Gratitude

Jed and I were asked to speak in church the Sunday following Thanksgiving.  Our topic was Gratitude and I couldn't help but remember our experience with Lucas... a very short year ago.  I started re-reading my blog posts from that experience and knew that I needed to use it in my talk.

This time one year ago (Wed.) I was making me a nice bed on the not so comfy chairs at Primary Children's.  I knew I had a very sick little boy, but didn't know that we would spend the next 10 days on an up and down roller coaster.  I didn't know that I would end up crying over a mixed up poop sample.  I didn't know what HUS was or that there was such thing as e.coli O157:H7.  I did realize how much I love my family!  When I think back to that experience, I can't help but be grateful.

Gratitude

D&C 78: 17-19

November 29, 2009

Elder Joe J. Christensen recounts the story about a father aboard an airplane on a short business trip. He has with him his five-year-old son and is almost wishing his son were not there because it is a very rough trip. There are downdrafts and updrafts and head winds alternating with tailwinds, and some passengers are feeling a big queasy. Apprehensively, the father glances at this son and finds him grinning from ear to ear. ‘Dad,’ he says, ‘do they do this just to make it fun for the kids?’

When we find ourselves in hard times – are we like the little boy who found the joy in a very turbulent plane ride?

D&C 78:17-19 says:
17 Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are alittle children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you;
18 And ye cannot abear all things now; nevertheless, be of good bcheer, for I will clead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the driches of eeternity are yours.
19 And he who receiveth all things with athankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an bhundred fold, yea, more.

We should remember that happiness is a commandment and not merely a suggestion. When we are happy, gratitude tends to come a bit easier. President Monson said “our realization of what is most important in life goes hand in hand with gratitude for our blessings.”

An ancient Roman philosopher once said “Whatever hour God as blessed you with, take it with grateful hand, nor postpone your joys from year to year, so that in whatever place you have been, you may say that you have lived happily.”

In Luke 17 we read about the ten lepers;
12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were alepers, 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 the apriests. 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 him athanks: and he was a Samaritan.
17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten acleansed? but where are the bnine?
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.

Are we one of the nine who take for grant the blessings we receive or the one who returned to thank the Savior? I’m sure we have each found ourselves on both sides of the story. When things seem to be going well in our lives, do we stop, kneel down, and tell our Heavenly Father how grateful we are? Or do we only stop to talk to Him when we find ourselves in a pinch and life isn’t going quite as planned.

Elder Christensen said, in his talk ‘A Reason to Smile’ that besides the temporal blessings we may enjoy, to be appropriately grateful, we need to develop a full appreciation for having the privilege of being member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – of having the light of the gospel come into our minds, spirit, and hearts. That makes life even more meaningful.”

Each of us experience ups and downs. We will each have challenges that arise in our lives. Sometimes we find it hard to be grateful for our trials, but in each instance, we’ll look back, and amongst the trial, discover that there were little blessings to be grateful for.

This past January we experienced one of the hardest trials we’ve had so far as a family. Our oldest son, Lucas, became extremely sick right after New Years. He was eventually admitted to Primary Children’s where he would spend the next 10 days. The experience was extremely stressful and hard. I’ve never felt as helpless as a mother as I did watching him lie in his hospital bed. As I reflected on the experience shortly after being released from the hospital, I decided to write down everything I saw as a blessing.

• I am grateful that for a hospital that specializes in pediatrics and doctors who knew exactly what to watch for in his situation.
• The weather that allowed Jed to commute back and forth.
• I am grateful that it turned out to be e.coli. The other two alternatives they gave us would have been life long diseases.
• I am grateful for modern medicine that tells us when something is not right and in Lucas’ case told them he needed a blood transfusion twice.
• I am grateful that Lucas is healthy now.

I could go on about all the temporal blessings we received, but most importantly my testimony was strengthened by the spiritual blessings from my Father in Heaven…

• He blessed us with the priesthood. What a privilege to have the priesthood in our lives and watch it bless those who need it.
• He blessed us with a home teacher who was able to drop what he was doing to come assist Jed.
• He blessed us with temples. Lucas’ name was in at least 5 different temples and being prayed for by people we didn’t even know. The blessings of the temple bless the lives of everyone, even those who are not old enough to go.
• He blessed us with fasting. I’m grateful for the special fasts that were organized on Lucas’ behalf.
• He blessed us with prayer. I don’t think I’ve prayed so hard in my life. I am so grateful for a Heavenly Father who kept the comforter right by my side and allowed me to feel calm. I was pregnant at the time and could have potentially been a basket case!
• He blessed us with friends and an amazing ward who kept us in their prayers, called and even checked in on us at the hospital.
• He blessed us with the most amazing families. I am so grateful for the knowledge of eternal families. We can be together forever and that is an incredible promise if we live up to our end of the deal.
• He blessed us with faith. Faith that whatever happens may not be easy, but will be for our benefit. The Lord always has a way to teach us through our experiences.

The best part about the spiritual blessings is that they are for everyone. Yes the specifics of these blessing were for our family, but we all can experience the blessing of the temple, or prayer, or the priesthood.

President Monson said “Despite the changes which come into our lives and with gratitude in our hearts, may we fill our days as much as we can – with those things which matter most. May we cherish those we hold dear and express our love to them in word and in deed.

When we are feeling down, discouraged, depressed – for what ever reasons – Elder Christensen suggests we take a sheet of paper and write down the things we are grateful for in no specific order. Next take those blessings and prioritize them in another list. You may find that the blessings that you are most grateful for are without price. The blessings such faith, testimony and family we should not take for granted, but express our gratitude to the Lord for allowing those things in our lives. When find ourselves struggling we should pull out the list and remind ourselves how truly blessed we are.

An author once said, “Both abundance and lack [of abundance] exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend… when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that’s present – love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature, and personal pursuits that bring us [happiness] – the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience heaven on earth.”

I hope that we can all experience that heaven on earth by realizing everything our Father in Heaven has blessed us with. Like the scripture we were asked to talk on says, we don’t understand all the blessings the lord has in store for us, but if we receive everything with thankfulness, we will be glorious and the blessings will be add to us, even a hundred fold or more.

During this holiday season, may we be even more mindful and grateful for our Savior. For it is only through him that we can receive the ultimate blessing – eternal life.