Reg Christensen lives in the Midwest with his wife, Carol. They have seven children and seventeen grandchildren. Reg has fulfilled a variety of callings in the Church and he and Carol have been blessed with many service opportunities as Pathway missionaries and service volunteers at the BYU Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies, to mention a few. While living in Jerusalem, they served in the Bethlehem branch, Carol as the Relief Society president and Reg as the branch president. His happy times come from being with family and friends, reading, writing, woodworking, leathercrafting, exploring nature, and blessing lives with his handyman skills. He has published several books, including Unlocking Isaiah: Lessons and Insights that Draw Us to the Savior.

Enter Reg…

One day my son and I were waiting on word from the findings of a report from a building inspector regarding the garage/shop I had been helping him on. The issue was whether the original roof had followed the building code, and that would determine our next steps. We were hoping for the best, that the code only required one-half inch, or if not, that the inspector will grant a waiver. We were also planning for the worst in the event we were not granted a waiver but must increase the thickness. We had been pricing seven-sixteenths-thick sheeting with the hope that for a few hundred dollars and a lot of work, we could nail it over the top of the existing sheeting, if needed.

Hoping for the Best

Oh, such is life—it seems that in so many things, although we hope for the best, we find ourselves having to plan and prepare for the worst. With that said, a notion has occurred to me that in temporal/mortal things, we hope for the best but plan for the worst. However, in spiritual/eternal things, we are to hope for the best and plan for the best. There is no provision, teaching, covenant, or ordinance the Lord gives us to help us prepare for anything less than the best—

“Eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God.” Doctrine and Covenants 14:7

Mortal/Temporal—Hopes and Plans

“Temporal” means “temporary.” During our temporary journey through mortality on earth, we often find ourselves in challenging and undesired circumstances. But they are temporary— as with my roof dilemma, a week or so of waiting and whichever way the inspection goes, the roof we were shingling will be done and the challenge will be mostly forgotten.

Even as we plan for worst case, as we keep our eternal perspective, we are assured eternal blessings through making and keeping our sacred covenants.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego understood and believed this. When King Nebuchadnezzar, in his vain glory, erected a huge graven image of himself and demanded that his subjects bow down and worship it, the three brave young men refused. The king, in his anger, sentenced them to be burned in a fiery furnace. They replied,

“Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thy hand, O king.” (Daniel 3:17–18)

They had eternal hope. But even in that hope, they knew that God does not always cure every ill or dissipate every trial. They were prepared for the worst case, and as such they replied to the king,

“But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” (Daniel 3:17-18)

In their case, the Lord did intervene and saved them.–

The blessing of Abinadi took a different turn. When wicked King Noah demanded that he retract his words of prophecy against the evils of the king and his followers, Abinadi, from a core perspective of eternal hope, reaffirmed his message to the king:

“I say unto you, I will not recall the words which I have spoken unto you concerning this people, for they are true; and that ye may know of their surety I have suffered myself that I have fallen into your hands. Yea, and I will suffer even until death, and I will not recall my words, and they shall stand as a testimony against you. And if ye slay me ye will shed innocent blood, and this shall also stand as a testimony against you at the last day.” (Mosiah 17:9–10)

And so it was—Abinadi was prepared for worst-case death by fire, and as he so suffered, he kept his faith centered on Christ and his eternal hope intact.

A Modern Example

During the 2020 pandemic, we experienced a restricted lifestyle as the world battled a global pandemic, COVID-19. We all continued hopeful that the virus would abate and the sufferers would be spared. We all hoped that we and those we loved would be protected, but we planned for the worst—we kept recommended social distance, wore protective masks in public, and held our Church and other gatherings virtually through the internet. And even in our hope for relief, the virus touched us.

We had one family in our ward who was suffering. We got word that a good man we knew died from the virus. He was as joyful, positive, and hopeful a person as any I have known. I am confident that he, and his caregivers, planned and prepared and did all that they could to preserve his life, but I also know that he was spiritually prepared for his death and reunion with his eternal companion.

The pandemic was a portent of many things yet to come as we more closely approach the Second Coming of our Savior to rule and reign on the earth.

Coming Trials

The forty-fifth section of the Doctrine and Covenants has become one of my favorite prophecies of the times of the Second Coming as it so clearly describes the trials leading up to the coming of the Savior and the promises and blessings that await those who choose the way of righteousness. We are told of many temporal things that we may wish we could escape but also of many eternal things that inspire our eternal hope.

As we learn of “wars and rumors of wars,” we hope that neither we nor our loved ones will be caught in them. But as we hope, we also strengthen our armies, bolster our personal preparations, and reach out in support to those who are victims of the evil actions of others.

As “the whole earth [is] in commotion and men’s hearts…fail them,” we hope for peace and calm, but we pray and prepare for the courage to endure the turmoil that comes our way. As “the love of men shall wax cold, and iniquity shall abound, ” we hope for the strength to resist hatred and evil, while spiritually fortifying our defenses against temptation to hate.

As we encountered “an overflowing scourge; for a desolating sickness shall cover the land” (Doctrine and Covenants 45:26–27, 31) during the pandemic we hoped and prayed for the best—that we, those we loved, and all people everywhere would be spared. But we also rallied in support of our healthcare professionals and others who were striving to keep our society intact and our people well and healthy. We personally did what we could to prevent the spread of the disease. We hoped for the best but planned for the worst.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell shared this enlightening perspective about hope in times of trouble:

“Much as I lament the gathering storms, there will be some usefulness in them. Events will help to draw fresh attention to God’s higher ways and His kingdom, which is to “become fair as the sun, and clear as the moon.” (D&C 105:31)…Real hope keeps us “anxiously engaged” in good causes even when these appear to be losing causes on the mortal scoreboard (see D&C 58:27). Likewise, real hope is much more than wishful musing. It stiffens, not slackens, the spiritual spine. Hope is serene, not giddy, eager without being naive, and pleasantly steady without being smug. Hope is realistic anticipation which takes the form of a determination—not only to survive adversity but, moreover, to “endure…well” to the end. (D&C 121:8)

Spiritual/Eternal—Hope for the Best and Plan for the Best

As we keep our eternal perspective, we are aware that even during our temporal—or temporary—challenges, we have the power to choose to respond with eternal love for our Heavenly Parents and for all Their children. Even while preparing for the worst, we can hope and act for the best of all things spiritual and eternal.

The great revelation of the Second Coming and the Millennium continues. Here is a sampling of the Lord’s decrees concerning the blessings promised to those who center their faith and hope in Him and strive to live hopeful of His rewards:

• But my disciples shall stand in holy places, and shall not be moved
• Be not troubled, for, when all these things shall come to pass, ye may know that the promises which have been made unto you shall be fulfilled
• Even so shall ye come unto me and your souls shall live, and your redemption shall be perfected
• And Satan shall be bound, that he shall have no place in the hearts of the children of men
• And the earth shall be given unto them for an inheritance; and they shall multiply and wax strong, and their children shall grow up without sin unto salvation
• For the Lord shall be in their midst, and his glory shall be upon them, and he will be their king and their lawgiver
• For verily I say unto you, that great things await you
• And it shall be called the New Jerusalem, a land of peace, a city of refuge, a place of safety for the saints of the Most High God
• And it shall come to pass that the righteous shall be gathered out from among all nations, and shall come to Zion, singing with songs of everlasting joy. (Doctrine and Covenants 45:32, 35, 46, 55, 58–59, 62, 66, 71)

Standing Holy in an Unholy World

So how do we stand in holy places when so much of the earth is unholy? I often paraphrased this declaration a bit to help my students understand that “stand holy in places” means to be holy or righteous in whatever place we may be in, while avoiding the obviously corrupt dens of iniquity so prevalent in our world.

We remember our baptismal covenants wherein we promise

“To mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death.” Mosiah 18:9.

As we strive to be righteous wherever we are and whatever we do, our eternal hope guides us forward. Even though Satan, in our present realm, wields great power and influence with us and with those we love, we have the sure hope that he will ultimately be bound and his influence will be gone forever from our lives.

What sweet hope to think of our children and grandchildren growing up without the dark temptation and sin that we now struggle against every day of our lives. As we choose the covenant path of righteousness, we are blessed with the eternal hope of a forever peaceful and happy world.

Lives Centered on Christ

It has now been years since we were concerned about the roof at the beginning of this article. The building inspector approved and gave the green light for the installation of the shingles, the project was complete and were it not for my using this experience as an example herein, I would have nearly forgotten that we were even concerned to begin with. That is how life is—we struggle through darkness and trial, but if we do so with our faith and our lives centered on Christ and His gospel, our hope becomes eternal while our trials fade away.

The Brightness of Hope

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland offers this hopeful perspective:

“May we press forward with love in our hearts, walking in the “brightness of hope” (2 Nephi 31:20) that lights the path of holy anticipation we have been on now for 200 years. I testify that the future is going to be as miracle-filled and bountifully blessed as the past has been. We have every reason to hope for blessings even greater than those we have already received because this is the work of Almighty God, this is the Church of continuing revelation, this is the gospel of Christ’s unlimited grace and benevolence. I bear witness to all of these truths and so much more in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”