Life is full of questions. What will happen today? What will happen tomorrow? What about when we die? Is there really a heaven? How do I get there? How do I know I’m going to get there? Well, there is an answer to this– hope.
I believe hope is a necessity for life. Without it, we’d all be lost, constantly wondering
“What if…”. Having true hope is firmly trusting that we’d be guided through our lives, even when it feels like we’re falling into despair. When I was 10 years old, I received the news that my grandmother was diagnosed with brain cancer. Since I was so young, this was obviously a hard concept to grasp. I didn’t know if brain cancer was guaranteed to kill, if it was curable, if she was gonna be alright, and, mostly, I didn’t have any idea on what I would or could be doing about it the next 3 months. What I found was the best thing I could do was simply have hope and spend time with her. We would talk and laugh, wheel her around the park, play piano for her, and even celebrated her birthday at the hospital with a cake and pipe cleaner flames on the candles. My grandma remained positive even a few minutes before she was wheeled down the hallway to receive surgery and she expressed her hope by saying, “If I come out of this head first or feet first, I’m fine either way”. This made me realize that she had the same hope that I had– that God would take care of her, whether she lived or died.
Eventually, she did pass, but peacefully. Instead of being scared, mad, or sad she still remained positive and very content, which warmed all our hearts. I know, for sure, that she is with Christ in heaven because of her strong faith in Him.
There is so much overwhelming evidence that people have eternal souls and a meaning for life that is much more than just our time here on this earth. When we care for others and show concern, we display our hopes and extend God’s grace into their lives. If there was no heaven, then there would be no reason for us to show any concern to others, no need for helping, and, most importantly, no need for life itself. We would just be here then be gone forever. This is why hope is essential to our lives, that we are spiritual beings, living in this flesh for only a short time, but we have a much greater purpose– to one day spend our lives with our Savior.