I was very pleased with the topic I was assigned this time. Brother Oler got a hold of me about a month ago and told me the topic was "Gratitude in all things". Very exciting topic!
I come from Guatemala and we don't celebrate Thanksgiving Day there. To me this is a new holiday, but I really enjoy it. I enjoy it because it is a chance we have to remember to be grateful without all the commercial aspect of Christmas presents.
My in-laws arrived yesterday and will be spending thanksgiving with us. My mother in law has been fighting with cancer, and after some surgeries and chemotherapy treatments, she seems to have everything under control. That said, one of the side effects of the treatment is that now she lost some sensitivity on her feet, and she feels like she has numb feet all the time. When I had a chance to talk to her one on one, I asked how her feet were doing, and she explained to me that she may have to endure the numbness and some pain on her feet for the rest of her life. The she mentioned to me that she was grateful for everything she had learned during the last two years. That through this trial she learned to listen more closely to the prompting of the spirit, that she learned to listen to that still, small voice. She also mentioned she learned a lot about her husband's unconditional love for her -- as he has had to help her throughout this period of time.
I was impacted by her comment -- usually I think of the gratitude we should have for our blessings. But in this case, she was also grateful for her trials. I am sure she will do great the rest of her life, as she continues to have this attitude and does the best with the blessings and trials she encounters. There are others like her that I have met that always have a positive attitude towards life -- no matter what situation they are in.
As I was preparing this talk I figured there are a few ways in which we can show Gratitude in all things. We can be thankful to God, we can be thankful to our neighbors -- including those that are close to us.
Thankful to God
There are many ways in which we can show gratitude to our Heavenly Father. First of all, we need to truly understand and acknowledge that all blessings we have com from Him. Sometimes we forget this very important principle, that we came to this life with nothing. Maybe we start to think that some of the gifts we receive are not gifts, but a natural right. We may even start to start confusing our wants with our needs -- and then instead of being grateful and happy for the blessings we have -- we will be unhappy because of what we want and feel like we are entitled to.
King Benjamin taught his people to remember their "nothingness" -- and that by doing that their humility would allow them to receive forgiveness and come to a knowledge of God.
The decision to have an "attitude of gratitude" is ours.
I think that in the last verse, when Christ says that his "faith hath made him whole" -- Christ is not referring just to physical miracle that happened there, but that he was actually made whole spiritually.
So how can we increase our gratitude?President Uchtdorf in a recent address mentioned that gratitude can be learned and increased. We can actually exercise our "gratitude muscle", here are a few ways:
In Doctrine and Covenants 59:21 it says:
2. Counting our blessings
I like the hymn called "Count your blessings". The second verse says:
3. Forgetting about ourselves
When I was a young missionary in Houston, I had the chance to meet a family that is still in my memory, the Sandovals. They were a humble family originally from El Salvador. They lived a simple life, but there is one thing that made them special. They were always happy. And they were happy because they remembered their blessings. If it was a sunny hot day in Houston, brother Sandoval was happy because of the nice warm weather. If it was rainy, brother Sandoval was happy because the water would be good for his plants.
The Sandovals were a family that was always concerned about other people and how to serve them. They shared the gospel with others and looked for ways to serve them. They were always considering other people's needs and not their wants. This allowed them to have an attitude of gratitude, and live happy productive lives. Brother Sandoval was a great example of self-denial service for me and those around him.
When we serve others we come to a realization that:
In Doctrine and Covenants 58:26-27, the Lord says:
If you feel sad or feel like you are not happy, the best cure is to get off the couch, and get engaged in a good cause. There is much need in the world, and there is always something we can do to help.
4. Constrain our desires, and let us be content with what we've got.
When I was a kid my dad used to say that you knew that a person was rich not by how much money they made, but because they spent less than what they made. Similarly, you can learn to be happy by moving your focus from what you do not have, and learning to be content with what you have got.
In my life I have had the opportunity to deal with people from all walks of life. I have seen people who have very little in terms of material possessions share the little they have with others and live happy lives. I have also had the opportunity to see plenty of wealth, and boasting -- but very little in terms of giving. Sometimes in our search for happiness our view can become blurry if we think that the things of this world are the sources of joy and happiness.
Instead of keeping up with the Joneses, we should look for ways to serve the Joneses, and the rest of our neighbors.
In the sermon of the mount, Christ said:
5. Being more expressive in our love and gratitude to those around us
How do we show gratitude to our neighbors? There is a very easy way -- we can start by remembering our manners and saying "thanks" -- and meaning it. I think that comes naturally if we remember our nothingness. Remember that there are many out there who have and will influence your life and will improve your quality of life.
I don't ever remember anyone being offended when genuine appreciation has been shared.
I take the bus often and get a chance to see all kinds of people. There are those that I notice always say thanks to our driver on the way in and on the way out. There are others that may not even consider the driver of the bus.
While I am grateful for the service other give us, I am a little distracted -- and may take it for granted. The other day my wife mentioned a way in which she could show the appreciation for the mailman. I am grateful to have a wife who thinks about those kinds of things.
One man was working on the yard when his wife came to him and said "Honey, you don't tell me that you love me anymore". The man looked into his wife's eyes and very seriously said "Honey, when we got married I told you that I love you. If I change my mind I will let you know".
As I have learned now that I have been married a few years, that doesn't cut it. Let us remember to be grateful with those closest to us. Sometimes, we are so used to being close to our family that it is easy to forget everything they do for us. Specially for the men, let us remember our wives and everything the do for us -- in my case my wife runs most of the day in and day out dealings with our home -- from making sure that we have nutritious meals to eat, to making sure our children are where they need to be throughout the day. After a long day at work, let us remember the full time service our wives provide to us. I would exhort wives to remember what their husbands do for them as well, although thanks to their loving nature generally they are better at doing this than we are.
I am very grateful for the chance I had to prepare this talk, and very grateful for those of you that are reading this talk right now as well as those that will listen to it tomorrow. I am grateful for the principles of the gospel, for the hope, joy and happiness that they can provide to us and to others around us. I am grateful for my family and relatives, they have blessed my life greatly. I have this and many other reasons to be grateful, and most of all I am grateful for the greatest gift of all, the atonement of our Savior and the opportunity it provides for us to have eternal life, and I say this in his Name. Amen.
“And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel.
“And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true.” (Mosiah 4:11–12.)
The decision to have an "attitude of gratitude" is ours.
In Luke 17:11-19, we hear the store of a few lepers that were healed by Jesus Christ:
11 ¶And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that werea lepers, which stood afar off:
13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto thea priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving hima thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not tena cleansed? but where are theb nine?
18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
I think that in the last verse, when Christ says that his "faith hath made him whole" -- Christ is not referring just to physical miracle that happened there, but that he was actually made whole spiritually.
So how can we increase our gratitude?President Uchtdorf in a recent address mentioned that gratitude can be learned and increased. We can actually exercise our "gratitude muscle", here are a few ways:
1. Expressing it in our prayers
We should remember to show gratitude in our prayers. This means we have to really work on making our prayers more significant. We really have to take the time to think of what we are grateful for and really mean it. Let's remember that we should pray in humility, not to be heard of men -- but in our quiet places -- where we can commune with our Father.
In Doctrine and Covenants 59:21 it says:
21 And in nothing doth manAs this scripture mentions, another way in which we can show gratitude is by being obedient children.We can show gratitude both in our words to our Heavenly Father as well as our actions.a offend God, or against none is hisb wrathc kindled, save those whod confess not his hand in all things, ande obey not his commandments.
2. Counting our blessings
I like the hymn called "Count your blessings". The second verse says:
Are you ever burdened with a load of care?A great way to reflect upon our blessings is to write them down in our journal. We all of a sudden realize that we have plenty to be grateful for.Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,And you will keep singing as the days go by.
3. Forgetting about ourselves
When I was a young missionary in Houston, I had the chance to meet a family that is still in my memory, the Sandovals. They were a humble family originally from El Salvador. They lived a simple life, but there is one thing that made them special. They were always happy. And they were happy because they remembered their blessings. If it was a sunny hot day in Houston, brother Sandoval was happy because of the nice warm weather. If it was rainy, brother Sandoval was happy because the water would be good for his plants.
The Sandovals were a family that was always concerned about other people and how to serve them. They shared the gospel with others and looked for ways to serve them. They were always considering other people's needs and not their wants. This allowed them to have an attitude of gratitude, and live happy productive lives. Brother Sandoval was a great example of self-denial service for me and those around him.
When we serve others we come to a realization that:
- Others may be going through trials we are not going through, and most importantly, that:
- We have the ability to impact their life for the best -- which is a blessing. That helps us move our focus from "what I want for myself" to "what I can provide for others".
In Doctrine and Covenants 58:26-27, the Lord says:
26 For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that isa compelled in all things, the same is ab slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.
27 Verily I say, men should bea anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;
If you feel sad or feel like you are not happy, the best cure is to get off the couch, and get engaged in a good cause. There is much need in the world, and there is always something we can do to help.
4. Constrain our desires, and let us be content with what we've got.
When I was a kid my dad used to say that you knew that a person was rich not by how much money they made, but because they spent less than what they made. Similarly, you can learn to be happy by moving your focus from what you do not have, and learning to be content with what you have got.
In my life I have had the opportunity to deal with people from all walks of life. I have seen people who have very little in terms of material possessions share the little they have with others and live happy lives. I have also had the opportunity to see plenty of wealth, and boasting -- but very little in terms of giving. Sometimes in our search for happiness our view can become blurry if we think that the things of this world are the sources of joy and happiness.
Instead of keeping up with the Joneses, we should look for ways to serve the Joneses, and the rest of our neighbors.
In the sermon of the mount, Christ said:
25a Therefore I say unto you, Take nob thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28 And why take ye thought for raiment?a Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
5. Being more expressive in our love and gratitude to those around us
How do we show gratitude to our neighbors? There is a very easy way -- we can start by remembering our manners and saying "thanks" -- and meaning it. I think that comes naturally if we remember our nothingness. Remember that there are many out there who have and will influence your life and will improve your quality of life.
I don't ever remember anyone being offended when genuine appreciation has been shared.
I take the bus often and get a chance to see all kinds of people. There are those that I notice always say thanks to our driver on the way in and on the way out. There are others that may not even consider the driver of the bus.
While I am grateful for the service other give us, I am a little distracted -- and may take it for granted. The other day my wife mentioned a way in which she could show the appreciation for the mailman. I am grateful to have a wife who thinks about those kinds of things.
One man was working on the yard when his wife came to him and said "Honey, you don't tell me that you love me anymore". The man looked into his wife's eyes and very seriously said "Honey, when we got married I told you that I love you. If I change my mind I will let you know".
As I have learned now that I have been married a few years, that doesn't cut it. Let us remember to be grateful with those closest to us. Sometimes, we are so used to being close to our family that it is easy to forget everything they do for us. Specially for the men, let us remember our wives and everything the do for us -- in my case my wife runs most of the day in and day out dealings with our home -- from making sure that we have nutritious meals to eat, to making sure our children are where they need to be throughout the day. After a long day at work, let us remember the full time service our wives provide to us. I would exhort wives to remember what their husbands do for them as well, although thanks to their loving nature generally they are better at doing this than we are.
I am very grateful for the chance I had to prepare this talk, and very grateful for those of you that are reading this talk right now as well as those that will listen to it tomorrow. I am grateful for the principles of the gospel, for the hope, joy and happiness that they can provide to us and to others around us. I am grateful for my family and relatives, they have blessed my life greatly. I have this and many other reasons to be grateful, and most of all I am grateful for the greatest gift of all, the atonement of our Savior and the opportunity it provides for us to have eternal life, and I say this in his Name. Amen.
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