Preparing a People in Hope

"Hope is putting faith to work when doubting would be easier. ~Thomas S. Monson

"Hope in God, His goodness, and His power refreshes us with courage during difficult challenges. ~Dieter F. Uchtdorf

As we witness the current events facing us, it seems there are several camps that people are falling into when it comes to being prepared for the coming trials:

*Those who are prepared temporally.
*Those who are prepared spiritually.
*Those who are prepared both temporally and spiritually.
*Those who are prepared temporally, but point the finger at the unprepared, possessing the attitude of, "I've got mine, you guys are on your own."
*Those who are not prepared temporally, who possess the attitude of, "That's okay, my neighbor has plenty, I won't worry."
*Those who are prepared spiritually but figure they still have time to cram and get what they need.
*Those who are prepared spiritually but don't have much in the way of finances and are doing the best they can.
*Those who are prepared both temporally and spiritually, possess open hearts, and are willing, according the the prompting of the spirit, to share and help others.
*And don't forget the mass of campers holding to the ancient adages of "Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die" and the ever-popular "all is well in Zion."
*And last but not least, we have the camp of lost souls that are literally losing all hope and are ready to throw in the towel on life.

Scrolling through Facebook on any given day, you can find a soul representing every camper on the list above. And I'm not making judgements at all (I'm the last person to EVER judge), just stating a fact. But you know what? It's okay, because at the end of the day, we all handle things differently - or at least, we think we will, until we are in the thick of things.

If we can learn one thing from the Savior's parable of the ten virgins, He would definitely have us internalize the simple truth that if we are prepared in all things, we will not fear. If we are prepared to meet Him, there will be no fear in our heart, only hope. Only faith.
And that faith is something no one can give us. We have to prepare for that ourselves through our obedience and allegiance to the Lord. And then, little by little, it will accumulate until our lamp is full and trickling into another vessel.
This is true preparation!