“If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” (1 Corinthians 15:19), If it is true that if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men and women most miserable, then the corollary must also be true: If in the next life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men and women most miserable. Our hope in Christ is for this life and for the next. Both! We should neither accept the Savior’s grace only as assistance to get us through our current challenges in this life with no hope for redemption after we are dead, nor should we ignore the power of the Atonement while we are in this life and merely wait for the afterlife to begin experiencing the Hope and Joy that is freely available to us today and everyday throughout all of time and throughout all eternity. Christ’s power is available to us from moment to moment. We don’t need to rush through our current situation because there is hope and healing and strength to be had in this moment. And we don’t need to spoil any current happiness that we may be experiencing by filling our minds and hearts with anxieties that our good fortune will have to be paid with bad luck tomorrow. If we believe for a second that our hope in Christ will fail, either in this life or in the next, then we are indeed of all men and women the most miserable. But if we embrace that today we will have hope in Christ, and tomorrow we will have hope in Christ, forever and ever, then we are of all men and women most blessed.
