With the advent of a new year, we have new hopes and dreams and wishes for how our lives will go. We hope that each succeeding year can be better than the previous one. But how do we find hope when life doesn't go as planned?
I often am amazed at how quickly time seems to fly by. The holidays seems to come and go before you can even blink, and before you know it, you're into the start of a new year. I've often contemplated about why we celebrate and look forward to a new year. One answer that sticks out in my mind is hope. With the advent of a new year, we have new hopes and dreams and wishes for how our lives will go. We hope that each succeeding year can be better than the previous one. That the goals we've been wanting to accomplish will actually happen, and that maybe some more of our dreams can come true. We never know what the future holds, what unexpected changes or twists will come along. Yet each of us hope for the best. We hope for our own magical storybook ending. Yet life often doesn't go that way. So how do we find joy when life doesn't go the way we planned? When those resolutions that we were sure were going to be accomplished this year get broken or when our plans for the future get turned upside down. What do we do when we have to start over and figure things out once again. We know that we are here to have joy, but sometimes it can feel so elusive. How do we have the courage to fly, when we feel that we will fall? (Erin Hansen, What If I Fall)
"Life's journey is characterized by bumps in the road, swells in the sea- even the turbulence of our times" (President Thomas S. Monson, October 2004) but that doesn't mean that joy only comes after the storms have passed. I believe that when times get tough, we need to look for joy, meaning, and hope in small moments. Yes the clouds may seem gray and overwhelming, with no blue sky in sight. However, there will be moments when the sun shines through, and those rays of light will remind us of what is to come - that the storm isn't permanent and that better days are ahead. These small moments will give us hope and strength to keep pressing on, and they will give us courage to fly.
So how do we find those rays of sunshine? For me, focus is a big first step. If we are to find those small, magical moments, then we need to be looking for them. President Russell M. Nelson once said, "The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives" (October 2016). The saying is true that we find what we are looking for. And so if we are looking for moments where we can feel God's love and see His hand in our lives, then we are sure to find them. Often these small moments are fleeting, and if we aren't looking for them, we are sure to miss them. It can be an unexpected text from a friend, the innocence of a small child, or finding something we thought we had lost.
The other day as I was driving I was feeling overwhelmed with all that I had to do. I felt that all the demands and responsibilities were too much, and that there was no way I could accomplish everything that I wanted to. As I was thinking of these things, in the quiet of my car, the words of the primary hymn, "I Feel My Savior's Love" came to mind. Lines such as "His Spirit warms my soul" or "[His love's] gentleness enfolds me" or "my heart is filled with peace" gave me the comfort and reassurance that I needed. It reminded me that I wasn't alone and that my Savior's love was always with me, and that He would help me to get through the craziness of life.
There are countless instances throughout the day where God shows His love for us. He knows us perfectly and He knows what we need to make it through another day. It doesn't mean that every day will be easy, or will go the way we want it to, but as we turn to Him, life will turn out to be far greater and grander than we ever could have imagined it to be. "Yes, the road has bumps and detours and even some hazards. But don’t focus on them. Look for the happiness your Father in Heaven has prepared for you in every step of your journey. Happiness is the destination, but it’s also the path." (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, April 2013) I know that as we turn to the Savior, and look for those small, perfect moments, that we will have the courage to fly, and the hope to seek after our dreams.