I have been thinking a lot about gratitude this week and doing some studying about it.
In the scriptures we read:
In Palms 100: 3-5
3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
5 For the Lord is good; his mercy iseverlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
Alma 34:38
that ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you.
Serving a full-time mission has helped me focus more clearly on the blessings the Savior is in my life probably because He is the center of our purpose out here! He is everything! The reason for hope when life gives us challenges. He is Joy because all that is lost will be made right in the end because of the atonement. He is my sure foundation and with Him I can do all that is asked of me even when it seems overwhelming!
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf an apostle in the church of Jesus Christ said..,
Both Elder Davis and I have had moments where we wondered if we can do or keep up with the pace of Mission life. We come home every night literally exhausted but as we exercise faith and put forth effort miracles happen and every morning we are, as a dear friend says “Happy Thank You” and ready and Grateful to serve again.
“We can choose to be grateful, no matter what.
We sometimes think that being grateful is what we do after our problems are solved, but how terribly shortsighted that is. How much of life do we miss by waiting to see the rainbow before thanking God that there is rain?
Being grateful in times of distress does not mean that we are pleased with our circumstances. It does mean that through the eyes of faith we look beyond our present-day challenges.
This is not a gratitude of the lips but of the soul. It is a gratitude that heals the heart and expands the mind”
A song that says it so well..
When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings; name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done. …
So amid the conflict, whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged; God is over all.
Count your many blessings; angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.3
Elder Uchtdorf continues…
True gratitude is an expression of hope and testimony. It comes from acknowledging that we do not always understand the trials of life but trusting that one day we will.
Often we feel grateful and intend to express our thanks but forget to do so or just don’t get around to it. Someone has said that “feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”
So as Elder Davis and I count our many blessings and don’t want to wrap something we don’t give😉 Here are some of our greatest blessings in life!
LOVE of eternal companions! How BLESSED I am to serve with Elder Davis as my companion. Each morning we kneel in prayer together and count our many blessings then as we walk to the car one of us leads out “Love you Sister Davis” and the other responds “Love you Elder Davis” or vise versa and we truly do🥰
WONDERFUL Parents who continue to teach us by word and deed what eternal love truly is and siblings, nieces & nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins whom we love DEARLY!
AMAZING Children who cheer us on and support us even when we call and need help again and AGAIN 😂 The Greatest decision n our life was when we decided to become parents. LOVE YOU!💞
MAGNIFICENT Grandchildren who bring us JOY beyond measure when they check in and we get a text that says “ love you more than you can say” or “How’s it going?”
FOREVER Friends who mean more to us than we can express in words. Thank you. You have blessed our lives!
Our Savior Jesus Christ.
“He taught us how to pray. He taught us how to serve. He taught us how to live. His life is a legacy of love. The sick He healed; the downtrodden He lifted; the sinner He saved.”
And who made possible all the above and so much more! We are FOREVER GRATEFUL ❣️
Skittles❣️ Elder and Sister Davis