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

the atonement

"The one message Satan does not want us to know or understand or apply is what Elder Bednar has called "the enabling power of the Atonement," because without that understanding we are miserable like he is. This is the one message he doesn't want us to get."


Carolyn J. Rasmussen at BYU-Idaho, Oct. 2009

testimony

something upsets the rhythm of our lives--a crisis, a mistake, a temptation, a distraction.

in a moment, life changes and we are left searching for answers.
this is a critical time of decision.
how will we react?
where will we look to find the answers we need?

this is the moment when eternal destinies are forged in the quiet reaches of the heart and mind as we struggle to respond to a personal trial. at such moments we can choose to remember the spiritual witnesses and testimony we have received and rely on the Lord to help us through the challenge in a way consistent with His teachings and commandments.

or we can discount the sacred whisperings we have received from the Spirit and turn to our own or another's wisdom for a solution.

as John saw, in the end only those who choose to rely consistently and completely on their testimonies will be able to overcome all things in mortality and stand worthily before God at the last day.

from the article Trials and Testimony
by Elder Paul B. Pieper

service

i've always loved serving. probably because my parents were such good examples of service. if anyone called them, at any time, they would help out. no matter what. it was never a question of convenience or choice. and as i grew older i joined them on service projects, visits to women's shelters, delivering meals and the fun of secret Christmas drop offs. church was a major influence as well since a lot of what we do as Christians is service oriented. in october's general conference, elder quentin l. cook spoke about what a prominent rabbi observed regarding us as members:

...there are two very different reasons people engage in acts of kindness and generosity. Some people visit the sick, assist the poor, and serve their fellowmen because they believe it is the right thing to do and others will reciprocate and do the same for them when they are in need. He explained that while this is good, builds caring communities, and should be considered a noble reason, a higher motive is when we serve our fellowmen because that is what we believe God wants us to do.

He stated that as a result of his visit, he believed the Latter-day Saints undertake welfare and humanitarian efforts and the work of salvation in our temples in order to do what we believe God wants us to do.

but..my whole reason for getting on this subject was to share a story that tells a little bit about me and who i am. a story from my past.

when i was in high school, my family always did the 12 days of Christmas for a few families in the neighborhood. i absolutely loved this. doorbell ditching and leaving treats and the risk of getting caught is just so exciting. well, my brothers and i each took turns doing the drop off. and one night it was my turn.

the family we had chosen for this particular year lived in a house that was up on a hill. the front window was wide open and there were no trees in the yard, only rows of tall pine trees on either side of the house. so the obvious decision i made in this covert operation was to ring the doorbell, bolt through the trees and wait in the shadows.

so, with my plan in mind, i crept up to the door quietly, put down the treats, rang the bell and turned on my heels as fast as i could and ran to my left through the pine trees. unfortunately i didn't make it very far because unbeknownst to me, there was a chain link fence concealed between the trees that i ran smack into. like a cartoon, i bounced off the fence and landed flat on my back. and lay there in a daze till i realized that the family was coming to the door and no matter what, i couldn't be caught. so i rolled over, my head throbbing and crouched down against the fence waiting for them to come out..praying that they wouldn't catch me. and that's when i felt the blood running down my face and realized my nose was bleeding pretty bad.

well, i didn't get caught and i had quite a huge bruise on my forehead for a while but it has always been a fun story and obviously an extreme example of how i truly love the joy that comes from serving and will go to great lengths to do so. i have a testimony of service and know that when i serve others i am serving my father in Heaven. i know that when i'm being a little too narcissistic or feeling a little mopey that serving someone is an instant pick me up. above all i am grateful for my Savior and his example of service to others.

love

In 1st John, Chapter 4, Verse 7 we read:
.. let us a love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth
is born of God, and knoweth God.

Upon returning home from his day’s work, a father greeted his boy with a pat on the head and said, “Son, I want you to know I love you.”

The son responded with, “Dad, I don’t want you to love me, I want you to play football with me.”
Isn’t that true?
That the very most important thing about love is not saying it.
But rather, what we do and how we show that love?

Elder Marvin J. Ashton said,
The world is filled with too many of us who are inclined to indicate our love
with an announcement or declaration.
Love demands ACTION if it is to be continuing.
Love is a process.

A process…
Which to me means,
Love takes TIME.
True love is selfless. It is completely and utterly forgetting oneself in the love of others.

Of course….
When I was writing this talk, I thought mostly of improving my action of LOVE in accordance with those who I am around most..
my children and husband.
Who, unfortunately, in the midst of our busy daily lives are sometimes the ones I forget to
slow down, take time and SHOW love to.
But, along with those I live with, I also thought of others.. friends or family who I see frequently or only a few times a year, those I visit teach or serve in my calling and even strangers I see at the grocery store or the park.

In the book True to the Faith, we are counseled:
Our love for those around us increases when we remember that we are all children of God—that we are spirit brothers and sisters. The love that results from this realization has the power to transcend all boundaries of nation, creed, and color.

In a book I am currently reading, called the Creative Family, the author gives the following simple advice:
Take things a bit slower when you’re out in the world so you have the time to say “thank you” with a smile. And thank your children! Simply because something is expected doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be recognized. Tell them you’re grateful for them every single day.

What better way to show love to those around us then by expressions of gratitude?

On Friday I went shopping with all three kids to Trader Joe’s.
Now, if you’ve ever been in Trader Joe’s, you’ll notice that it’s small.
Small aisles, small carts and lots of people.
So, there I was with my short list that suddenly didn’t seem so short anymore because along with getting all the items on my list, I also had in tow:

a talkative three year old who wanted to touch everything in sight as well as help push the cart in every other directions other than the one it was supposed to go,

a six year old who was obviously hungry because she was asking to buy everything in every aisle we went down whining loudly when I said “no”.

not to mention a four month old who was struggling with every movement to extract herself from the baby bjorn I had her strapped in.

I finally made it through the store with everyone and everything intact and all the items from my list in the cart, {give or take a few.}

and breathed a huge sigh of relief as we got in line to checkout.

Not a moment later an older lady walked straight up to me and said,
“I’ve been watching you and your family and just had to tell you how well behaved your children are. I’ve been there before and know how hard it is and I wanted to tell you that you’re doing a wonderful job.”

Well, the stress of shopping with three kids and the relief at being done and her saying that when I was at my weakest brought instant tears to my eyes. I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for this kind, kind woman who didn’t just passively observe us and move on, but had the initiative to come up to us and tell us what she thought.

After she walked away I told the kids what she had said and in turn, expressed gratitude to them for being so good. Even though in the midst of the chaos I hadn’t noticed it, they were well behaved.

They were just being kids.

And I was just being a stressed out mom. For the rest of the day, I periodically thanked them for being such good kids. And when I tucked them into bed reminded them of how much I loved them and am grateful for them.

I wonder if that woman knew what a chain reaction she started on Friday? And what an angelic answer to prayers she was?

I wonder if any of us know what would happen if we were to follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost to say something or do something when we’re inspired to. To show love to those around us.

In a 1998 First Presidency Message entitled How do we Show our Love? President Monson said:

Of all the blessings I have had in my life, one of the sweetest is that feeling the Lord provides when I know that He has answered the prayer of another person THROUGH me. As we love the Lord, as we love our neighbor, we discover that our Heavenly Father will answer the prayers of others through our ministry.

Paul’s parents just left on Tuesday after spending last weekend with us. They usually come and visit us a few times a year and whenever they come they do the same three things:

ONE They do the dishes after every meal.
TWO They spend time with the kids. {and I mean down on the floor playing cars or drawing with them or reading stacks and stacks of books for hours at a time.}
And THREE they say thank you and give honest, heartfelt compliments of how proud and grateful they are for all of us.

They never do these things half hearted. They are done with their full attention and done the best they know how. Those three things and many other things they do for us, show us how much they truly love us. They are acts of love that will never be forgotten.

There are everyday instances where we can express and practice love the way the Savior taught.

In True to the Faith we are reminded that in serving others we are not only expressing our love towards them but to our Heavenly Father. I quote:

Our expressions of love for others may include
being kind to them, listening to them, mourning with them, comforting them, serving them,
praying for them, sharing the gospel with them, and being their friend.

In all of the scriptures, do we ever read of the Savior declining a chance to teach, to perform a miracle, or to display his godly love?

If we are to follow his example, if we are to show our love to God, we must do the same. When we are with the ones we love, we should forget email, that project we need or want to get done, forget phone calls and texts and our to-do lists and just BE with the ones we love.

All of the other things can wait.

And no, I’m not forgetting about life. I’m not forgetting that laundry still needs to be done, as well as dishes, homework, lessons and housework.

I’m only saying that when you’re with the ones you love, BE WITH THEM.

My disclaimer before I finish, is that I’m not saying I do this all of the time. Or even some of the time. I’m not saying it’s easy. But it’s what we should do if we are to follow the Savior’s counsel.

Once again, from true to the faith, we read:
Our love for those around us increases when we remember that we are all children of God—that we are spirit brothers and sisters.

I echo Elder Marvin J. Ashton in saying,

I pray our Heavenly Father will help us to learn the truth that meaningful love is a continuing process that will bring joy and happiness to all participating parties.
May we take the time to show our families, our friends, the stranger, our prophet, and our God that our declarations of love are backed up by performance by our daily lives, that we know for love to be acceptable to God and man it must be continuing and originate from within.

I am grateful for this life and the chance I have to better myself each and every day. I am grateful for Paul who loves me and serves me and who for some reason thinks I am better than I actually am. I am grateful for my sweet children from whom I have learned the value of slowing down and enjoying the little things in life. I am thankful for my Savior and the atonement. Without which I would not have the blessing of repenting and improving myself. And I am thankful to a Heavenly Father who knows me and whom I strive to know and stay close to. I know that without his guidance, I could do nothing.

Let me close by returning to 1st John Chapter 4 where we read in verse 10:
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he love us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
..if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Christ

i know i've probably blogged about this chapter before but i just read it in my daily reading this morning and it touched me once again. i love the word of God.

He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation.

Behold, doth he cry unto any, saying: Depart from me? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; but he saith: Come unto me all ye ends of the earth, buy milk and honey, without money and without price.

Behold hath he commanded any that they should depart out of the synagogues, or out of the houses of worship? Behold, I say unto you, Nay.

Hath he commanded any that they should not partake of his salvation? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but he hath given it free for all men; and he hath commanded his people that they should persuade all men to repentance.

Behold, hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of his goodness? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but all men are privileged the one like unto the other, and none are forbidden.

his hand

fasting

i think these verses of isaiah, regarding the blessings of the fast, are so beautiful and poetic. i have received countless blessings from fasting and and am so grateful for this commandment.


is not this the fast that i have chosen?
to loose the bands of wickedness,
to undo the heavy burdens,
and to let the oppressed go free,
and that ye break every yoke?

is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry,
and that thou bring the poor
that are cast out to thy house?
when thou seest the naked,
that thou cover him;
and that thou hide not thyself
from thine own flesh?

then shall thy light break forth as the morning,
and thine health shall spring forth speedily:
and thy righteousness shall go before thee;
the glory of the Lord shall be they rereward.
{protection}

then shalt thou call,
and the Lord shall answer;
thou shalt cry, and he shall say,
Here I am.
if thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke,
the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;

and if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry,
and satisfy the afflicted soul;
then shall thy light rise in obscurity,
and they darkness be as the noonday:

and the Lord shall guide thee continually,
and satisfy thy soul in drought,
and make fat thy bones:
and thou shalt be like a watered garden,
and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

and they that shall be of thee
shall build the old waste places:
thou shalt raise up the foundations
of many generations;
and thou shalt be called,
the repairer of the breach,
the restorer of paths to dwell in.

isaiah 58:6-12

control

a very large ship is benefited very much by a very small helm in the time of a storm, by being kept workways with the wind and the waves.

therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.

d&c 123:16-17

ether

"neither at any time hath any wrought miracles until after their faith."

ether 12:18

in all my preparation for what lay ahead i constantly prayed for faith. the other word that hung in the air, fear, was one that i never even allowed to enter my mind or reach my lips. i was adamant that i would allow the power of my mind and my words to control the coming situation. so fear was not in my vocabulary. and shouldn't ever be, really.

and when i've read this scripture before, i've always considered the enormous miracles. instead of the little ones. for good reason, though. the entire chapter is one verse after another of miracles coming because of the faith of various prophets and missionaries. ammon, lehi and nephi, alma and amulek. all very substantial and amazing miracles.

not to say that childbirth is not a substantial miracle but today while reading this chapter and this verse in particular, i applied it to me and my situation. and the months and days leading up to my choice to remain focused, faithful, calm and in control when the time came to give birth to my child. and i did. and that miracle came because of my extreme faith. i don't think i've ever prayed as much as i did while i was in labor.

"for if they humble themselves before me, then will i make weak things become strong unto them."

i felt so unbelievably weak and incompetent at the time. and scared. but i had those months of prayer and those months of determination and those feelings throughout that i could do this. and it was truly miraculous that i conquered and did it and the Lord answered my prayer and helped me through it.

that afternoon while holding my hours old baby, my miracle, i said a fervent prayer to my Heavenly Father, thanking him for the help i knew i could not have done without. He strengthened me when i was at my weakest and i love the knowledge and comfort i have that i can call upon Him anytime, anywhere for any reason.

women

now more than ever, we need women to step up and be strong. we need women who declare the truth with strength, faith, and boldness. we need women to set an example of righteousness. we need women to be "anxiously engaged in a good cause." we need to live so that our lives bear witness that we love our Heavenly Father and the Savior Jesus Christ and that we will do what They have asked us to do. we need to rescue "all that is finest down deep inside of us" so that as daughters of God we can do our part to build the kingdom of God. we will help you do this. as joseph declared, "if you live up to your privileges, the angels cannot be restrained from being your associates."

Barbara Thompson
Second Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency

better

i feel like general conference was an enormous wakeup call for me. i have been so down in the dumps and sick and tired and hormonal. and very selfish. i felt like i've been in survival mode for the past two months and have only cared about myself and doing what will make me feel better or what will not make me feel sick. what i'm trying to write out here, is that i have been very un-Christlike in my thoughts and actions. and so many talks this morning just hit me smack in the face. forced me into this realization of my selfish ways. how grateful i am for the counsel of our modern day leaders. counsel that i know comes straight from the Lord. i only took shorthand notes during conference and look forward to the full transcripts so that i can get the full quotes, but in the meantime i will summarize what touched me most.

henry b. eyring's talk this morning about unity made a big impact on me.
he quoted matthew chapter 7 verses 1-2:

judge not, that ye be not judged.
for with what judgement yet judge, ye shall be judged;
and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

of course we all want to be at one with Christ and with our fellow saints, to be unified. but, lately i have lost sight of this. i have been thinking rude thoughts and allowing myself to be offended by silly things. i even went to far as to vent to two friends. who were so kind and listened but i apologize to them for it. i need to begin right now to be more Christlike, more forgiving and focus on looking for opportunities to serve others.

unity

the first presidency message in the friend this month is on unity.

this quote touched me:

if we are to have unity, there are commandments we must keep concering how we feel. we must forgive and bear no malice toward those who offend us. the Savior set the example from the cross: "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" {Luke 23:34}. we do not know the hearts of those who offend us. nor do we know all the sources of our own anger and hurt. the apostle Paul was telling us how to love in a world of imperfect people, including ourselves, when he said, "charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil" {1 Corinthians 13:4-5}.

i pray that i will have more charity, more patience and more love towards those around me. especially towards those who offend me. "we do not know the hearts of those who offend us." how so true to remember. everyone has their own burdens they are carrying. it is a command from the Lord to be Christlike and charitable to everyone.

motivation

i read this story from the Friend to ava last night before putting her to bed. her and i had a talk about righteous things that motivate us in our lives. and unrighteous things that we should look out for and be careful about. it is written by President Uchdorf:

Our motives and thoughts ultimately influence our actions. Let me share a personal experience from my own youth about the power of righteous motives.

After the turmoil of the Second World War, my family ended up in Russian-occupied East Germany. When I attended fourth grade, I had to learn Russian as my first foreign language in school. I found this quite difficult because of the Cyrillic alphabet, but as time went on I seemed to do all right.

When I turned 11, we had to leave East Germany overnight because of the political orientation of my father. Now I was going to school in West Germany, which was American-occupied at that time. There in school all children were required to learn English. To learn Russian had been difficult, but English was impossible for me. I thought my mouth was not made for speaking English. My teachers struggled. My parents suffered. And I knew English was definitely not my language.

But then something changed in my young life. Almost daily I rode my bicycle to the airport and watched airplanes take off and land. I read, studied, and learned everything I could find about aviation. It was my greatest desire to become a pilot. I could already picture myself in the cockpit of an airliner or in a military fighter plane. I felt deep in my heart that this was my thing!
Then I learned that to become a pilot I needed to speak English. Overnight, to the total surprise of everybody, it appeared as if my mouth had changed. I was able to learn English. It still took a lot of work, persistence, and patience, but I was able to learn English!
Why? Because of a righteous and strong motive!

The testimony of the truthfulness of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is the most powerful motivating force in our lives. Jesus repeatedly emphasized the power of good thoughts and proper motives: “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not” (D&C 6:36).

The testimony of Jesus Christ and the restored gospel will help us in our lives to learn of God’s specific plan for us and then to act accordingly. It gives us assurance of the reality, truth, and goodness of God, of the teachings and Atonement of Jesus Christ, and of the divine calling of latter-day prophets. Our testimony motivates us to live righteously, and righteous living will cause our testimony to grow stronger.

this morning during sacrament meeting there was a talk given about what our motivation is in our lives. and if it is gospel centered, like it should be. this man talked about how family wasn't as important to him growing up as it should be. but as he grew older and times changed and his dad eventually passed away, he realized just how important family was in his life. and he realized that having an eternal family was his motivation in his life. he emotionally spoke of the loving looks his wife give him that remind him of the importance of an eternal family. and the times when he is tickling his son and having fun with him that remind him of the importance of an eternal family. it touched my soul to hear this man speak. to realize that that is one of the main motivating forces in my own life. and i am so grateful for it. how blessed i am to have a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and to always be striving to have an eternal family. to help my children learn all they can about our Savior Jesus Christ and what He would have us do.

lighthouse

whenever we are inclined to feel burdened down with the blows of life, let us remember that others have passed the same way, have endured, and then have overcome. when we have done all that we are able, we can rely on God's promised help. you have access to the lighthouse of the Lord. there is no fog so dense, no night so dark, no mariner so lost, no gale so strong as to render useless the lighthouse of the Lord. it beckons through the storms of life. it seems to call, 'this way to safety; this way to home.'

~President Thomas S. Monson

unprofitable servant

i say unto you, my brethren, that if you should render all the thanks and praise which your whole soul has power to possess, to that God who has created you, adn has kept and preserved you, and has caused that ye should rejoice, and has granted that ye should live in peace one with another--

i say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you fro day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another --i say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants.

and behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you.

~king benjamin in the book of mosiah {mosiah 2:20-22}

the book of mormon

know ye that ye must come unto repentance, or ye cannot be saved.

know ye that ye must lay down your weapons of war, and delight no more in the shedding of blood, and take them not again, save it be that God shall command you.

know ye that ye must come to the knowledge of your fathers, and repent of all your sins and iniquities, and believe in Jesus Christ, that he is the Son of God, and that he was slain by the Jews, and by the power of the Father he hath risen again, whereby he hath gained the victory over the grave; and also in him is the sting of death swallowed up.

and he bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead, whereby man must be raised to stand before his judgement-seat.

and he hath brought to pass the redemption of the world, whereby he that is found guiltless before him at the judgement day hath it given unto him to dwell in the presence of God in his kingdom, to sing ceaseless praises with the choirs above, unto the Father, and unto the Son, and unto the Holy Ghost, which are one God, in a state of happiness which hath no end.

therefore repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus, and lay hold upon the gospel of Christ, which shall be set before you, not only in this record but also in the record which shall come unto the Gentiles from the Jews, which record shall come from the Gentiles unto you.

for behold, this is written for the intent that ye may believe that; and if ye believe that ye will believe this also; and if ye believe this ye will know concerning your fathers, and also the marvelous works which were wrought by the power of God among them.

and ye will also know that ye are a remnant of the seed of Jacob; therefore ye are numbered among the people of the first covenant; and if it so be that ye believe in Christ, and are baptized, first with water, then with fire and with the Holy Ghost, following the example of our Savior, according to that which he hath commanded us, it shall be well with you in the day of judgement. amen.

~mormon 7:3-10

foundation

and now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

~helaman 5:12

mothers

the preservation of the 2,060 young warriors of helaman in the book of alma is a favorite story of mine. it is a wonderful story of faith. but i don't think i've truly noticed this verse before...

and now, their preservation was astonishing to our whole army; yea, that they should be spared while there was a thousand of our brethren who were slain. and we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God, because of their exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe--that there was a just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his marvelous power.

~alma 57:26

what unbelievable faith! that they would faithfully head towards their possible death without flinching in their faith is astounding to me. the part that most struck me was what they were taught: that there was a just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his marvelous power. i hope i am instilling this faith and knowledge in my children. by what i teach them and especially by my example.

how to be

when i read this a few days ago i had my kids on my mind. and the ways i need to be a better parent. and so i read it like advice to parents of how they should raise their children. this is alma couseling his son helaman in how to be with the people of the church and how to be as an individual in the gospel:

..teach them an everlasting hatred against sin and iniquity.

preach unto them repentance, and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ; teach them to humble themselves and to be meek and lowly in heart; teach them to withstand every temptation of the devil, with their faith on the Lord Jesus Christ.

teach them to never be weary of good works, but to be meek and lowly in heart; for such shall find rest to their souls.

o, remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth; yea learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of God.

yeah, and cry unto thy God for all thy support; yea let all they doings be unto the Lord, and withersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of they heart be placed upon the Lord forever.

counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.

~alma 37:32-37