There are many reasons to be excited for 2017, and one of those reasons is that we will be studying President Gordon B. Hinckley in our Relief Societies and Elders Quorums. As 2016 comes to a close and the new year begins, learn from President Hinckley the unfailing power of optimism.
“I am an optimist!” President Hinckley often declared. “My plea is that we stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight.” His optimism went much deeper than having a positive outlook, although he cultivated that. The ultimate source of his optimism—the source that made it a power—was his faith in God and his testimony of God’s plan for the happiness and salvation of His children.
One manifestation of President Hinckley’s optimism was his firm belief that “things will work out.” That phrase, said Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “may well be President Hinckley’s most repeated assurance to family, friends, and associates. ‘Keep trying,’ he will say. ‘Be believing. Be happy. Don’t get discouraged. Things will work out.’”
This message wasn’t only for others, however. “I say that to myself every morning,” President Hinckley told a congregation. “If you do your best, it will all work out. Put your trust in God, and move forward with faith and confidence in the future. The Lord will not forsake us.”
President Hinckley’s optimism sustained him through trials, feelings of inadequacy, and overwhelming pressures. And he stood by his conviction that “things will work out” even when he experienced setbacks and disappointments, heartache and loneliness.
Lead image from Pinterest.
If you're looking for more motivation for the new year, pick up Way to Be! 9 Ways to Be Happy and Make Something of Your Life, by President Gordon B. Hinckley, at Deseret Book stores or deseretbook.com.