An Attitude of Gratitude

To my daughter,

                  This week in our Come, Follow Me reading we have the story of the ten lepers. Luke recorded the account this way: “As he entered into a certain village, there met him 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.” That was the miracle, and we learn about the Savior’s power from just that much of the story. But the main lesson for us is in what happened next: “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” (Luke 17:15-19). Far too often we are like the nine in this story; the Lord blesses us but we do not take the time to thank Him. I want to encourage you today to strive to be like this one Samaritan who remembered to thank the Lord—I know that our lives are happier and more fulfilling as we learn to frequently thank the Lord and others. As President Monson liked to teach, we should cultivate in our lives an “attitude of gratitude.” We want to live such that it is simply our nature to be grateful for the bounteous blessings we receive each day. At the end of each day as you pray, seek to remember all the blessings that the Lord has given you and express your gratitude for each of those.  

                One of my favorite stories about gratitude comes from the book The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. She was a Dutch woman who was sent to a concentration camp during World War II with her sister Betsie. They were Christians and through a miracle they managed to sneak in a Bible to the camp, and they would secretly read it at night with others. It was an activity that would no doubt have been severely punished if they were caught. Betsie, a woman of great faith, suggested to her sister that they needed to do as Paul commanded and “In every thing give thanks” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Seeking to follow this counsel, Betsie gave thanks to the Lord for the terrible fleas that were in their sleeping quarters. Corrie, on the other hand, suggested that “there's no way even God can make me grateful for a flea." Can you imagine thanking the Lord for fleas that filled your room as you tried to sleep? But that’s what Betsie did, and she eventually found out truly why there was reason to be grateful for the pesky insects. One day she overheard a Nazi guard express his disgust at their barracks and suggested he would not go in there because of the fleas. Betsie exclaimed to Corrie: “Because of the fleas! That’s what she said: ‘That place is crawling with fleas!’” In other words, they were able to read in the Bible freely and weren’t stopped by the guards thanks to the fleas that kept them away. I want to encourage you today to find ways to be grateful even for those things that seem difficult or annoying. You can even give thanks for challenging homework assignments or siblings who annoy you or a To Do list that seems way too big. As you try to find reasons to be grateful even when you feel like complaining, I know that the Lord will help you to feel more joy each day.

                Elder Bednar encouraged us to occasionally offer prayers in which we only expressed gratitude without asking for anything. He said this, “The most meaningful and spiritual prayers I have experienced contained many expressions of thanks and few, if any, requests. As I am blessed now to pray with apostles and prophets, I find among these modern-day leaders of the Savior’s Church the same characteristic that describes Captain Moroni in the Book of Mormon: these are men whose hearts swell with thanksgiving to God for the many privileges and blessings which He bestows upon His people (see Alma 48:12)…. Let me recommend that periodically you and I offer a prayer in which we only give thanks and express gratitude. Ask for nothing; simply let our souls rejoice and strive to communicate appreciation with all the energy of our hearts.” I encourage you to try that today—say a prayer in which you only express thanks, and try to go past the few phrases you might normally say to express gratitude. Think of the little things in life—there are lots—for which you have reason to give thanks to the Lord for His goodness. You'll be amazed at what you find! 

Love,

Dad