Hope for the future

" Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great."
-D&C 64:34


" [Don't give up] "for ye are laying the foundation of a great work." That "great work" is you--your life, your future, the very fulfillment of your dreams. That "great work" is what, with effort and patience and God's help, you can become. When days are difficult or problems seem unending, I plead with you to stay in the harness and keep pulling. "
- Jeffrey R. Holland

* We all have dreams, goals, and aspirations that we wish to accomplish, which at times can seem so distant that we may desire to quit and give up. We must persist and not give in to discouragement that can easily creep into our lives, robbing us of faith and hope in the future. We are the captains' of our own lives. We choose whether or not our ships will stay on course, and eventually complete the long journey intended from the beginning.

"Victory--Victory at All Costs"
On 10 May 1940, as the specter of Nazi infamy moved relentlessly toward the English Channel, Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill was summoned to the post of prime minister of England. He hastily formed a government and on May 13 went before the House of Commons with his maiden speech.

I would say to the House, as I said to those who have joined this Government: "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat."

We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask what is our policy? I will say: It is to wage war, by sea, land, and air, with all our might and with all our strength that God can give us. . . .That is our policy. You ask, What is our aim? I can answer in one word: Victory--victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror; victory, however long and hard the road may be. [Churchill: the Life Triumphant, American Heritage, 1965, p. 90]

Six days later he went on radio to speak to the world at large. He said:
This is one of the most awe-striking periods in the long history of France and Britain. . . . Behind us . . . gather a group of shattered States and bludgeoned races: the Czechs, the Poles, the Norwegians, the Danes, the Dutch, the Belgians--upon all of whom the long night of barbarism will descend, unbroken even by a star of hope, unless we conquer, as conquer we must; as conquer we shall. [Churchill, p. 91]

* However long and hard the road, we can all obtain that which we desire. If all we have to offer is our blood, toil, tears, and suffering we can achieve our goals with shear persistence!

inspired by a speech given by Jeffrey R. Holland at Brigham Young University on January 18, 1983
Click here to view actual transcript: