In a previous article, we discussed how appropriate it is that we begin the holiday season with Thanksgiving. Someone said that gratitude is the gateway to heaven and is not only the greatest of virtues but the parent of all others. We all work harder when people express their love and appreciation to us for our efforts. It feels good to see others’ eyes sparkle when we express our appreciation to them?
Every marriage is blessed when spouses declare their gratitude for each other. Every family member shines as parents freely express gratitude to their children and as children express appreciation to their parents. Homes where this is done seem all ablaze with love.
In their anecdotes, those who have died and been resuscitated impressively speak of the intense love they felt while they briefly visited the spirit world. Upon returning to mortality, they emphasize their love for family and friends. They are more affectionate, tender and grateful individuals, and sometimes manifest complete character reversals. We can learn from their experiences and examples by giving up our petty hurts and grudges and by counting our blessings.
Gratitude, a divine gift, can be cultivated by expressing thanks in all things and at all times. While we cannot expect to be happy all the time, it is possible to be happy most of the time as we maintain hearts full of appreciation. Giving thanks can dispel gloom and despair. It is difficult to be depressed and be full of thanksgiving at the same time. Gratitude is synonymous with rejoicing in the Lord for all that we have. It cultivates a spirit of abundance even when we are economically poor. Posting Psalms 118:24 somewhere in our homes can provide us with this daily reminder: “This is the day the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
The Savior healed ten men of dreaded leprosy, and the story teaches us the importance of gratitude. (Luke 17:11-19). What a life-changing experience this must have been for those men! As lepers they were outcasts of society, suffering from a disease for which there was no cure and cut off from family and friends. Think what it must have been like to be isolated from everyone, never feeling the warmth of a hug or a tender touch from loved ones, and having to warn people to maintain their distance by crying, “Unclean, Unclean!” That was all changed in an instant.
Of course, those healed went away rejoicing. Yet of the ten who were so miraculously healed, only one returned to give thanks and “to give glory to God.” The Savior, who must have felt hurt and disappointed, asked a penetrating question, “Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine” (Luke 17:19).
How often has God performed miracles in our lives that we have barely noticed? We don’t want to lack gratitude like the nine who failed to give thanks for being healed. What spectacular moments or quiet miracles can we acknowledge this Thanksgiving season and every day?
God has promised us the abundant life as we give thanks for the gift of His son. We praise Him for His love. When we pray, we first give thanks for our blessings before seeking His help with those issues troubling us. As often as our petitions are granted, may we rush to give thanks to God and to acknowledge His hand in all things. It is amazing how an attitude of gratitude can lead us into a life of near perpetual joy.
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