Gratitude: A Heart of Thanksgiving

With Thanksgiving tomorrow gratitude has been on my mind. Sister John pointed out to me a scripture that has really got me thinking even more about gratitude. It is in Alma 10:5 and it is Amulek speaking of his conversion as a missionary in his home town. This is what he says, "Nevertheless, after all this, I never have known much of the ways of the Lord, and his mysteries and marvelous power. I said I never had known much of these things; but behold, I mistake, for I have seen much of his mysteries and his marvelous power; yea, even in the preservation of the lives of this people." What Sister John pointed out to me is that Amulek had had God's hand in his life all along, but he hadn't always noticed it. Looking back now, he sees that the Lord has been there every step of the way in his life. He even sees clear back to his fathers and all that they have been delivered from and how grateful he is for that. In short, he begins to have true gratitude in his heart. My mother has a similar idea that is probably currently sitting in some prominent area of her home. Every November she gets out a fake bonsai apple tree and places a wooden figurine of a hog or pig under neath. She has a quote that says something along the lines of "ingratitude is like a pig eating apples and never looking up to see the tree they come from". As I have thought of these things I realized something; gratitude truly is for us. Like any other commandment from our loving Heavenly Father it is for our benefit. Think of the fruits of gratitude-contentment, selflessness, closeness to God, joy, a feeling of peace with what you have, a heart full of love for those people around you... The list goes on and on. I know when I take a step back and think of everything I have been given and all that I have and all that the Lord has promised we will have as we endure I cannot help but feel overwhelmed by a peace and love for life, my Savior, and my family. In essence, I have found that I am happiest when I am grateful. I am most full of charity when I am grateful. I am more like my Savior when I am grateful. And now, I realize, that it is a commandment with blessings, just like any other commandment we are given. So, though I know that gratitude should come out of sincere love, respect, and awareness of our Heavenly Father, I also know that He has asked to be grateful not really much for His sake, but for ours. I have come to realize it is just another gift from Him for the betterment of our lives. I have come to realize that gratitude is a gift we give ourselves by commandment of our Father above. And so, I have found that I have yet another great thing to be grateful for this Thanksgiving: gratitude. May we all fill our hearts with it so that we can truly enjoy this season of blessings and begin to have the happiness and joy that comes from a heart full of thanksgiving for our God.

My Dad

November is the month to be grateful, and I have a lot to be grateful for. Wonderful parents, sisters and brothers, good friends, an incredible trainer, wonderful members, and the breathtaking big sky of Montana. But what I want to focus on right now is my Father. I know its not Father's Day, June is a ways away, but I still want to pay tribute to him today. My Dad is amazing. There are a lot of reasons why but what I love most about him is how he has taught me by example of God's love for all of us. In the last Conference President Urchtdorf taught us about God's love for us by relating to us the story of Moses. Moses had grown up as the Prince of Egypt. He has been surrounded by architectural, cultural, and scientific wonders. He has grown up by the side of the Pharaoh-a man revered and respected as a god. He had grown up with every opportunity to have success and wisdom of the world. In essence, he had grown up thinking that man is great, that man has and will accomplish incredible things, that man is everything. But Moses had an experience that would change this forever. He sees God and all He has created. The expanses of stars, planets, and worlds untold. Overcome by the majesty of it all he falls to the ground and proclaims "Now, for this cause I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed." (Moses 1:10) Who wouldn't feel that way after beholding what Moses saw? And yet in the very same chapter we learn an eternal truth that is vital for us to understand, "For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39) Despite all that He has created, despite all that He is and will continue to be, God loves us and cares for us so deeply, that WE are His work and His glory. This incredible being cares deeply and individual for us so much that He is willing to do all He can to make sure we have success, that we become, and that we return to Him. Why? Simply because we are His children. We do not have to do anything to qualify for his love. We do not have to prove or accomplish or overcome anything for Him to love us; He already does and He always will-forever. This perfect unconditional love is majestic and humbling. It is something I am still wrapping my head around. But I would like to pay tribute to the man who has taught me more about this than anyone else: My Dad. He is amazing. He has accomplished and overcome incredible things, both in the world and as a worthy Priesthood holder of God. He's an incredible surgeon, can ski both on the lake and mountain, knows doctrine in depth, can fix things from cars to broken hands, and yet this man, highly educated in the world of science and refined spiritually by trial, has and always will love each and every one of his children. I know this because he lets us know by his actions and words every day. I have never in my life met someone who cares so much for his family simply because they are that; his family. No matter what I do or have done, no matter my successes or failures, my Dad has always loved me just the same, because I am his daughter. I could always count on him after a big race, test, or performance to be excited and happy for me despite the outcome. Whether first or last place it was always the same; he was always proud of me and happy for me and glad I had at least tried. His tenderness and love is hard to explain or convey to anyone else, but I feel it so deeply that I know it is there with all my heart. This is exactly how I know our Heavenly Father feels about each and everyone of us. It is impossible to convey or describe, but impossible to deny once felt. I thank my Dad every day for teaching me about the Lord's love for me and every one of his children, and I try everyday to love as he loves. I testify that God loves us, and that really truly feeling that makes all the difference in the world. Its there if we will just recognize it and allow it to enter our hearts and if we do, we will feel and know this is true, and doing so will make all the difference in the world. Thanks Dad for showing me it is there...

Telephone Poles

 

The other day Sister John and I were driving to Conrad. I was a little tired so I was just looking out the window at the horizon and thinking. Being a new missionary can be overwhelming at times, as is any new stage we go through. With so many new things to learn and understand, so many new people to know, and so many directions to have down pat, I was feeling very flustered. I kept thinking, "life will sure be nice once..." and I mentally listed a million things-when I have the lessons down, or when I can get from town to town without a GPS, or when I teach enough that I don't feel like I am going to pass out with nerves. As these thoughts chased each other I stared at the long gravel road I noticed the telephone poles standing erect far into the horizon. I noticed that the further away the telephone poles were, the closer together they seemed to be. I looked behind, and noted the same phenomenon. It was then something hit me, a lesson that I have always struggled with; the time to be content is NOW. I noticed that a lot of times, just as the telephone poles looked closer together in the horizon, I think the future looks a lot better, easier, or more exciting. But that is all it is-it only looks that way. As soon as we drive a few miles we get to those telephone poles and realize that they are exactly the same distance apart-that we have been bamboozled. We then look ahead and see more, drive to them earnestly, and find them to still be the same distance apart. At this point we might begin to look back at the telephone poles we have already passed, and see that now, suddenly, they look closer together, and we begin to wish to be back where we were. And I realize, looks are really deceiving. Instead of deciding to be happy "when", and speed my truck towards the next telephone pole, I need to enjoy the now, because really, every moment in life can and should be enjoyed, because really, every moment in life is exactly the "same distance apart", just like those telephone poles...