Today’s Reading: Mosiah 2: 18-37
20 I say unto you, my brethren, that if you should render all the thanks and praise which your whole soul has power to possess, to that God who has created you, and has kept and preserved you, and has caused that ye should rejoice, and has granted that ye should live in peace one with another—
21 I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another…
Our great God is so good to us. We are His creations, in fact, His work and glory. (i) He mourns with us through our trials and rejoices in our accomplishments. He is in the details of our lives (ii) and we are daily debtors to someone that we can never truly repay. Amazingly enough, however good He is to us, it can be so easy to lose sight of what He does for us on a daily basis.
Sometimes, we forget that we are watched over, taken care of and adored by a Heavenly Father. Sometimes, we forget that we are doing our part in our Heavenly Father’s plan and that He, alone, is the author. This was me, once upon a time, when my trials seemed so great that I couldn’t see the good. I would tearfully plead, for hours at a time, with my Father, whose answer of, “no,” or at least, “not right now”, fell on my deaf ears.
The strange thing is, 16 years later, I still experience the same challenges. I thought that, by now, this particular trial would have ended, but, it hasn’t. I can tell you of a mighty change that has occurred in me, however. No longer do I fret and fear and beg my Father. My life strategy is simply this: I thank Him. I thank Him for warning me when needed. I thank Him for a mother who is such a beautiful role model. I thank Him for the temple that is within walking distance to my home. I thank Him for the opportunity to be a wife and a mother. I thank Him that I have energy, when I do, and that I made it through another day, when I don’t. I thank Him for taking care of our needs when it didn’t seem possible. I thank Him for experience that I wouldn’t trade for anything because it has made me into a stronger woman. Most importantly, I thank Him for the priceless opportunity to walk with my Savior on a daily basis. I still ask, but I accept His answer and am focused on what I do have. Here’s the wonderful part: I am happy! I have a firm belief in an “Attitude of Gratitude.” (iii)
It strikes me, that King Benjamin had developed an Attitude of Gratitude. In his final address, he turns his reign as king over to his son Mosiah because of poor health, and in fact, he said his, “whole frame doth tremble”. He had worked long and hard and was now about to return to that God who did, indeed, lend him breath. No words of self pity or complaint escaped his lips. Instead, he taught his people about a great God and that they should be thankful to Him. We are fortunate to have, among our scriptures, record of King Benjamin’s final words in which He gives credit and praises His God, even while facing imminent death. Gratitude had become part of his being.
Yes, life can be difficult, but we can choose to see beauty through ashes and charm in the rain. Like King Benjamin, we can be grateful as we thank Heavenly Father for our trials, even during our greatest struggles. Truly, we can experience profound peace in the midst of tumultuous waters when gratitude is our companion.
Jeni Brockbank and her husband Bart are parents to 6 amazing children. She finds great joy in being a wife and mother and feels that both callings are sacred privileges. Jeni is a continual student of the scriptures and loves to share her testimony with anyone who will listen. She teaches choir, is crafty and is grateful on a daily basis to live a few blocks from the Brigham City, UT temple.