What do we commit to do and need to do? We must "press forward with a steadfastness in Christ," being, as Lehi said, "steadfast and immoveable in keeping the commandments of the Lord" (1 Nephi 2:10). We must obey the first two commandments—the two great commandments, to love God and our neighbor—as well as all the others. We must feast upon the word of Christ (31:20). There is an important distinction between eating and feasting. As we make daily scripture study an important part of our lives, we are able to do more than just occasionally nibble at the scriptures. We work towards learning to feast on the spiritual banquet spread before us in the words of God and thereby be filled.
We find a "perfect brightness of hope" somewhere along this journey. Nephi’s phrase here brings to mind his comment in 1 Nephi 1:1 where he says, "having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days." Seeing the hand of the Lord sustaining you even in trials and troubles is the essence of a brightness of hope.
A brightness of hope is not divorced from reality but fully immersed in reality. When you have the gospel in your life, you are optimistic. There is no doubt that it helps you just see things differently. You can have the spirit to be with you no matter how rough things are. You just are more optimistic, and we are counseled to be so. If we’re not feeling that optimism, the Lord can help us to be so. That is part of our covenant relationship with him. He will help us to be of good cheer, won’t he?
Book of Mormon Central, "How Can One ‘Feast upon the Words of Christ’? (2 Nephi 32:3)," KnoWhy 306 (April 28, 2017).