Hope (Esperanza)
- The word for hope in the Spanish language is ‘esperanza’. This word is derived from the verb ‘esperar’, which means ‘to wait’. This gives a new understanding to ‘hope’, since esperar implies waiting, expecting, anticipating, even knowing. We know that repentance is a demonstration of faith and hope, and this type of hope is not merely wishing, but fully expecting forgiveness, cleansing, and peace.
- Elder Neal A. Maxwell has stated, “Significantly, those who look forward to a next and better world are usually “anxiously engaged” in improving this one, for they “always abound in good works” (D&C 58:27; Alma 7:24). Thus, real hope is much more than wishful musing. It stiffens, not slackens, the spiritual spine. It is composed, not giddy, eager without being naive, and pleasantly steady without being smug. Hope is realistic anticipation taking the form of determination—a determination not merely to survive but to “endure … well” to the end (D&C 121:8).
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