The Infinite Power of Hope

I know we're really not supposed to have "favorite" General Authorities. However, I do get excited when it is time for President Uchtdorf to speak. I think it's a combination of the awesome messages he gives and the fact that he has a German accent. I have a soft spot in my heart for German accents. :o) Whenever I listen to him speak, I am totally engaged in what he says. And, when I reread his messages, his voice is one that I can hear perfectly in my head.
In October 2008 he gave a talk in the Saturday Morning session of General Conference called "The Infinite Power of Hope". This talk struck me the first time I heard it and has been so powerful ever since. Last night I read it again and I wanted to share some parts that really stood out to me.

Hope is one leg of a three-legged stool, together with faith and charity. These three stabilize our lives regardless of the rough or uneven surfaces we might encounter at the time....Hope has the power to fill our lives with happiness....we have the responsibility to make it an active part of our lives and overcome the temptation to lose hope. Hope in our Heavenly Father's merciful plan of happiness leads to peace, mercy, rejoicing, and gladness....Hope is like the beam of sunlight rising up and above the horizon of our present circumstances. It pierces the darkness with a 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 of fear.... Hope... is the abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill His promise 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....Hope sustains us through despair. Hope teaches that there is reason to rejoice even when all seems dark around us.

Check out the whole talk at http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-947-7,00.html