This lesson was on gratitude if you haven't noticed by now. I'll admit, I don't remember most of the lesson, but I do remember the spirit I felt and it was a spirit worth having. It changed my day completely and the smile has not left my face. It made me want to take action to the point that I could not sit still. As I share some of my thoughts with you I want you to ask yourself these questions. Have I had a 'gratitude attitude' today? Have I smiled at someone? Have I stopped to help someone? Have I laughed with a friend? Have I taken time to sit and thank God for not only my blessings, but my trials? There are so many other questions you could ask yourself, but here are just a few. Ask yourself these questions every day and take action.
2 Corithians 8:8-9 "I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love. For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich."
Prove your sincerity and love. Prove that you believe. Prove that you are grateful. Christ gave us everything to the point that he had nothing. He was willing to go from rich to poor so that we may go from poor to rich. Be willing to go from rich to poor in order to help someone to go from poor to rich, because you will always be rich if you are grateful. It is something that you can obtain more of.
We live in a world where we have so much access to such wonderful things, but we have become so involved in these things that we just want more. We want and we want. We ask for more and we take more. When we are given less we complain. When we lose something we complain. We don't stop to think of those who have even less than we will ever have and they have never complained. They keep their hope and they keep their gratitude, because they are at the point that they cannot be given any less, they can only be given more.
President Thomas S. Monson said, "Through divine intervention those who were lepers were spared from a cruel, lingering death and given a new lease on life. The expressed gratitude by one merited the Master´s blessing; the ingratitude shown by the nine, His disappointment.
My brothers and sisters, do we remember to give thanks for the blessings we receive? Sincerely giving thanks not only helps us recognize our blessings, but it also unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel God´s love.
My beloved friend President Gordon B. Hinckley said, "When you walk with gratitude, you do not walk with arrogance and conceit and egotism, you walk with a spirit of thanksgiving that is becoming to you and will bless your lives."."
Take the time to be grateful, because it will only bless your life.
"Gratitude is a feeling of appreciation and thankfulness for blessings or benefits we have received. As we cultivate a grateful attitude, we are more likely to be happy and spiritually strong. We should regularly express our gratitude to God for the blessings He gives us and to others for the kind acts they do for us.The Lord has promised, "He who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious" (D&C 78:19). Gratitude is an uplifting, exalting attitude. People are generally happier when they have gratitude in their hearts. We cannot be bitter, resentful, or mean-spirited when we are grateful.We should be thankful for the wonderful blessings that are ours and for the tremendous opportunities we have. We can be thankful to our parents, family, friends, and teachers. We should express appreciation to everyone who has assisted us in any way.We should thank our Heavenly Father for His goodness to us by acknowledging His hand in all things, thanking Him for all that He gives us, keeping His commandments, and serving others. We should especially thank Him for His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, for the Savior's great example, for His teachings, for His outreaching hand to lift and help, for His infinite Atonement."We watched a video about some people who decided to spend a week in a camp in Uganda. From the outside the camp looked fine, but once you were on the inside you realized their suffering. They only have one pair of clothes every week. They don't have socks or shoes. They don't have what we are so blessed to have. A boy named Sunday - who knows English better than most in his camp - tells them that he wants to become a doctor, because there aren't even 1,000 doctors in Uganda. He doesn't want his people to suffer and he wants there to be more doctors. Not once did you see this boy without a smile, a sincere smile. He believes that the rest of the world cares about them, cares about their suffering. So, care.
Lastly, I was given a challenge. My teacher said that very few of his students have taken up the challenge and I have decided that next week I am going to do it. I have changed it around a little bit to fit my rules:
The Moccasin Walk Challenge
- No cell phone--at all
- No iPods or CDs
- No TV, movies, or video games
- Sleep on the floor with no pillow
- No fast food
- Eat only one or two meals a day
- No snacks
- No superfluous (unnecessary) purchases
- No driving
- Only cold showers
- Wash clothes and dishes by hand
- Give money normally spend on food and entertainment as offering
- Give half your paycheck to humanitarian aid, Perpetual Education Fund, etc.
Now, I challenge you to take on The Moccasin Walk Challenge and I promise it will bless your life. You will be filled with gratitude to have a bed to sleep in, to have warm water to shower with, to not have to worry about your meals. Leave you comments if you are willing to take on this challenge. I will keep you posted on how my challenge is going next week. It will be hard, but it will be worth every second.
Christ gave us everything. Give back by giving everything to someone else and that is everything, that is what will make you rich. I am so grateful to have been given the life that I have. When I was given this lesson I realized how selfish I am. I don't always stop to think how blessed I am. I am so grateful to have been given the trials that I have had. I love my trails and the person that they have made me. I am grateful for the people who have been put in my path to teach me and to strengthen and comfort me. I am grateful for the amazing friends I have been given this year. I am grateful for their love and I am grateful that they are there for me. I am so grateful for Christ and my Heavenly Father who have sacrificed so much for me. Now, I want to give back to them. I want to become poor so that I may become rich.
Just a few of the people I'm grateful for :)
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