In All Things



 D&C 59:21 teaches a foundational doctrine:

"And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments."

This scripture has been cited more than 75 times by prophets and general authorities.  75 times!! Obviously this is a scripture we should pay attention to! Here are just a few of the ways they prompt us to increase and show our gratitude for all we have been blessed with from our Heavenly Father. 

Elder Eyring notes that we thank God through how we honor and keep the Sabbath Day holy.

Elder Andersen says we thank God by looking around and finding God's hand not just in the big stories in far away places, but in the tiny miracles around us in our daily lives. 

Paul B Pieper prompts that we thank God by tuning into the promptings of the Spirit, reflecting on them and taking the time to write them down for ourselves and our posterity.

Elder Cook says, "It is extremely important that we have a spirit of gratitude in our hearts."

Carl B Pratt explains that paying our tithes and offerings helps us "develop a submissive and humble heart and a grateful heart that tends to “confess … his hand in all things”.

Elder Bednar challenges us to occasionally offer prayers filled with exclusively gratitude; don't ask for anything, just give appreciation.

Thomas S Monson reminds us that ingratitude is among the most serious sins, and likewise gratitude among the greatest virtues.

Neil A Maxwell teaches that we show gratitude by not murmuring.  He also says we can choose to build the habit of always offering thanks before we ever enjoy the fruits of His blessings. 

Gordon T Watts explained that we show gratitude by embracing joy and happiness.  "We must use caution not to be drawn into the growing populous of ungrateful people who have become calloused to blessings as they bicker in misery."

Lynn A Mickelson cautioned that we show gratitude by putting God first no matter what, never letting any worldly thing become more important. 

Helio R Carmago warns of how pride in our own achievements gets in the way of our true gratitude. "May human pride and pretensions never arise in us to cause us to imagine in those moments of personal victory or accomplishment that it is by our own merit that we have achieved."

James E Faust reminds that showing gratitude to the Lord  "is more than a social courtesy; it is a binding commandment."

Finally, while not citing this specific scripture, Bonnie D Parkin eloquently summarized, "Gratitude is a Spirit-filled principle. It opens our minds to a universe permeated with the richness of a living God. Through it, we become spiritually aware of the wonder of the smallest things, which gladden our hearts with their messages of God’s love. This grateful awareness heightens our sensitivity to divine direction. When we communicate gratitude, we can be filled with the Spirit and connected to those around us and the Lord".  

One of these in particular stood out to me, so I know that's the one I would be wise to work on next.  Which one stands out to you?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Trust

Image
  As I was riding a bike down the former train route along the Idaho-Montana border, I had hours to quietly reflect and appreciate the lush mountain landscape extending around me as far as I could see.   I was in a prayerful state, open to the promptings of the Spirit.   At one point I came to the edge of a meadow and needed to sit and rest for a bit.   There I found a lovely rustic bench made from a tree right there in the forest.  And it occurred to me how often the things we need are right there in our lives around us. The people, the resources, our talents and gifts. Psalm 34:8 lovingly promises “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him”. He will provide.   And as we learn to recognize that help, we will become more grateful and happy. 
Read more

Pancake Stirrers

Image
 Have you ever found yourself super upset over a rather simple offense? Generally when that happens it is actually due to much more than that incident.   It is likely just that incident that was the last straw, or used up your final bit of patience. Yesterday I had a student come to my room absolutely outraged.   She has a significant trauma history and so has learned to fight at all costs. Her counselors and our staff are working to help her build some new, more effective ways of dealing with frustration and confrontation. In this instance her role in her culinary arts class was to stir the pancake batter.   Only someone else did and her immediate reaction was to want to fight her. She knew that wasn’t appropriate so walked out and came to my room. After she had vented and calmed down, we talked through it.   Humor is a very effective tool for her so after gauging her body language I simply asked, “Are you going to let your whole day be ruined because someone else stirred the pancakes
Read more

Entitlement

Image
  As we stopped to get family donuts this morning, the sign in the restroom caught my eye. “Please be considerate of others and clean up any messes you may have left.” It reminded me of a sharp contrast I observed several years ago.  As a young class visited the restroom, a student balled up their paper towel and attempted to toss it into the trash can from across the room. He missed and went over to pick up the paper. His teacher immediately stopped him and commented, “Oh you don’t need to pick that up, that’s what we have janitors for.” What a missed opportunity. The child had naturally felt responsibility for his own actions and had tried to pick up his mess. Yet instead of helping cement that foundation of personal accountability, the teacher had reinforced entitlement and laziness. This same attitude is increasingly prevalent in society today.   It sounds like “Why should I have to?”, “Someone else will do it” or “It’s not my job”. Elder Dallin H Oaks stated, “The values of the wo
Read more