I'm going to be cliche this week and write about gratitude. Not only has it been on my mind because of the holiday but also because I got asked to give a talk about it on Sunday. Yipee. So I've been doing some studying on gratitude and the gospel and I've learned a few things. Probably the most profound thing I learned came from a talk given by James E. Faust called "Gratitude as a Saving Principle". He talks about how gratitude is actually a commandment and a very important thing for us to do. This is the part that struck me the most:
"It
seems as though there is a tug-of-war between opposing character traits that
leaves no voids in our souls. As gratitude is absent or disappears, rebellion
often enters and fills the vacuum. I do not speak of rebellion against civil
oppression. I refer to rebellion against moral cleanliness, beauty, decency,
honesty, reverence, and respect for parental authority."
Basically he is saying that when we lack gratitude, then usually negative thoughts and traits enter our minds in place of it.
So What:
Well I think we all know gratitude is important but I think most of the time we think its just because it makes a humbler. I think I've rarely thought of it as something that protects my soul from "imorality, dishonesty or disrespect". Its really necessary if we ever want to understand other godly traits. And while I think for the most part I'm not an ungrateful person, I probably don't voice it or make it apparent enough for people to know that
Now What:
So I guess my learning experiene for this is to have more gratitude in my life. If I want to protect myself from those negative attributes, I need to make thanksgiving a daily occurence.
What a powerful phrase by Elder Faust. I feel like this is such a great reminder to us as we go throughout our days as to why gratitude is so important. I love the imagery that is presented before us, "as gratitude is absent or disappears, rebellion often enters and fills the vacuum." Gratitude is a strong force in our lives that fills part of our soul. Like you, I want to think of it more along these lines because it will bring a stronger meaning as I fill the gratitude part of my soul!
ReplyDeleteEarlier today I was discussing with my sister my thoughts on "An Endurance of Faith" (the lesson she will be giving in Relief Society next week), and my first thought was about gratitude. I have noticed in my own life that if gratitude and positivity is low, then my endurance concerning faithfulness is typically low, and vice versa. So when I read your post, I thought, "This is exactly what I was TRYING to say! Gratitude is a protectant, not just a virtue that is nice to have." Thanks for articulating my thoughts so concisely!
ReplyDeleteI like this approach to gratitude! I love discovering new ways to look at things, especially those things to which we are exposed the most. The way you found to look at gratitude is particularly helpful because it gives me a benefit: protection. I now have a good reason to be grateful more often.
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