Alexis Ricks - A Perfect Brightness of Hope

It is pretty challenging to move into a ward during Covid, have a husband in school and have a brand new baby along with a young toddler, but Alexis managed to do it beautifully.  She has a sweet meek Spirit and you will love getting to know her in her presentation.   Her topic is "A Perfect Brightness of Hope."     Alexis Ricks moved to Monrovia about a year and a half ago. She and her family moved to California for her husband, Nate, to complete his master's degree in real estate development at USC. She and Nate have a 2 1/2 year old named Lincoln, and an almost 1 year old named William. Alexis loves being a mother and is grateful that she is able to spend her time caring for her boys. It is her most favorite thing to do! She has recently started working in account development for a logistics company. She grew up near Salt Lake City, Utah and has always loved spending time outdoors in the mountains. Since moving to California, she and her family love going to the beach and have recently become passholders at Disneyland. She has fallen in love with the Los Angeles area and has felt so blessed to have ended up in this stake, specifically the Monrovia Ward. She has been blessed with opportunities to strengthen her testimony and share the gospel with others, including serving a mission for the church in Managua, Nicaragua. She is excited about the opportunity to be involved in this women's conference and has a testimony that Jesus Christ lives and Heavenly Father loves each of us.

Hope | Breaking Down the Word and Meaning

 

Before we get into developing a perfect brightness of hope and utilizing it on our mortal journey, I think it is helpful to break down the definition of the word “hope”. It is especially helpful to talk through the word as a noun and a verb.

 

Hope functions not only as a noun, like faith, but as a verb. Hope is the act of a soul expectantly reaching out toward the future. Hope is not only a belief, but it is a feeling. It is something that happens within your heart, not just your mind. We may have a testimony in the foundational truths of the gospel that God lives, Jesus is the Christ, Joseph Smith was a prophet, and so forth. But feeling hope is more personal for us. Hope is more than a belief in foundational truths. Hope is oriented toward the future. It focuses on personal possibilities about our own lives.

 

Hope as a noun is defined as, a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen, a feeling of trust. It is synonymous with words like aspiration, wish, ambition and dream.

 

The definition of hope as a verb, or an action word, is, to want something to happen or be the case. It is synonymous with words like expect, anticipate and look for.

Read Moroni 10:22

22 And if ye have no hope ye must needs be in despair; and despair cometh because of iniquity.

 

The opposite of hope is despair, denying and being against hope. To be in a state of despair is to deny the power of Christ and the Atonement. Despair is believing that Christ will not redeem, heal, or bless you. This is Satan’s lie to attempt to make us miserable like he is.

 

But the antidote for despair is the Atonement and Jesus Christ. The good news of the gospel gives us hope. We can find hope during moments of despair by pressing forward with a steadfastness in Christ.

Our prophet, President Nelson said…

“To be sure, there may be times when you feel as though the heavens are closed. But I promise that as you continue to be obedient, expressing gratitude for every blessing the Lord gives you, and as you patiently honor the Lord’s timetable, you will be given the knowledge and understanding you seek. Every blessing the Lord has for you—even miracles—will follow.”

We can develop and utilize a perfect brightness of hope by calling on the powers of heaven. Every blessing the Lord has for us – even miracles, will follow. I know that God has an individual plan for each of us and if we faithfully and patiently seek Him, he will reveal that plan to us. As I reflect on that period of despair and uncertainty I went through, I am so grateful for the hope that I found in the Atonement and Jesus Christ. I felt His love and strengthened my testimony that the Lord answers our prayers. The heavens are always open.

Sheri Dew said in a 1999 conference, “The Savior isn’t our last chance; He is our only chance. Our only chance to overcome self-doubt and catch a vision of who we may become. Our only chance to repent and have our sins washed clean. Our only chance to purify our hearts, subdue our weaknesses, and avoid the adversary. Our only chance to obtain redemption and exaltation. Our only chance to find peace and happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come.”

 

So, where do we turn for help? How can we develop a perfect brightness of hope? The answer for all of us is Jesus Christ.

 

We have all experienced different levels of challenges and difficulties. I know that if we choose the “more excellent way” that the Savior will lead us to eternal life in the world to come. He knows the way because He IS the way. We are the ones who can activate the power of the Atonement in our lives and we do this first by believing in Him.

I want you all to visualize a dark room with an open door, allowing just a small crack of light to shine through. Only the space immediately in front of the door is filled with light.

 

Sometimes our conditions cause us to feel like we are surrounded by darkness. There are times when we feel burdened by doubts and fears. Even though we may feel lost, alone, or unloved, God promises the hope of His light. He WILL illuminate the way before us and show us out of darkness. We can’t avoid darkness. We have to accept that it exists, but know that it will never gain victory over the light of Christ.

 

I want to share a significant moment in the Book of Mormon that has always created a really special visual for me. We are all familiar with 3 Nephi 11 when Christ comes to visit the Americas. As I read the following set of scripture, visualize Our Savior speaking directly to you, looking you in the eyes and reaching out his hand for you specifically to take it.

 

Read 3 Nephi 11:9-11

9 And it came to pass that he stretched forth his hand and spake unto the people, saying:

10 Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world.

11 And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning.

 

During His ministry, Christ taught that He is the source of all light because He has prepared an example for us. God’s light is real! What a beautiful blessing to know that we can find a perfect brightness of HOPE in the light of Christ. This hope is our entrance into enlightenment. It is the hope we need to press forward and endure to the end.

A Shortage of Hope

 

We live in a world that is drowning in despair. There is a shortage of hope. Tribulation not only calls for hope, tribulation calls FORTH hope.

 

Read Romans 5:3-4

3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

 

Elder Holland during conference in April 2020 said, “Because the Restoration reaffirmed the foundational truth that God does work in this world, we can hope, we should hope, even when facing the most insurmountable odds.” He continued to say, “We all need to believe that what we desire in righteousness can someday, someway, somehow yet be ours.”

 

He opens his address by accepting an earlier invitation from President Nelson to look back and see the majesty of God’s hand in restoring the gospel of Jesus Christ. He goes on to say that we know what some of the religious deficiencies were in the early 19th century. We also know something of today’s religious shortcomings that still leave the hope of some unfulfilled.

 

It is sometimes more difficult to feel the constant companionship of the spirit, when we are surrounded by worldly challenges. We can take small steps of faith to strengthen our confidence and earn the trust of God.

Hope matters. We live in a world that is short on hope because they don’t have the light of Christ in their lives. They don’t yet know the good news of the gospel.

 

Closing Thoughts and Testimony

 

Read Ether 2:4

4 Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.

 

Even when you feel most hopeless, don’t defer hope. The “perfect brightness” that Nephi talks about is hope in Jesus Christ. He is the reason for all of the blessings that lie ahead, even in the eternities, and this is His church.