Serving the Lord and Resisting the Devil

This is a really great article that is applicable to our times - with all the things we see happening politically - we often wonder, where does God stand on these issues and how does Satan seek to deceive and influence us.

"In our time one does not often choose to speak of the influence of Satan. Perhaps it is not popular to address this subject, but I choose to do so anyway. Someone said: “I have heard much about the devil. I have read a great deal about the devil. I have even done business with the devil, but it didn’t pay.” We live in a day when many things are measured against the standard of social or political correctness. I challenge that false doctrine of human behavior. The influence of Satan is becoming more acceptable. Elizabeth Barrett Browning said, “The devil’s most devilish when respectable.” 1 However, as Shakespeare said, “He’s mad that trusts in the tameness of a wolf.” 2

It is not good practice to become intrigued by Satan and his mysteries. No good can come from getting close to evil. Like playing with fire, it is too easy to get burned: “The knowledge of sin tempteth to its commission.” 3 The only safe course is to keep well distanced from him and from any of his wicked activities or nefarious practices. The mischief of devil worship, sorcery, casting spells, witchcraft, voodooism, black magic, and all other forms of demonism should be avoided like the plague.

However, President Brigham Young said that it is important to “study … evil, and its consequences.” 4 Since Satan is the author of all evil in the world, it would therefore be essential to realize that he is the influence behind the opposition to the work of God. Alma stated the issue succinctly: “For I say unto you that whatsoever is good cometh from God, and whatsoever is evil cometh from the devil.” 5

My principal reason for choosing this subject is to help members by warning them, as Paul said, “lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” 6 We hope that members who may be unfamiliar with the sophistries of the world can keep themselves free of Satan’s enticements and deceitful ways.

I owe my text to Elder Marion G. Romney, who, at a Brigham Young University devotional in 1955, stated: “Now there are those among us who are trying to serve the Lord without offending the devil.” This is a contradiction in terms. Elder Romney goes on: “Must the choice lie irrevocably between peace on the one hand, obtained by compliance with the Gospel of Jesus Christ as restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith, and contention and war on the other hand?” 7

Someone once said, “If you come to a fork in the road, take it.” But it doesn’t work that way. The Savior said, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” 8 Today many of us are trying to serve two masters—the Lord and our own selfish interests—without offending the devil. The influence of God, our Eternal Father, urges us, pleads with us, and inspires us to follow him. In contrast, the power of Satan urges us to disbelieve and disregard God’s commandments.

Elder Romney continues: “The consequences of [mortal man’s] choices are of the all-or-nothing sort. There is no way for him to escape the influence of these opposing powers. Inevitably he is led by one or the other. His God-given free agency gives him the power and option to choose. But choose he must. Nor can he serve both of them at the same time, for, as Jesus said, ‘No man can serve two masters: … Ye cannot serve God and mammon.’ ” 9

In the October 1987 general conference, I made this statement: “I think we will witness increasing evidence of Satan’s power as the kingdom of God grows stronger. I believe Satan’s ever-expanding efforts are some proof of the truthfulness of this work. In the future the opposition will be both more subtle and more open. It will be masked in greater sophistication and cunning, but it will also be more blatant. We will need greater spirituality to perceive all of the forms of evil and greater strength to resist it.” 10

Abortion

Abortion is one evil practice that has become socially accepted in the United States and, indeed, in much of the world. Many of today’s politicians claim not to favor abortion but oppose government intervention in a woman’s right to choose an abortion.

During a prayer breakfast in Washington, D.C., on 3 February 1994, Mother Teresa gave the most honest and powerful proclamation of truth on this subject I have ever heard. She is the 84-year-old Yugoslavian nun who has cared for the poorest of the poor in India for years. She is now aged .and physically frail, but courageous, with immense spiritual strength. Mother Teresa delivered a message that cut to the very heart and soul of the social ills afflicting America, which traditionally has given generously to the peoples of the earth but now has become selfish. She stated that the greatest proof of that selfishness is abortion. It was reported that Mother Teresa had tied abortion to growing violence and murder in the streets by saying, “If we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill each other? … Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want.” 11

Then she alluded to the concern that has been shown for orphan children in India and elsewhere in the world, for which she expressed gratitude. But she continued: “These concerns are very good. But often these same people are not concerned with the millions who are being killed by the deliberate decision of their own mothers. And this is what is the greatest destroyer of peace today—abortion, which brings people to such blindness.” 12 Commenting on this powerful message, columnist Cal Thomas asked: “Why should people or nations regard human life as noble or dignified if abortion flourishes? Why agonize about indiscriminate death in Bosnia when babies are being killed far more efficiently and out of the sight of television cameras?” 13

In conclusion Mother Teresa pled for pregnant women who don’t want their children to give them to her. She said, “I am willing to accept any child who would be aborted and to give that child to a married couple who will love the child and be loved by the child.” 14 What consummate spiritual courage this remarkable aged woman demonstrated! How the devil must have been offended! Her remarkable declaration, however, was not generally picked up by the press or the editorial writers. Perhaps they felt more comfortable being politically or socially correct. After all, they can justify their stance by asserting that everyone does it or that it is legal. Fortunately the scriptures and the message of the prophets cannot be so revised.

“Sustainable Growth”

I next address the present-day challenge to the words of the Lord recorded in Genesis: “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.” 15 All my life I have heard the argument that the earth is overpopulated. Much controversy surrounded a 1994 United Nations International Conference on Population and Development held in Cairo, Egypt. No doubt the conference accomplished much that was worthwhile. But at the very center of the debate was the socially acceptable phrase “sustainable growth.” This concept is becoming increasingly popular. How cleverly Satan masked his evil designs with that phrase.

Few voices in the developed nations cry out in the wilderness against this coined phrase, “sustainable growth.” In Forbes magazine a thoughtful editorial asserts that people are an asset, not a liability. It forthrightly declares as preposterous the broadly accepted premise that curbing population growth is essential for economic development. This editorial then states convincingly, “Free people don’t ‘exhaust’ resources. They create them.” 16

An article in U.S. News & World Report entitled “10 Billion for Dinner, Please” states that the earth is capable of producing food for a population of at least 80 billion, eight times the 10 billion expected to inhabit the earth by the year 2050. One study estimates that with improved scientific methods the earth could feed as many as 1,000 billion people. 17 Those who argue for sustainable growth lack vision and faith. The Lord said, “For the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare.” 18 That settles the issue for me. It should settle the issue for all of us. The Lord has spoken.

Homosexuality

The Church’s stand on homosexual relations provides another arena where we offend the devil. I expect that the statement of the First Presidency and the Twelve against homosexual marriages will continue to be assaulted. Satan is only interested in our misery, which he promotes by trying to persuade men and women to act contrary to God’s plan. One way he does this is by encouraging the inappropriate use of sacred creative powers. A bona fide marriage is one between a man and a woman solemnized by the proper legal or ecclesiastical authority. Only sexual relations between husband and wife within the bonds of marriage are acceptable before the Lord.

There is some widely accepted theory extant that homosexuality is inherited. How can this be? No scientific evidence demonstrates absolutely that this is so. Besides, if it were so, it would frustrate the whole plan of mortal happiness. Our designation as men or women began before this world was. In contrast to the socially accepted doctrine that homosexuality is inborn, a number of respectable authorities contend that homosexuality is not acquired by birth. The false belief of inborn homosexual orientation denies to repentant souls the opportunity to change and will ultimately lead to discouragement, disappointment, and despair.

Alternatives to the legal and loving marriage between a man and a woman are helping to unravel the fabric of human society. I am sure this is pleasing to the devil. The fabric I refer to is the family. These so-called alternative life-styles must not be accepted as right, because they frustrate God’s commandment for a life-giving union of male and female within a legal marriage as stated in Genesis. If practiced by all adults, these life-styles would mean the end of the human family.

Broken Homes

I suggest that the devil takes some delight every time a home is broken up, even where there is no parent to blame. This is especially so where there are children involved. The physical and spiritual neglect of children is one of the spawning grounds for so many of the social ills of the world.

“Small” Sins

I now turn to milder ways of not offending the devil. Nephi has given us the pattern or formula by which Satan operates:

“And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.

“And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none—and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance.” 19

C. S. Lewis gave us a keen insight into devilish tactics. In a fictional letter, the master devil, Screwtape, instructs the apprentice devil Wormwood, who is in training to become a more experienced devil:

“You will say that these are very small sins; and doubtless, like all young tempters, you are anxious to be able to report spectacular wickedness. … It does not matter how small the sins are, provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing. … Indeed, the safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.” 20

Society’s oft-labeled “sin laws” exist to counterattack Satan’s so-called small sins of gambling, alcohol use, and drug consumption. Some who wish to appear broad-minded say, under the guise of not imposing religious belief, “I don’t drink or gamble, but I don’t think we ought to have any laws to control others who wish to.” This completely ignores the health and social costs to society of the vices. They foolishly argue that laws cannot control human behavior. My long legal career has led me to conclude that all criminal laws have a moral basis.

Pleasing the Devil

I now come to some even milder forms of trying to serve the Lord without offending the devil. Having a temple recommend and not using it seems mild enough. However, if we live close to a temple, perhaps having a temple recommend but not using it may not offend the devil. Satan is offended when we use that recommend, going to the temple to partake of the spiritual protection it affords. How often do we plan to go to the temple, only to have all kinds of hindrances arise to stop us from going? The devil always has been offended by our temple worship. As President Brigham Young once said about the building of temples, there are Saints who say, “ ‘I do not like to do it, for we never began to build a temple without the bells of hell beginning to ring.’ ” His answer was, “I want to hear them ring again. All the tribes of hell will be on the move, if we uncover the walls of this temple.” 21 President Howard W. Hunter said that we should “look to the temple of the Lord as the great symbol of [our] membership.” 22

I wonder how much we offend Satan if the proclamation of our faith is limited only to the great humanitarian work this church does throughout the world, marvelous as these activities are. When we preach the gospel of social justice, no doubt the devil is not troubled. But I believe the devil is terribly offended when we boldly declare by personal testimony that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and that he saw the Father and the Son; when we preach that the Book of Mormon is another witness for Christ; when we declare that there has been a restoration of the fulness of the gospel in its simplicity and power in order to fulfill the great plan of happiness.

We challenge the powers of darkness when we speak of the perfect life of the Savior and of his sublime work for all mankind through the Atonement. This supernal gift permits us, through repentance, to break away from Satan’s grasping tentacles.

We please the devil if we argue that all roads lead to heaven and therefore it does not matter which road we take, for we will all end up in God’s presence. And we also please the devil if we contend that since we are all God’s children, it makes no difference to which church a person belongs, for we are all working for the same place.

Elder Delbert L. Stapley said: “This man-made philosophy—for such it is—sounds good, but the scriptures do not support it. I assure each of you that the road to God’s presence is not that easy.” It is straight and narrow. “I feel certain that the devil chuckles whenever this false opinion is expressed, for it pleases him that the minds of men have been so blinded to revealed truth by his cunning craftiness and deceit that they will believe any religion to be acceptable to God regardless of its tenets and ordinances or how or by whom those ordinances are administered,” 23 he said.

Resisting Satan

We need not become paralyzed with fear of Satan’s power. He can have no power over us unless we permit it. He is really a coward, and if we stand firm, he will retreat. The Apostle James counseled: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” 24 And Nephi states that “he hath no power over the hearts” of people who are righteous. 25

We have heard comedians and others justify or explain their misdeeds by saying, “The devil made me do it.” I do not really think the devil can make us do anything; certainly he can tempt and he can deceive, but he has no authority over us which we do not give him.

The power to resist Satan may be stronger than we realize. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught: “All beings who have bodies have power over those who have not. The devil has no power over us only as we permit him. The moment we revolt at anything which comes from God, the devil takes power.” 26 He also stated, “Wicked spirits have their bounds, limits, and laws by which they are governed.” 27 So Satan and his angels are not all-powerful.

The Gift of the Holy Ghost

Satan has had great success with this gullible generation. As a consequence, literally hosts of people have been victimized by him and his angels. There is, however, an ample shield against the power of Lucifer and his hosts. This protection lies in the spirit of discernment through the gift of the Holy Ghost. This gift comes undeviatingly by personal revelation to those who strive to obey the commandments of the Lord and to follow the counsel of the living prophets.

This personal revelation will surely come to all whose eyes are single to the glory of God, for it is promised that their bodies will be “filled with light, and there shall be no darkness” in them. 28 Satan’s efforts can be thwarted by all who come unto Christ by obedience to the covenants and ordinances of the gospel. The humble followers of the divine Master need not be deceived by the devil. Satan does not sustain and uplift and bless. He leaves those he has grasped in shame and misery. The Spirit of God is a sustaining and uplifting influence.

Fasting and Prayer

I emphasize that fasting and prayer are great ways to receive the moral strength and spiritual strength to resist the temptations of Satan. But you may say this is hard and unpleasant. I commend to you the example of the Savior. He went into the desert, where he fasted, and prayed to prepare himself spiritually for his ministry. His temptation by the devil was great, but through the purification of his spirit he was able to triumph over all evil.

Work is another deterrent to evil. The symbol of Utah is the beehive. Our forefathers fostered industry and work. Elder John Longden, an assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, quoted Herndon as saying, “Satan selects his disciples when they are idle; Jesus selected his when they were busy at their work either mending their nets or casting them into the sea.” 29

I testify that there are forces which will save us from the ever-increasing lying, disorder, violence, chaos, destruction, misery, and deceit that are upon the earth. Those saving forces are the everlasting principles, covenants, and ordinances of the eternal gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. These same principles, covenants, and ordinances are coupled with the rights and powers of the priesthood of Almighty God. We of this church are the possessors and custodians of these commanding powers which can and do roll back much of the power of Satan on the earth. We believe that we hold these mighty forces in trust for all who have died, for all who are now living, and for the yet unborn.

May we dedicate our lives to serving the Lord and not worry about offending the devil. I pray that through the spreading of righteousness, the evil hands of the destroyer might be stayed and that he may not be permitted to curse the whole world. I also pray that God will overlook our weaknesses, our frailties, and our many shortcomings and generously forgive us of our misdeeds. And I pray that he will bring solace to the suffering, comfort to those who grieve, and peace to the brokenhearted."

from: James E. Faust

The Invisible Mother

"It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask me a question. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?' Obviously, not.

No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible.

The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order: 'Right around 5:30, please.'

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated sum a cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going; she's going; she is gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England ..

Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself.

I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place.

It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on.

The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree. When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for
three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add 'you're gonna love it there.'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women."

To Know that Someone Cares

Sometimes you want to help someone, but you don't know exactly what you should to do... Well, what I am learning and trying to incorporate in my life - just do something - often times people just need to know that someone cares.

Here is a wonderful story I read about that by - Vida H. Liddell, “Loaves and Testimonies,” in Ensign, Aug. 2008, 72:



"One fast Sunday during Relief Society, a sister in our ward stood to bear her testimony. After stating that she had learned how much the Lord loves and cares about her, she shared the following experience.
She had been ill with pneumonia, and one morning she was having a particularly difficult time. Her appetite had diminished considerably, and the only thing she thought she could eat was some homemade bread. She was getting discouraged and had been praying for help to endure her trials.
That very morning her visiting teacher came to the door with a loaf of homemade bread. The sister bore testimony of the love she had felt from Heavenly Father. He had heard her prayers and provided her with exactly what she needed.
As I listened, I realized that I was that visiting teacher. I thought back on that morning, trying to remember why I had decided to take bread over at that time. I hadn’t heard a voice or felt a burning in the bosom. I just woke up that day and felt like making bread.
As I was preparing the loaves, I thought of a sister in our ward who was ill. I had felt helpless throughout her illness because I didn’t know what I could do to relieve her suffering. The thought came to my mind that I should take her a loaf of bread. I tried to talk myself out of it because the loaves turned out somewhat misshapen. But when I tasted one, it seemed fine. “At least she will know that I was thinking about her,” I thought.
I wrapped the warm, odd-looking loaf, and took it to her house. As I presented it to her, she smiled and thanked me but refused my offer of further assistance. I went home feeling good but still concerned that I hadn’t helped much.
Months later, when I heard her testimony, I understood that the Holy Ghost had prompted me in answer to her prayers. This experience taught me a great lesson about the importance of responding to the promptings of the Spirit. If an idea comes to us to do something good, we should do it. The Savior said, “Whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do good is of me; for good cometh of none save it be of me” (Ether 4:12).
Anytime we have a thought to do good, we can assume that it comes from the Spirit. We never know how important such promptings can be. I had no idea that a loaf of homemade bread would be an answer to a prayer that would strengthen a testimony. And when the sister was prompted to share her experience in Relief Society, she had no idea of the valuable lesson I learned about recognizing the Spirit."

Our stake president shared a story about this too. One time he was driving down through the city in the middle of a huge downpour. He and his wife saw a handicapped lady in the midst of it. She was in one of those motorized wheel chairs/scooters. She had a rain poncho on that covered her up and protected her from the rain. However, he felt like he needed to stop and ask her if she needed help, but said he couldn't get his car over to the curb fast enough and with the traffic he needed to go on. He thought to himself, "She's alright - she is well prepared for the rain, there isn't really anything I could do for her." However as he drove away a picture came to his mind. In it -he saw himself asking this woman - if she needed help and seeing her face and knowing that she didn't need the kind of "help" he was thinking of, but she needed to know that someone cared about her. This was the kind of help she needed. Often that is the kind of "help" we all need. We just to know that someone cares about us.

A counselor in the stake presidency told another story of when his wife was really sick and bedridden during a pregnancy. He had all of his older kids to care for and he was working full time and hated to ask anyone for help. The members in the church readily helped his family during this time. He said sometimes a member would just stop by and drop off a stack of paper plates and say "I'm not sure how I can help, but I thought you could use these and they would help out." He explained something as simple as dropping off paper plates meant the world to him - to know that someone cared.

I know this to be true. Earlier this year, I had a miscarriage. It took me by surprise as I was in just starting my second trimester and thought I was in the "safe" stage and hadn't had any problems at all. I was deeply saddened. The day I came home from the hospital - I wasn't feeling really sick or weak - just drained emotionally. I had a friend who said, "Let me bring you dinner." Now my husband could have made dinner or I could have even made dinner, so I really didn't need a dinner - but what I needed at that times was I needed someone to care about me. And this kind gesture gave me what I needed.

Simple things have also meant the world to me also. I lost my wedding/engagement ring a few months ago. I lost it when I was out visiting with a friend. My friend was so kind and helped me looked for it. I thought I might have lost it at the gym the night before, which is about 30 minutes from my house. My friend offered to drive me to the gym and help me look since I was so distraught. Now, I know she had plenty of things to do than spend her time looking for a lost ring with me, but she simply cared and her kindness will always be remembered.

When I was in college, one night I had stayed up all night working on a paper. I was extremely tired (and probably cranky too) the next morning since I hadn't slept at all. My roommate without asking quietly made me breakfast and then went out and warmed up my car and scraped the snow off the windows so I could get to class on time. That kind gesture will also be remembered and was such a great example to me that the little things you do for each other DO make a difference.

Silvia H Allred stated: "We can create bonds of love, friendship, and trust. If we listen to the promptings of the Spirit, we will increase our awareness of other people’s needs. If we act according to those divine promptings, we can be a blessing to those in need. But we have to be willing to give—of our substance and our time. The true measure of our life is not how much we get but how much we give.

We can and should be able to provide meaningful relief. We have the gospel perspective in our lives. We have divine promptings encouraging us to do good. ... We can provide temporal and spiritual nourishment. We can and should offer understanding and be able to teach doctrine. We can relieve spiritual hunger and feed the sheep.

Our service should be selfless, quiet, and be done willingly, with our hearts full of the love of God and His children. There must be genuine concern to shepherd the flock, to invite them unto Christ."

The Lord has blessed each of us with divine attributes of love, compassion, kindness, and charity. We have the power to bless each other as we extend our arms of love and kindness and give the gifts of compassion and charity. No matter what our individual circumstances are, we all have the opportunity to edify and nurture others. In the final analysis, it all comes down to the people we love and who love us that make life worth living and the blessings of eternity worth striving for. Let us open our eyes, hearts,and arms and strive to love others more.

Live in Thanksgiving Daily

"Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary." -- Margaret Cousins

"Do we make thanksgiving a part of everyday? Amulek counsels us to "live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you." (Alma 34:38)

Are you unhappy and unsatisfied with your life? Perhaps the key to becoming happy and satisfied lies in a grateful heart. In For the Strength of Youth it says, "Live with a spirit of thanksgiving and you will have greater happiness and satisifaction in life. Even in your most difficult times, you can find much to be grateful for. Doing so will strengthen and bless you."

How can we cultivate a life full of gratitude every day?

Pray: In the pattern of prayer set forth by the Lord, we are to thank Him before asking for blessings. Try dedicating one of your daily prayers to express only gratitude. "Pray unto him continually by day, and give thanks unto his holy name by night." (2 Nephi 9:52)

Write: Grab a pen and a notecard and send a note to someone who did something nice for you or you family each week. What about a gratitude journal? Both of these are great Sabbath day activity for the whole family.

Discuss: At dinner or before family prayer each night, ask each member of the family a question. - "What were you most grateful for today." Did you see God's hand work in your life.

Serve: Remember a time when someone did something nice for you. How did you feel? Have you ever served someone and not felt better afterward? I think that might be impossible. Share that feeling and pass it along with a simple act of service."
(quoted from: Seek Learning)

and I would add one more-

Remember: Every Sunday when you partake of the sacrament turn it into a time of thanksgiving. Come to the sacrament time with an inventory of blessings from the previous week. Come wanting to thank Him for His persistent redemptiveness. Come filled with gratitude for His willingness to forgive us, teach us, and carry us in covenant. Thank Him for lending us breath, light, hope, joy, and purpose. (from: True Thanksgiving)

WHAT IT IS

The first thing to do when you wake,

The last thing to do before sleep,

The beginning of every prayer,

The end of every blessing,

The magnet of spirit,

The entry to solace,

The portal to peace,

THANKSGIVING

The prerequisite of perspective,

The acquisition of awareness,

The residue of responsibility,

The essence of experience,

The wonder of all our wonderings,

The fondness of friends,

The foundation of family.

THANKSGIVING

The deepest of holidays,

The purest of motives,

The sweetest of desires,

The surest of faiths,

The presence of God,

The core part of love,

The summum bonum of life.

THANKSGIVING

(poem written By Richard Eyre)

"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ...” Philippians 1:3-6

Give Thanks to God for the Blessings We Have

"We are all familiar with the Thanksgiving holiday as a time for family, feasting, and football. All of these are great American institutions, but we forget too easily the meaning of this national holiday as it was first established by George Washington on October 3, 1789 and reaffirmed as we know it today by Abraham Lincoln on October 3, 1863, exactly 74 years later. A mere glance at their Thanksgiving proclamations reminds us of the noblest purposes of government, including its greatest ends—fighting war and educating its citizens—which fulfill all the objects of peace.

Moreover, the simplest meaning of Thanksgiving reminds us—contrary to secularist courts and professors—that these presidents were proclaiming a holy day, a day for prayer and recognition of Almighty God's authority over man. We are most human when we honor our duties, to our country and to our Creator, and the wisdom that unifies these duties. No understanding of the First Amendment, however crabbed, can possibly gainsay this official government acknowledgement of the power of the sacred in our lives.

A close reading of these two messages reveals a careful and subtle teaching about the higher purposes of government and of human life. Washington urged prayer "to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed...." Prayer should also lead this nation of "civil and religious liberty" to "promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among [other nations] and us...." God and the human mind are in alliance.

Even in the midst of "the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged," Lincoln first paints a picture of a prosperous, free, and indeed flourishing land. These are the "gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American People." At the end of the proclamation, Lincoln asks for prayers not only of thanks but also "with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience."
from: The Claremont Institute

"Throughout early American history, when they suffered from drought, famine or war, Americans paused, not to seek vengeance or to question their faith, but to give thanks to God for the blessings they still had."- Newt Gingrich

Virginia Governor Thomas Jefferson, in 1779: "[I] appoint … a day of public Thanksgiving to Almighty God … to [ask] Him that He would … pour out His Holy Spirit on all ministers of the Gospel; that He would … spread the light of Christian knowledge through the remotest corners of the earth … and that He would establish these United States upon the basis of religion and virtue."

President George Washington’s first federal Thanksgiving proclamation in 1789: "Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor.… Now, therefore, I do appoint Thursday, the 26th day of November 1789 … that we may all unite to render unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection."

President Abraham Lincoln, making Thanksgiving an annual national holiday in 1863, in the midst of the Civil War: "No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people."

James Madison, A Memorial and Remonstrance, 1785: "It is the duty of every man to render to the Creator such homage, and such only, as he believes to be acceptable to him. This duty is precedent both in order of time and degree of obligation, to the claims of Civil Society. Before any man can be considered as a member of Civil Society, he must be considered as a subject of the Governor of the Universe."

(excerpts above taken from What Every Child Should Know About Thanksgiving - Newt Gingrich)

Thanksgiving

Let us give thanks to God above,
Thanks for expressions of His love,
Seen in the book of nature, grand
Taught by His love on every hand.

Let us be thankful in our hearts,
Thankful for all the truth imparts,
For the religion of our Lord,
All that is taught us in His word.

Let us be thankful for a land,
That will for such religion stand;
One that protects it by the law,
One that before it stands in awe.

Thankful for all things let us be,
Though there be woes and misery;
Lessons they bring us for our good-
Later 'twill all be understood.

Thankful for peace o'er land and sea,
Thankful for signs of liberty,
Thankful for homes, for life and health,
Pleasure and plenty, fame and wealth.

Thankful for friends and loved ones, too,
Thankful for all things, good and true,
Thankful for harvest in the fall,
Thankful to Him who gave it all.

(Poem written by Lizelia Augusta Jenkins Moorer, an African-American poet writing at the turn of the 20th century).

"President Ronald Reagan often cited the Pilgrims who celebrated the first Thanksgiving as our forebears who charted the path of American freedom. He made frequent reference to John Winthrop's "shining city upon a hill."

As Reagan explained, "The phrase comes from John Winthrop, who wrote it to describe the America he imagined. What he imagined was important because he was an early Pilgrim, an early freedom man. He journeyed here on what today we'd call a little wooden boat; and like the other Pilgrims, he was looking for a home that would be free."

Who were these "freedom men," and how did they eventually blaze the path of true liberty? They were Calvinist Protestants who rejected the institutional Church of England, believing that worshipping God must originate freely in the individual soul, without coercion. Suffering persecution and imprisonment in England for their beliefs, a group of these separatists fled to Holland in 1608. There, they found spiritual liberty in the midst of a disjointed economy that failed to provide adequate compensation for their labors, and a dissolute, degraded, corrupt culture that tempted their children to stray from faith.

Determined to protect their families from such spiritual and cultural dangers, the Pilgrims left Plymouth, England, on 6 September 1620, sailing for a new world that offered the promise of both civil and religious liberty. After an arduous journey, they dropped anchor off the coast of what is now Massachusetts.

On 11 December 1620, prior to disembarking at Plymouth Rock, they signed the Mayflower Compact, America's original document of civil government. It was the first to introduce self-government, and the foundation on which the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were built. Governor William Bradford described the Compact as "a combination ... that when they came a shore they would use their owne libertie; for none had power to command them."

Upon landing, the Pilgrims conducted a prayer service and quickly turned to building shelters. Under harrowing conditions, the colonists persisted through prayer and hard work, reaping a bountiful summer harvest. But their material prosperity soon evaporated, for the Pilgrims had erred in acquiescing to their European investors' demands for a financial arrangement holding all crops and property in common, in order to return an agreed-to half to their overseas backers.

By 1623, however, Plymouth Colony was near failure as a result of famine, blight and drought, as well as excessive taxation and what amounted to forced collectivization.

In desperation, the Pilgrims set a day for prayers of repentance; God answered, delivering a gentle rainfall by evening. Bradford's diary recounts how the colonists repented in action: "At length, after much debate of things, the Governor (with the advice of the chiefest amongst them) gave way that they should set corn every man for his own particular, and in that regard trust to themselves; in all other things to go in the general way as before. And so assigned to every family a parcel of land, according to the proportion of their number."

Property ownership and families freely laboring on their own behalf replaced the "common store," but only after their ill-advised experiment with communism nearly wiped out the entire settlement.

In their simple representative government, born out of dedication to religious freedom, the Pilgrims replaced the rule of men -- with its arbitrary justice administered capriciously at the whim of rulers who favor some at the expense of others -- with the rule of law, treating individuals equally. Yet even these "freedom men" strayed under straits. So could we, if we revert to materialistic government reliance instead of grateful obedience to God. Sadly, we're a long way down that path already.

Closing his farewell address in 1989, Ronald Reagan asked, "And how stands the city on this winter night?" Contemplating our blessings of liberty this Thanksgiving, nearly 20 years after President Reagan left office and 20 generations past the Pilgrims' experience, how stands the city on our watch?"-excerpts from: Mark Alexander Patriot Post -Thanksgiving Special Edition

Gifts from God

"Every gift that we receive from God reflects his personality, including his power, his awareness and his love. Sadly, some people explain away their gifts as strokes of good luck while other people overlook their gifts completely. Humble observers, on the other hand, attest to the continuous generosity of an unseen Giver who has often intervened in times of crisis when other options have failed. Gratitude for God's gifts begins with awareness and willingness to acknowledge the Source. " -Larry Barkdull

He tells of three personal experiences when God blessed his family with His gifts:

The Power of God - Falling off the Roof on Halloween Night

The Knowledge of God - No Food in the House

The Love of God - Welcome Home

They are beautiful stories that demonstrate God's care and loving character.

Gratitude in the Midst of Trials

I found these true examples on gratitude in the midst of trials. What great examples they are to me and how they have touched me.

This is from a women who young 10 year old son was diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme IV not long after his 8th birthday. I haven't met this family, - she is a friend of a friend - and I connected to her site from my friends recommendation to pray for them. I connected with this family because their sweet little boy has the same kind of cancer my father had. My heart breaks for this family and all they have to endure as I read about and pray for them on their journey. The mother wrote this on her website - to express to God what she was grateful for and it just really touched me. Everytime I read this, I cry - because sometimes I think we take the good things in life for granted and don't express our gratitude for all the wonderful things we have. Here this family is going through such troubling times and still she freely expresses to God how much she has to be thankful for. Thank you for being a wonderful example to me.

"I am thankful for oh so much... my family. Absolutely my family.. especially my husband and my kids. I am thankful for one more Thanksgiving with my K-----. I am thankful for his brother being healthy. I am so thankful for the extra people that God has put in our path on this journey, for the old friends and the new friends we have met along the way. I am thankful for God.. thankful that he has kept this family together for another Thanksgiving, for keeping me strong and for guiding me down this road of life. I could really go on for quite awhile. So much to be thankful for!"

This is also a very touching story, I read about online (Meridian Magazine) just recently. Maurine Proctor shares a personal experience from her life when all seemed hopeless. Even though times can be tough and life may seem all messed up, the Lord still watches out for us and still blesses us. These are just excerpts from the article - to read entire story see: http://www.ldsmag.com/lineuponline/081125moment.html

"...We had a time like that nine years ago. Things were hard. We had just moved from our dream home to live with eleven children in a cramped condo, waiting for a larger move across country to Washington DC . The sale on our home, which had been on the market for three years, had fallen through, and now we were stuck with two very large house payments. On top of that, we were just at the starting point for Meridian Magazine, and the financing, which we had worked on for several years, had also fallen through. We were too new to have an income from the magazine which took our full-time effort.

I already felt adrift and frightened for our future. Then the horrible phone call came from Mexico . Our daughter, Julie, had saved her money to spend a week at spring break, in Puerto Vallarta , with her friend Heidi. She had only left the day before for this longed-for vacation. Heidi's voice trembled as she told us the news.

Julie had had a terrible fall by the pool and had hit the back of her head hard on the cement and had been found in a pool of blood. No one knew exactly how it had happened. ...

Heartsick, we called the hospital in Puerto Vallarta , struggling with the language barrier, to find out how she was. They couldn't tell us much, but only promised one thing for certain: they would start treating her as soon as we gave them a credit card to use. Our insurance wouldn't cover the bills in Mexico .

It is often the case that critical illness is accompanied by financial desperation because of bills that mount at a dizzying rate. We ached with worry about Julie's condition because we knew that head injuries often left long-term disabilities, and it was made worse because of our current circumstances.

We couldn't get a plane out to Puerto Vallarta for about forty hours and in the meantime, the reports from the hospital were grim. She had twenty bleeds in her brain and her brain continued to swell. The mid-section of her brain had shifted. She had a large subdural hematoma. She was not in a coma, but difficult to awaken.

I knew someone who had one bleed in her brain and her life was completely altered. ...

Another fear nagged us. Was she getting the best treatment in this small hospital in Mexico ? It was hard to say because our doctor only spoke halting English. When the results of the second MRI came back, the news was worse. Her brain continued to bleed and swell, and, if that trend continued, we'd have to MedVac her to another hospital in Guadalajara , though moving her could be dangerous. ...

On that slab in the darkness, I tried to pray. You'd think at such a low ebb of desperation that you could pour your heart out to God, that words would come bubbling to the surface. Not for me. It was like the words were stuck inside of me in some paralysis of pain. It was as if they were stuck behind a dam, that if it burst I would not be able to contain my anguish and my grief would overcome and swamp me.

So, all I could say in a plaintive whisper to God was, “Help. Help. Help” repeated over and over again, my voice hoarse with pleading.

How could so many things go so wrong in my life at once? What would happen to our beautiful girl?

I found out that God does hear one-word prayers, because when I think back on my life and am filled with gratitude, those miserable days in a Mexican hospital, when I could hardly breathe for tension, are what come first to my mind.

The Lord gradually shed light into my darkened world. First, He sent his children to bless and lift us....

Just as the ambulance arrived at the hospital, he (a branch president) was already there and gave her a powerful blessing in the ambulance. It was in Spanish and Julie couldn't hear it, but the Spirit did.

The branch president and his wife came the next day with a teddy bear and treats, hoping to touch her heart with hope, and then came a few times more to make sure she was doing well.

Another member of the branch owned a lovely restaurant and motioned to us after church on Sunday, that he wanted to give us relief from our worries. He explained with a word of English here and a word there, that he would pick us up the next night and take us to his restaurant and feed us.

How can the Lord have such charitable and good children? I thought, they will never see us again. They can't even converse with us. We can do nothing for them, but they are seeking to bless us merely because we are a brother and sister in heavy need.

These kindnesses made our days bearable. They were like a quiet touch on the shoulder from God saying, I know where you are and I haven't forgotten you.

...Then, we got a knock on the door and there stood Chris and Alison Hemming, a young couple we had never met before, brimming with happiness and vitality, who were on their honeymoon. They had been married two days before in the Oakland Temple and were on a cruise, whose first stop was Puerto Vallarta .

Now think about it, if you are on your honeymoon at your first port of call, where the tropical breezes caress the very air, what would you do with your few hours? Walk hand in hand along the beach? Share a romantic little dinner to celebrate your wedding? Wander through the shops eyeing the folk art?

Then there is always that great possibility that pops up first in any honeymooner's mind. You could always visit the sick—somebody that you don't know at all. Who were these two bright ones at our door? Who would consider such a thing? ...

We laughed together, talked like old friends, and I secretly marveled at how much better I felt for this outpouring of love to us from these two who didn't know us, but chose to love us anyway.

I felt awash in gratitude for my Heavenly Father, who knew just how to send a dash of hope into a gray hospital room. I wanted to shout Hallelujah that His children who feel His light would act in such a compassionate way.

I felt—I can say it no better than this—I felt loved. I felt noticed by the Divine, acknowledged by my Creator, and encircled in the robes of His righteousness." ...

My thoughts on gratitude

How can I not agree with the prophets and teachings in the church that teach us:

• to be truly happy we must be grateful - we are happier and help others to be happier when we are grateful
• our lives are enriched when we live in thanksgiving daily
• to live in thanksgiving daily we need to open our eyes, hearts, and arms
• we truly have so much to be thankful for
• we all need to improve and express our thankfulness daily
• and lastly we should be thankful for all things

Of course, I agree with all these points, even though I can make many improvements in each of these areas, the last item is particularly a very hard one for me to agree with and accept. Sometimes I am not thankful for the sad and hard things that happen in my life. I know I learn and grow from them, but am I truly thankful? Well, honestly in the things that have been really sad for me, I haven't come to that point yet. I'm trying though. My father passed away a few years ago. I miss him terribly and even though I know I will be with him again if I can live righteously - I still miss him. I learned a lot from his death - probably lessons I needed to learn, but am I thankful for it? Well, honestly - no - not yet. I miss him and wish he were still here.

However, I came across a story that helps me with this issue. It is the story of the Pruning:



"Since I’m a gardener, I often find it necessary to do some pruning. Yesterday while working in my garden, I imagined what my tomato plants might be saying to me if they could talk. Perhaps, “Ouch. Why are you doing that? Why are you cutting off some of my branches? Don’t you know how much effort I’ve put into growing that new sucker? If you loved me, you would not hurt me like this.” But I needed to prune, to cause the plant to direct it’s growth energy into the central stem, so that frost would not catch it’s fruit unripe at the end of the season and destroy everything.

God is also a gardener. In John 15:1-6 it says. “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.-----Anyone who parts from me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers.” (NIV) He works on us whether we like it or not. God uses circumstances as his pruning tools.

The pruning may come through financial difficulties, health issues or personal relationships-and pruning will be painful.

There is a purpose to everything God allows to enter our lives. Deuteronomy 8:2-3 says, “Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would really obey his commands.” That’s a hard truth to swallow. God uses calamities to test our character! I’m soft. I wish the tests weren’t so hard. But a grape does not produce wine till it’s crushed. Neither do we show our true character till we face difficulties. How we handle calamities shows whether the Love of God is truly within us or whether we are filled with the fruits of the devil.

Job shows us a good example of how to handle calamities. In one day he had to face four of them. First, all of his animals and farmhands were killed by a raiding party of Sabeans. Then lightning killed all his sheep and shepherds. Then another messenger came, and told him the Chaldean raiders stole all his camels. Then a wind- storm came up, and killed all of his children. “Yet in all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God.” (Job 1:22) We are so quick to blame God or question him if he knows what he is doing. Job didn’t do that. He fell on his face and acknowledged the sovereignty of God. “God, you are God. You know what you are doing. I praise and thank you.” (This writer’s paraphrase)

We can either co-operate with God in the pruning process, or we can, by our attitudes, cut ourselves off from God. When we whine and complain, find fault with everything and everyone and blame God for our troubles, we cut ourselves off. That’s very easy to do.

To co-operate with the pruning process is much harder. We have to let God be God. We have to pray like Jesus did: “Not my will, but thine be done.” When things don’t go the way we want them to, we need to be aware of the possibility that maybe our Heavenly Gardener is at work in our lives, wanting to re-direct us.

The aim of this heavenly pruning process is to get us so in tune with our Heavenly Father, and to get so much divine life flowing through us, that all our prayers will be answered. John 15:16

When we feel the pain of pruning circumstances in our lives we need to pray."

Sometimes I feel like I am that tomato plant. I say "Heavenly Father" why are you cutting off that branch. I needed that branch. I loved that branch. How am I suppose to be thankful for cutting off that branch when I miss that branch" --

What helps me is prayer and also remembering that I don't understand the big picture. I have to trust Heavenly Father. He is the gardener. He knows what is happening in my life. He knows what is best for me and what is needed so that I can grow and improve. He has my best interest in mind and cares and loves me. I have to remember that and trust him and ask for his help through the hard and sad times. This is what helps me to understand and helps me as I try to be thankful for all the pruning that happens in my life.

Truly Happy

Happiness is a matter of one's most ordinary everyday mode of consciousness being busy and lively and unconcerned with self. --Iris Murdoch
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To be truly happy, one must be grateful.

Joseph F. Smith proclaimed: “The grateful man sees so much in the world to be thankful for, and with him the good outweighs the evil. Love overpowers jealousy, and light drives darkness out of his life. Pride destroys our gratitude and sets up selfishness in its place. How much happier we are in the presence of a grateful and loving soul, and how careful we should be to cultivate, through the medium of a prayerful life, a thankful attitude toward God and man!”

We like to be around those who are grateful. They tend to brighten all around them. They make others feel better about themselves. They tend to be more humble, more joyful, more likable. When we are grateful, we also will feel better about ourselves, be more humble, more joyful and more likable.

We should live in thanksgiving daily.

"Living in thanksgiving daily is a habit that will enrich our lives and the lives of those we love. Can you imagine how your life would improve if you lived in thanksgiving daily? Can you imagine how your life would improve if others did the same? Do you think the world would be a happier place? less stressful? less angry? more spiritual?

Think for a moment, if you will, of someone you know who is truly happy. We’ve all met those who seem to radiate happiness. They seem to smile more than others; they laugh more than others—just being around them makes us happier as well.

Now think of someone you know who isn’t happy at all. Perhaps they seem 10 years older than they are, drained of energy—perhaps they are angry or bitter or depressed.

What is the difference between them? What are the characteristics that differentiate the happy from the miserable? Is there something that unhappy people can do to be happier? I believe there is.

Let me tell you a story to illustrate this observation.

A long time ago in a faraway village lived a man who everyone did their very best to avoid. He was the type of person who believed that there was only one competent person in the world, and that one person was himself. Consequently, he was never satisfied with anything. His shoes never fit right. His shirt never felt comfortable. When his food wasn’t too cold, it was too salty, and when it wasn’t too hot, it was too bland.

If a field wasn’t sowed by himself, it was not sowed well. If he didn’t close the door, the door was not closed properly.

In short, he made a career of frowning, lecturing, criticizing, and mumbling about the incompetencies of every other person in the rest of the world.

Unfortunately, the man was married, which made matters all the worse. No matter what his wife did, in his eyes it was wrong. No matter what the unfortunate woman cooked, sewed, or cleaned—or even when she milked the cow—it was never satisfactory, and he let her know it.

She tried very hard to be a good wife, but it seemed the harder she tried, the less she pleased him. Finally, one evening she could take no more.

“I’ll tell you what we’ll do,” she told him. “Tomorrow I will do your chores and you will do mine.”

“But you can’t do my chores,” the man replied. “You don’t know the first thing about sowing, hoeing, and irrigating.”

But the woman was adamant. And on top of that, she was filled with a righteous anger that frankly astonished and frightened the man to the point where he didn’t dare disagree.

So the next morning the wife went off to the fields and the man began the domestic chores. After thinking about it, he had actually convinced himself he was looking forward to it. Once and for all, he would demonstrate to his wife how things should be done.

Unfortunately, not everything went according to plan. In fact, nearly everything the man touched turned into disaster. He spilled the milk, let the pig get into the house, lost the cow, burned the dinner, and ultimately set the house on fire, narrowly escaping with his own life.

When his wife returned, she discovered her husband sitting on a pile of ashes, smoke still rising from his clothes. But the woman wasn’t the type to rub things in. She helped him up, wiped the soot from his beard, fixed him a little something to eat, and then prepared a bed of straw for them to sleep on.

From that day forward, the man never complained about anyone or anything else for as long as he lived.

What do you suppose this story teaches us?

For one thing, it teaches that those who complain make their own and others’ lives miserable. The story also teaches humility. It reminds us that “pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18). It teaches us not to judge others until we walk in their shoes for a while.

In addition, the story illustrates a quality that the Roman orator Cicero claimed was “not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others” (Marcus Tullius Cicero, Pro Plancio, 54 b.c.). It is a quality I have found in every happy person I know. It is a quality that instantly makes a person more likable and more at peace. Where there is an abundance of this virtue, there is happiness. Where there is an absence of this virtue, there is often sadness, resentment, and futility.

The virtue I am speaking of is gratitude.

In our story, it was the absence of gratitude that made the man miserable. His inability to appreciate others caused him to be critical of their efforts. Not only did he not empathize with them, he could not allow himself to acknowledge their contributions.

Absence of gratitude is the mark of the narrow, uneducated mind. It bespeaks a lack of knowledge and the ignorance of self-sufficiency. It expresses itself in ugly egotism and frequently in wanton mischief. …

Where there is appreciation, there is courtesy, there is concern for the rights and property of others. Without it there is arrogance and evil.

I believe that many people are unhappy because they have not learned to be grateful. Some carry the burden of bitterness and resentfulness for many years. Some pass their days as though suffering a deep sadness they cannot name. Others are unhappy because life didn’t turn out the way they thought it would.

“If only I had money,” some might say to themselves, “then I could be happy.”

“If only I were better-looking.”

“If only I were smarter.”

“If only I had a new car, a college degree, a job, a wife, hair that wasn’t so frizzy.”

If we only look around us, there are a thousand reasons for us not to be happy, and it is simplicity itself to blame our unhappiness on the things we lack in life. It doesn’t take any talent at all to find them. The problem is, the more we focus on the things we don’t have, the more unhappy and more resentful we become.

External conditions do not necessarily make a person happy.

Those who live in thanksgiving daily, however, are usually among the world’s happiest people. And they make others happy as well.

Gratitude turns a meal into a feast and drudgery into delight. It softens our grief and heightens our pleasure. It turns the simple and common into the memorable and transcendent. It forges bonds of love and fosters loyalty and admiration.

How do we make this part of who we are:

First, we must open our eyes:

Robert Louis Stevenson, who wrote, “The man who forgets to be thankful has fallen asleep in life” (Quotationary, electronic quotation dictionary). Unfortunately, because the beauties of life are so abundant, sometimes we take them for granted.

I encourage you to look around you. Notice the people you care about. Notice the fragrance of the flowers and the song of the birds. Notice and give thanks for the blue of the sky, the color of the leaves, and the white of the clouds. Enjoy every sight, every smell, every taste, every sound.

When we open our eyes and give thanks for the bountiful beauty of this life, we live in thanksgiving daily

The second thing we can do is open our hearts:

We must let go of the negative emotions that bind our hearts and instead fill our souls with love, faith, and thanksgiving.

Anger, resentment, and bitterness stunt our spiritual growth. Would you bathe in impure water? Then why do we bathe our spirits with negative and bitter thoughts and feelings?

You can cleanse your heart. You don’t have to harbor thoughts and feelings that drag you down and destroy your spirit. You can repent of uncleanliness. That is the miracle of Christ’s atoning sacrifice.

Open your heart to His cleansing word. Feast on the words of holy writ. Forgive others who have offended you. Don’t waste another moment feeling self-pity. Every day drain from your heart the feelings of resentment, rage, and defeat that do nothing but discourage and destroy. Fill your heart with those things that ennoble, encourage, and inspire.

The third thing we can do to live in thanksgiving daily is open our arms:

One of the best ways we show our gratitude is by blessing the lives of those around us. And how do we render thanks unto God? King Benjamin told us that as well: “And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God” (Mosiah 2:17).

When was the last time you told someone you love how much they mean to you? When was the last time you expressed your gratitude to someone who has always been there for you, someone who has sacrificed for you, someone whose heart has always been filled with hopes and dreams for you?

When was the last time you unselfishly reached out to help another in need? Every time we cheer another’s heart, every time we ease another’s burden, every time we lift a weary hand, we show our gratitude to that God to whom we owe all that we have and all that we are. The blessings that come from opening our arms to others are among the choicest this earth has to offer.

Don’t wait to start. Open your eyes, open your hearts, and open your arms. I promise that as you do so, you will feel greater joy and happiness. Your life will have a new level of meaning. You will forge relationships that will transcend this life and endure through the eternities."

President Gordon B. Hinckley has said: “My plea is that we stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight. I am suggesting that as we go through life, we ‘accentuate the positive.’ I am asking that we look a little deeper for the good, that we still our voices of insult and sarcasm, that we more generously compliment and endorse virtue and effort.”

excerpts taken from Joseph B. Wirthlin