healing power of gratitude

In the book of Luke, chapter 17, we read:

“And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem,that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.

“And as he entered into a certain village, there [he met] ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:

“And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.

“And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.

“And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,

“And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

“And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?

“There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.

“And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.” ²

The topic I will focus on this morning is how gratitude for our blessings..whether great or small, can help heal our souls in times of trial, heartache or struggle.

Just this past week, some friends of ours experienced a devastating tragedy. With their permission, I would like to share their story.

After struggling for years to conceive, Sarah and Darren finally got their wish, and 18 months ago had a beautiful baby girl named Brooke. What sweet new parents they were, so proud and attentive to little Brooke with her bright blue eyes. Unfortunately, a week ago Wednesday, tragedy struck when Brooke choked on a dry kidney bean. She suffered severe brain damage which resulted in nonstop seizures, forcing the doctors at Children’s Hospital to place her in an induced coma. The blog post Sarah wrote informing everyone of what was happening ended in the following paragraph:

We are so very thankful for all of the love and prayers offered for Brooke and ourselves. We are thankful for the power of the priesthood, and the love and service that have been given. We appreciate knowing that we have your shoulders to cry on, and your faith to lean on. And we're grateful for the many offers of help. We are thankful for the peace and strength that have been clear answers to heartfelt, pleading prayers. He gives us what we need to get through the next few hours, and then He gives us more. I pray that through your prayers for our sweet baby girl, that you will also experience that sweet peace, reassurance and strength. 

What an amazing example. Even in their darkest, most hopeless hours, Brooke’s parents expressed gratitude for their blessings. For the blessings of the priesthood, for the blessing of the comfort and prayers of others. And they selflessly expressed hope that OTHERS would feel sweet peace, reassurance and strength.

Here is their account of just last Sunday:

Today we watched videos of Brooke laughing, making faces, and exploring. We shared stories of all the ways she has brought joy into our life and sang Primary songs. We prayed and thanked God for the gift of 18 wonderful months with this precious little girl. With lots of family gathered around, Darren gave her a priesthood blessing. He told God that although we were here, asking for, and believing in the miracle of healing her, we were also at peace with returning her to His arms. 

Shortly afterwards, Brooke’s heart rate and blood pressure dropped rapidly and Sarah and Darren made the heartbreaking choice not to have her resuscitated.

Here is what Sarah wrote Sunday evening:

Brooke's time on earth is at an end. She has had an amazing and joyful life. She has done what she needed to, here on earth. She has made me a mother, and Darren a father. She has knit us so very close together. She has brought joy to everyone who has seen her. She has received her perfect, darling, chubby little body. She has lived every precious moment of her life to the fullest.

I hope that everyone who has hoped and prayed for our sweet little Brooke can feel some measure of the peace and grace we feel now. I know it is because of your powerful prayers and the mercy of God.

I have felt very close to the veil, and received wonderful spiritual impressions of the joy, beauty, and love in the place where Brooke is now. We feel that her spirit has left her body, and that she is in the arms of our loving Savior, and with family that loves and cherishes her. 

Sarah and Darren chose to have Brooke’s organs donated and on Thanksgiving morning, 3 separate children received her organs and are on their way to healthy recovery. 3 separate families had their prayers answered through Darren and Sarah’s faithful sacrifice. The final speaker at Brooke’s funeral said the following, “Seeing beyond what we only see as mortals is the test of this life.”

Sarah and Darren were able to do that..to see into eternity and understand the Lord’s plan for their family.

Instead of focusing on the pain and the heartache, they instead chose to count their blessings and focus on the joy that Brooke brought into their lives. They chose to look to God and recognize that He has a plan for all of us, even if we might not understand it at the time.

James E. Faust has said “Everybody in this life has their challenges and difficulties. That is part of our mortal test. The reason for some of these trials cannot be readily understood except on the basis of faith and hope because there is often a larger purpose which we do not always understand. Peace comes through hope.”

Wouldn’t you rather feel peace and hope and God’s love, rather than sadness, confusion, or even anger?

As demonstrated in Sarah and Darren’s recent experience, one vitally important key to finding that peace is through gratitude. Sometimes in our trials it is a difficult task to find even the smallest blessings. But, I promise that once you start counting your blessing, you will come to see the Lord’s hand in your life and feel the love that He has for you.

Bonnie D. Parkin in the April 2007 General Conference said,

Gratitude requires awareness and effort, not only to feel it but to express it. Frequently we are oblivious to the Lord’s hand. We murmur, complain, resist, criticize; so often we are not grateful.

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. Gratitude inspires happiness and carries divine influence. “Live in thanksgiving daily,” said Amulek, “for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you.”

I love that Amulek instructs his people to Live in Thanksgiving Daily. I love the challenge of noticing the wonder of the smallest things all around us in our lives.

How much more hope and joy would we have in our lives and in our hearts if we practiced this very concept?

There is a video that has recently been produced by the church entitled Thanksgiving Daily.

In it, several people of various age and race share the following message:

Our minds have a marvelous capacity to notice the unusual.

However, the opposite is true as well

The more often we see the things around us, Even the beautiful and wonderful things,

The more they become INVISIBLE to us

That’s why we often take for granted the beauty of this world:  The flowers, The trees, The birds, The clouds, ….EVEN those we love

Because we see things so often, 

We see them less and less.

Those who live in Thanksgiving daily, however,

have a way of opening their eyes And seeing the wonders and beauties of this world As though seeing them for the first time.

Look around you..Notice the people you care about

Notice the fragrance of the flowers and the song of the bird

Notice and give thanks for the blue of the sky, The red of the leaves, And the white of the clouds,

Every sight, every smell, every taste, every sound.

When we open our eyes and give thanks for the bountiful beauty of this life,

We live in thanksgiving daily.

President Thomas S. Monson in his talk entitled The Divine Gift of Gratitude said,

"A grateful heart comes through expressing gratitude to our Heavenly Father for His blessings and to those around us for all that they bring into our lives. This requires conscious effort—at least until we have truly learned and cultivated an attitude of gratitude."

Returning back the story of the Ten Lepers in the book of Luke…

Bonnie D. Parkin stated, 

“Isn’t it interesting that the Lord did not say, “Your gratitude has made you whole”? Instead, He said, “Thy faith hath made thee whole.” ⁷

The leper’s expression of gratitude was recognized by the Savior as an expression of his faith. As we pray and express gratitude to a loving but unseen Heavenly Father, we are also expressing our faith in Him. Gratitude is our sweet acknowledgment of the Lord’s hand in our lives; it is an expression of our faith.

I am thankful for the blessings that I have in my life. I am thankful for my testimony, I am thankful for the presence of the Holy Ghost in my life, I am thankful for Paul, and for Ava, Max, and Mabel. I am thankful for my Savior and His atoning sacrifice for me. I’m grateful for this opportunity that I’ve had to share this message of Thanksgiving and gratitude with you and to bear my testimony of the healing power of recognizing the blessings in our lives. EVEN when we might feel that there are few or even none. God loves each one of us and knows us intimately.

Matthew Chapter 6, verses 32 and 33 state,

“Your heavenly father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

how to be

23. And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submmissive‍ and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive.

24 And see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works.

Alma 7:23-24

unique feminine identity

taken from the september 2009 first presidency message in the ensign:

The lives of women in the Church are a powerful witness that spiritual gifts, promises, and blessings of the Lord are given to all those who qualify, “that all may be benefited” (D&C 46:9; see verses 9–26).

The doctrines of the restored gospel create a wonderful and “unique feminine identity that encourages women to develop their abilities” as true and literal daughters of God.

Through serving in the Relief Society, Young Women, and Primary organizations—not to mention their private acts of love and service—women have always played and will always play an important part in helping “bring forth and establish the cause of Zion” (D&C 6:6). They care for the poor and the sick; serve proselytizing, welfare, humanitarian, and other missions; teach children, youth, and adults; and contribute to the temporal and spiritual welfare of the Saints in many other ways.

Because their potential for good is so great and their gifts so diverse, women may find themselves in roles that vary with their circumstances in life. Some women, in fact, must fill many roles simultaneously. For this reason, Latter-day Saint women are encouraged to acquire an education and training that will qualify them both for homemaking and raising a righteous family and for earning a living outside the home if the occasion requires.

We are living in a great season for all women in the Church. Sisters, you are an essential part of our Heavenly Father’s plan for eternal happiness; you are endowed with a divine birthright. You are the real builders of nations wherever you live, because strong homes of love and peace will bring security to any nation. I hope you understand that, and I hope the men of the Church understand it too.

What you sisters do today will determine how the principles of the restored gospel can influence the nations of the world tomorrow. It will determine how these heavenly rays of the gospel will light every land in the future.

Though we often speak of the influence of women on future generations, please do not underestimate the influence you can have today.

eternal perspective

12 I say unto you that as I have been suffered to spend‍ my days in your service, even up to this time, and have not sought gold‍ nor silver nor any manner of riches of you;

13 Neither have I suffered that ye should be confined in dungeons, nor that ye should make slaves one of another, nor that ye should murder, or plunder, or steal, or commit adultery; nor even have I suffered that ye should commit any manner of wickedness, and have taught you that ye should keep the commandments of the Lord, in all things which he hath commanded you—

14 And even I, myself, have labored‍ with mine own hands‍ that I might serve you, and that ye should not be laden‍ with taxes, and that there should nothing come upon you which was grievous to be borne—and of all these things which I have spoken, ye yourselves are witnesses this day.

15 Yet, my brethren, I have not done these things that I might boast, neither do I tell these things that thereby I might accuse you; but I tell you these things that ye may know that I can answer a clear conscience‍ before God this day.

(Mosiah 2:12-15)

i was reading this in my scripture study today and trying to apply this to me in my life. and i thought of how i usually get down on myself as a mother for little things like speaking sharply to my son who is blowing a whistle in the house after i told him three times to please go outside. guilt about getting frustrated with the two year old who kicks and hits and screams every. single. time. she gets buckled into her carseat. but if i were to take a big step back. an eternal step back and look at the big picture of my life. as a woman, as a wife, as a mother, as a daughter, as a friend. then i can shrink those small blunders and notice how much bigger are the good things that i am doing in my life.

king benjamin pointed out all the bad things he wasn't doing and never did as a king. to perhaps help his kingdom see what a good king he was? perhaps to help him understand what a good king he was?

do i sometimes need to do this as a mother? remind myself that for all the little mistakes i make, i am still having daily scripture study with my children, i am still praying with them each day, i am still teaching them gospel principles and striving to help them build upon their own testimonies. the good i am doing will always outweigh the mistakes as long as i am applying the atonement in my life. each week, i partake of the sacrament and promise once again to be a better wife and mother. how wonderful to have that sacred ordinance to remind me of my eternal goals and my eternal purpose while on this earth.

hope

As parents, we find our fondest hopes center around our children. We hope they will grow up to lead responsible and righteous lives. Such hopes can be easily dashed if we do not act as good examples. Hope alone does not mean our children will grow in righteousness. We must spend time with them in family home evening and worthwhile family activities. We must teach them to pray. We must read with them in the scriptures and teach them important gospel principles. Only then is it possible our fondest hopes will be realized.

-Steven E. Snow
April 2011 General Conference

All of us can meet God’s high expectations, however great or small our capacity and talent may be. Moroni affirms, “If ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is [God’s] grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ” (Moroni 10:32). It is a diligent, devoted effort on our part that calls forth this empowering and enabling grace, an effort that certainly includes submission to God’s chastening hand and sincere, unqualified repentance. Let us pray for His love-inspired correction.

D. Todd Christofferson
April 2011 General Conference

humility

We can help one another as fellow Church members; it is one of the primary reasons that the Savior established a church. Even when we encounter mean-spirited criticism from persons who have little regard or love for us, it can be helpful to exercise enough meekness to weigh it and sift out anything that might benefit us.

D. Todd Christofferson
April 2011 General Conference