it with hope and optimism and be the person that other people want to work with, or we are cursing the experience from the beginning. And that's hard. If we have worked someplace that has made us a little justifiably paranoid, it is hard to unlearn that, and be able to trust the people around us. Offering trust is going all in and trying to be that coworker that we want other people to be rather than being distrustful and holding things back... and so it is with all of life, and I'm guessing with the kingdom of God as well.
God understands our snark and bitterness, but when we show up in heaven, do we want to be met that way? We have to take a step up and live the way that we want things to be, not react negatively to the way that they seem to be currently... that is what being a light to the world is, and I think at it's core that is what hope is as well... living as though things are going to getting better, not worse. :)
As we look back on the experiences of people in the scriptures and even our own ancestors and parents, let's give thanks that they worked for a better future for us... and let's do the same, rejoicing and laboring in that hope for the future.
Jacob 4:3
I like rejoicing in writing to us, and hoping for us that we will learn with joy and not with sorrow... which is the point of passing lessons along, right? So that we can learn from them and not have to learn everything first hand.
The idea of hope here is an interesting one because there are things in life that we experience that seem to make cynicism pretty normal, and I think God totally understands our attitude problems, which we all have at times, and having suffered through some of the things we read about in the scriptures we could understand that too, especially from people like Moroni who witnessed so much wickedness and slaughter. But instead they all wrote to us, looking forward to something better, and the chance to make a positive impact for a future world.
Cynicism is understandable, but it is sort of like a new job... we have to go into it with hope and optimism and be the person that other people want to work with, or we are cursing the experience from the beginning. And that's hard. If we have worked someplace that has made us a little justifiably paranoid, it is hard to unlearn that, and be able to trust the people around us. Offering trust is going all in and trying to be that coworker that we want other people to be rather than being distrustful and holding things back... and so it is with all of life, and I'm guessing with the kingdom of God as well.
God understands our snark and bitterness, but when we show up in heaven, do we want to be met that way? We have to take a step up and live the way that we want things to be, not react negatively to the way that they seem to be currently... that is what being a light to the world is, and I think at it's core that is what hope is as well... living as though things are going to getting better, not worse. :)
As we look back on the experiences of people in the scriptures and even our own ancestors and parents, let's give thanks that they worked for a better future for us... and let's do the same, rejoicing and laboring in that hope for the future.
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