Thursday, November 18, 2010

Grateful

"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...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."

President Joseph F. Smith as quoted by President Monson (in this talk)

I love this month and the opportunity it gives us to be thankful and live with more gratitude. There is very little place for worry or fear or sorrow when I think of the tremendous blessings and abundance of love in my life. It may seem that life is pretty perfect for me, but I have my own shadows and struggles which are hard to handle at times. And my only real solace has come because of my Savior, His atonement and unwavering love for me. These alone are blessings beyond measure, but I know that because He loves me, He blesses me with so much even when He cannot fix all woes or change all that I ask Him too.

In the last few months I have truly seen His hand in my life. As I have fasted and prayed for 3 different family members facing very serious physical ailments, my prayers have been answered. And even though I was among so very many in each situation pleading with heaven for help and healing, the personal prayers from my mouth and my heart were heard--and answered quickly and easily so that all are healthy and well.

I find it amazing (and humbling) that it takes 3 near miracles in a row for me to see the hand of God in my life--to wake me up to the knowledge that He is listening and answering many of my prayers all the time. I have prayed for healthy babies when I am pregnant, for good friends for my children, for inspiration when teaching the Young Women, for Olivia to have a good rest after a bad night, for my husband to return safely to us each night after work. These prayers have been answered time and time again and yet, how often do I take them for granted? How often do I take enough time at the end of the day to see all that is good and beautiful in my life and then convey that gratitude as I pray? I need to remember all the small and simple blessings in my life along with the great and miraculous ones.

And those blessings I still need (even the ones I have been pleading for for years) will continue to be part of my daily prayers--I realize that they're helping me develop more faith and teaching me about trusting in the Lord. But they're also helping me recognize more and more the profound love and true happiness I feel right now. For these I am eternally indebted.


2 comments:

Heidi said...

I heard about Maggie's babe- such good news!

And when prayers are not answered in the way we ask, it is never for naught. There is always a reason and a plan. For that I am extremely thankful.

Anonymous said...

So true (your post as well as Heidi's comment). If Heavenly Father solved every problem for us, we would never learn. In order to become like Him, we must prove ourselves and strong faith is required. When our prayers are answered, it is a blessing that cannot be overlooked. I feel like tragic things are happening all around and I am grateful that some scary situations lately have turned out for the best. Cath is alive and well, Mom can speak again, Maggie's baby will be ok. These are significant blessings for which I am grateful.

I just read a blog that discussed the change in attitude that comes when you replace "I HAVE to" with "I GET to." I get to change diapers and tickle a silly little one on his chubby thighs while I am doing it, I get to drive my kids to their practices so that they can learn about sacrifice and diligence and hard work, I get to make dinner and feed my children healthy things, etc. The emphasis from anything negative or inconvenient is taken away and a blessing is instantly made clear. My goal is to do that all month so that I can recognize the smallest blessings in my life.

Great post Care.