Self Care: Gratitude
What am I
grateful for today?
INTRODUCTION
With a focus on
being spiritually strengthened, in order to create joy you want to work on your
Self Care. It is vital to have an outlook full of hope and gratitude. To truly
succeed in creating joy in your life, Spiritual Strength and Self Care must
matter a great deal to you.
An
important part of receiving blessings from God and growing spiritually is
recognizing and being grateful for the blessings you have received. A true
attitude of gratitude opens the windows of heaven even wider.
There
is a need to count our blessings more often. Individually, as couples, and as
families, we need to take time occasionally to remember all the many ways we
have been blessed throughout our lives.
Henry B Eyring
said, “ You could have an experience with the gift of the Holy Ghost today. You
could begin a private prayer with thanks. You could start to count your
blessings, and then pause for a moment. If you exercise faith, and with the
gift of the Holy Ghost, you will find that memories of other blessings will
flood into your mind. If you begin to express gratitude for each of them, your
prayer may take a little longer than usual. Remembrance will come. And so will
gratitude.” (Henry B Eyring, Remembrance and Gratitude, Ensign, Nov 1989, 11)
As
we do this, not only will we recognize that our Father in Heaven loves us and
consistently blesses us, but we will also be filled with gratitude. Sincere
feelings of gratitude bring the Spirit into our hearts.
POINTS TO PONDER
· Feeling
and expressing gratitude to God will help me to draw closer to my Heavenly
Father and feel his Spirit in my life.
· Gratitude
will open the doors to an abundant life.
· With
my mind fixed firmly on gratitude, purpose and direction, I can endure
difficulties and still have faith, hope and charity.
SUPPORTING
SCRIPTURES AND QUOTES
Feeling and expressing gratitude to God will
help me to draw closer to my Heavenly Father and feel his Spirit in my life.
“Thou
salt thank the Lord thy God in all things.” (Doctrine & Covenants 59:7)
“That
ye contend no more against the Holy Ghost, but that ye receive it, and take
upon you the name of Christ; that ye humble yourselves even to the dust, and
worship God, in whatsoever place ye may be in, in spirit and in truth; and that
ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth
bestow upon you.” (Alma
“If
ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place
among the noblest of virtues.” (Thomas S Monson, Ensign, Nov 2008, 84-87)
“Sometimes
it is easy to miss the wonderful blessings that surround us. But as we live
with a spirit of thanksgiving we will be able to see how the Lord has blessed
us.” (Caroline H Benzley, Be Grateful, New Era, Mar 2002, 37)
“Sincere
expression of gratitude and obedience to Heavenly Father are necessary for all
His children if they are to please Him. The Lord taught ‘And in nothing doth
man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess
not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments.’ (Doctrine and
Covenants 59:21; Book of Mormon Student Manual 2009 p. 14)
“Walk with
gratitude in your hearts… Be thankful for the wonderful blessings which are
yours. Be grateful for the tremendous opportunities that you have… Thank the
Lord for His goodness to you. Thank the Almighty for His Beloved Son, Jesus
Christ, who has done for you what none other in all this world could do. Thank
Him for His great example, for His tremendous teachings, for His outreaching
hand to life and help. Thank about the meaning of His Atonement. Read about Him
and read His words … Read them quietly to yourself and then ponder them. Pour
out your heart to your Father in Heaven in gratitude for the gift of His
Beloved Son… Let a spirit of thanksgiving guide and bless your days and nights.
Work at it. You will find it will yield wonderful results.” (Gordon B Hinckley , Ensign, Jan 2001, 2)
“Prayer
is an essential part of conveying appreciation to our Heavenly Father. He
awaits our expressions of gratefulness each morning and night in sincere,
simple prayer from our hearts for our many blessings, gifts, and talents.
Through expression of prayerful gratitude and thanksgiving, we show our
dependence upon a higher source of wisdom and knowledge – God the Father and
his Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (Robert D Hales, Ensign, May 1992,
64; Book of Mormon Student Manual p. 321)
Gratitude will open the doors to an abundant
life.
“He
who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the
things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more.”
(Doctrine and Covenants 78:19)
“The
spirit of gratitude is always pleasant and satisfying because it carries with
it a sense of helpfulness to others; it begets love and friendship, and
engenders divine influence. Gratitude is said to be the memory of the heart.”
(Joseph F Smith, Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed. [1939], 262)
“Gratitude
is a sign of maturity. It is an indication of sincere humility. It is an
indication of sincere humility. It is a hallmark of civility. And most of all,
it is a divine principle. I doubt there is anything in which we more offend the
Almighty than in our tendency to forget His mercies and to be ungrateful for
that which He has given us. Where there is appreciation, there is also courtesy
and concern for the rights and property of others. Without these, there is
arrogance and evil. Where there is gratitude, there is humility instead of
pride, generosity rather than selfishness.” (Gordon B Hinckley, Standing for
Something 2000 p. 90)
“Gratitude
is an uplifting, Exalting attitude. You can probably say from experience that
you are happier when you have gratitude in your heart. You cannot be bitter,
resentful or mean-spirited when you are grateful… Work at being grateful. You
will find that it yields wonderful results.” (True to the Faith p. 78-79”
“You
are one of the noblest of God’s creations. His intent is that your life be
gloriously beautiful regardless of your circumstances. As you are grateful and
obedient, you can become all that God intends you to be.” (Richard G Scott,
Finding Joy in Life, Ensign, May 1996, 24)
With my mind fixed firmly on gratitude,
purpose and direction, I can endure difficulties and still have faith, hope and
charity.
“In
every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning
you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
“This
being the beginning of a new year, my heart is filled with gratitude to God
that He has preserved my life, and the lives of my family, while another year
has passed away. We have been sustained and upheld in the midst of a wicked and
perverse generation, although exposed to all the afflictions, temptations and
misery that are incident to human life; for this I feel to humble myself in
dust and ashes, as it were, before the Lord.” (Joseph Smith, Teachings of
Presidents of the Church, p. 233)
“When
we give thanks in all things, we see hardships and adversities in the context
of the purpose of life. We are sent here to be tested. There must be opposition
in all things. We are meant to learn and grow through that opposition, through
meeting our challenges and through teaching others to do the same.” (Dallin H
Oaks, Ensign May 2003, p. 97; Book of Mormon Student Manual p. 50)
“How
much should we pay in fast offerings? My brothers and sisters, the measure of
our offering to bless the poor is a measure of our gratitude to our Heavenly
Father. Will we, who have been blessed so abundantly, turn our backs on those
who need our help? Paying a generous fast offering is a measure of our
willingness to consecrate ourselves to relieve the suffering of others.”
(Joseph B Wirthlin, May Ensign 2001, 75; Book of Mormon Student Manual p. 118)
“Humility
and submissiveness to the Lord, coupled with a grateful heart, are our strength
and our hope.” (Richard C Edgley, Ensign, Nov 2003, 98; Book of Mormon Student
Manual p. 370)
APPLICATION
· What
can I do to develop a deeper gratitude for the blessings I enjoy?
· How
often do I express gratitude to my Father in Heaven for the blessings he has
blessed me with?
· Do
I consciously make an effort to recognize with gratitude the actions of those I
love and associate with?
· Do
my actions and attitude in life reflect the gratitude I feel for the blessings
I enjoy?
· In
what ways has a grateful outlook blessed my life?
GOALS AND IMPRESSIONS
Use
this space to set goals that will help you develop a deeper gratitude for the
multitude of blessings which you are the recipient of. Record any notes or
impressions you may have had as you pondered the quotes and references.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SOURCES CHAPTER
3 – Gratitude
· The
Standard Works
· True
to the Faith 2004
· The
Gospel and the Productive Life Student Manual Religion 150, 2004
· Book
of Mormon Student Manual 2009
· Teachings
of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young; Joseph Smith
· Mormon
Doctrine, Bruce R McConkie 1979
· The
Miracle of Forgiveness, Spencer W Kimball
· Conference
Ensigns and Church Magazines
· Teaching
No Greater Call 1999
ADDITIONAL
SOURCES
· Standing
for Something by Gordon B Hinckley 2000
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