12 Ways To Cultivate Hope In Times Of Fear
Hope in times of fear is one of the greatest needs of our day. With suicide rates around the world devastatingly high 1, and millions suffering from serious mental health challenges 2, we are in desperate need of a clarion call of hope. History has reminded us, time and time again, of the power that comes from having hope in times of fear. Here is one memorable example from a very dark period in history:
On 22 June 1940 an Armistice was signed by Hitler and Marshal Petain of France. Not everyone agreed with the terms of this Armistice, including Andre’ Trocme’ who, on the day following the signing of the Armistice, gave this rousing sermon to his congregation in France:
The Duty of Christians
“The duty of Christians is to resist the violence directed at our consciences with the weapons of the spirit. We appeal to all our brothers in Christ to refuse to agree with or cooperate in violence…
To love, to forgive, to show kindness to our enemies, that is our duty. But we must do our duty without conceding defeat, without servility, without cowardice. We will resist when our enemies demand that we act in ways that go against the teaching of the Gospel. We will resist without fear, without pride, and without hatred. But this moral resistance is not possible without a clean break from the selfishness that, for a long time, has ruled our lives.
We face a period of suffering, perhaps even shortages of food. We have all more or less worshipped Mammon; we have all basked in the selfish comforts of our close family, in easy pleasures… We will now be made to do without many things. We will be tempted to play our own selfish game, to cling not to what we have, to be better off than our brothers. Let us abandon, brothers and sisters, our pride and our egotism, our love of money and our faith in material possessions, and learn to trust God in Heaven, both today and tomorrow, to bring us our daily bread, and to share that bread with our brothers and sisters.” (Peter Grose, “A Good Place To Hide”)
Hope Remains
A woman named Catherine, an attendee at the church service that Sunday morning, recounted her memory of that occasion more that 70 years later:
“In the church you could have heard a pin drop. I was only fifteen, yet I clearly remember my mood going from lost and frightened to safe and calm. Can you imagine what a sermon like that meant to us at a time of fear and despair? To be told, in church, that if the military situation had changed, our source of inspiration had not: it was still to follow in the steps of Jesus and the New Testament. We were not lost. We still had a direction. The day remains one of the most illuminating of my life…”
(Source) Peter Grose, A Good Place to Hide: How one French community saved thousands of lives during World War II
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A Good Place To Hide
Learn more about how one French community saved thousands of lives during World War II in the book written by Peter Grose.
Today, we have opportunities to cultivate hope in times of fear. As our hope grows, so too will our faith and trust in God. Following are twelve ways to cultivate hope in times of fear. Incorporate these suggestions in your life and share them with others:
A Call to Action: 12 Ways to Cultivate Hope in Times of Fear
Love
We are commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves. While these commandments to love are not always easy to live, we can find opportunities every day to practice showing love to those around us.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
Forgive
To hold a grudge and be angry is the easy way out. We have been called to do hard things; we have been commanded to forgive. The closer we become to our Savior, Jesus Christ, the more we will feel of his love. The more we feel of his love, the easier it will become to forgive.
Show kindness to our enemy
Pray for our enemies. President Jeffrey R. Holland teaches how to do so :
“…some efforts to keep us from praying come directly from the adversary. When we don’t know how or exactly for what to pray, we should begin, and continue, until the Holy Spirit guides us into the prayer we should be offering. This approach may be the one we have to invoke when praying for our enemies and those who despitefully use us.” 3
Be Courageous
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” — Nelson Mandela
Live the Gospel
Develop faith in God. Repent of your sins. Live the commandments, as taught in the Word of God (Exodus 20).
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Fear Not
Despite fear-inducing events taking place all around us in society, adults and children alike can choose to find hope in the darkness and fear not.
“Fear not: believe only”. (Luke 8:50 KJV)
Exercise Humility
Be inspired by the verses of the song, Be Thou Humble:
Be thou humble in thy weakness, and the Lord thy God shall lead thee,
Shall lead thee by the hand and give thee answer to thy prayers.
Be thou humble in thy pleading, and the Lord thy God shall bless thee,
Shall bless thee with a sweet and calm assurance that he cares.
Text and music: Grietje Terburg Rowley, 1927–2015
Be Selfless
“Selflessness is righteousness. It embraces the true spirit of companionship. It is the very essence of friendship. It is the portrayer of true love and oneness in humanity. Its reward is the freeing of the soul, a nearness to divinity, a worthiness for the companionship of the Spirit. Every requirement that God’s plan for our salvation places upon us is based on the giving of one’s self. The only way under the heavens whereby a person can be sanctified is in selfless service.” — Elder William R. Bradford, October 1987, Selfless Service
Worship God
Think worshiping God simply entails attending church on Sunday? Think again! Discover 61 ways to worship God and find joy in your everyday life. One way to worship God is to walk in thanksgiving and express gratitude daily:
“Gratitude is of the very essence of worship. … When you walk with gratitude, you do not walk with arrogance and conceit and egotism, you walk with a spirit of thanksgiving that is becoming to you and will bless your lives.” — Gordon B. Hinckley
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Trust God
The scriptures teach us to trust in God:
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs (3:5-6 KJV)
Follow in the Steps of Jesus
Jesus leads; the devil drags.
“Come, follow me,” Jesus said.
The devil, on the other hand,“leadeth them by the neck with a flaxen cord, until he bindeth them with his strong cords forever.” (2 Nephi 26:22)
“…choose this day whom you will serve…But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15 KJV)
Be Generous with your Material Possessions
“…for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants.” (Mosiah 4:26)
A Message of Hope
“I am saddened when I see news of those who are displaced because of war. I was a refugee twice as a child—once at age 4 and again at age 11. It was a frightening time for me as a young boy…No matter our distress, no matter our sorrow, no matter our mistakes, our infinitely compassionate Heavenly Father desires that we draw near to Him so that He can draw near to us. “Fear not: believe only” (Luke 8:50 KJV).
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
