Even though Thanksgiving is sadly over, I believe it is still so important to carry with us an attitude of gratitude and to "... live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you." (Alma 34:38) Just because the season of giving thanks is over, doesn't mean we can't be thankful anymore!;)
Today in Gospel Doctrine class someone made a comment that really stood out to me. It was something along the lines of how Heavenly Father does not ask us to be thankful and express our gratitude to Him so that He can obtain self gratification... In other words, He does not have the mindset of "Oh, I gave you everything so say thank you." He wants us to express gratitude to benefit ourselves. Because when we are thankful, our attitude changes. We become humble, teachable, broken-hearted, we recognize where and how we receive those blessings, and essentially we really are becoming like our Savior Jesus Christ. We start to develop Christlike attributes. I personally have experienced the effects of how an attitude of gratitude impacts you immensely. I have those days -like we all do- where I am bitter, frustrated, annoyed, etc. Basically just those days when you're down in the dumps and your thoughts go from positive to negative real quick. You start to think of all the things going wrong, things that aren't perfect, things you wish you could change, etc. instead of the many things that are right in your life, which are many, we just have a hard time realizing it sometimes. It is so easy and it does not take much effort to complain about our problems. We can all agree with that, right? Satan tries to get at us that way, trying to convince us that we have nothing to be happy about or how we have nothing which to be thankful for. He is so so wrong!! Do not let his pathetic influence effect your perspective and attitude. We have power over the adversary. We have power over the unembodied. Dieter F. Uchtdorf once said, "Never give in. Never surrender. Never allow despair to overcome your spirit." If you are having a hard time trying to find the good and positive in life, pray for help to recognize those things in your life! We are human, we all struggle with these things, it is okay. Just realize that when you sincerely pray for guidance, you will get it :) I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends. I certainly did!:) Happy Sunday! Ness <3 Here are some pics of me and my beautiful cousins on Thanksgiving!
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"But Alma said unto him: Thou hast had signs enough; will ye tempt your God? Will ye say, Show unto me a sign, when ye have the testimony of all these thy brethren, and also all the holy prophets? The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator." -Alma 30:44
Today in Sacrament meeting, there were some pretty dang good testimonies shared! All of them were beautiful and I sensed a theme that they all kind of unified... All things denote there is a God. The word denote in the dictionary says "Be a sign of; indicate." Some synonyms are: designate, indicate, be a mark of, signify, signal, symbolize, represent, mean. Everything that was shared today just all tied together and I felt the spirit reassure me like "Yes! The Church is true. The teachings we have are true, this gospel is perfect and beautiful." I've been thinking about this topic a lot lately. All around us is opposition. There are always going to be people that do not agree with you, or you aren't going to see eye to eye. That is normal in our church. The beautiful thing is, is that we know this is the true gospel and we can stand up for our beliefs. If you have not yet found that out for yourself or you are still unsure, I invite you to take your concerns to your Father in Heaven and ask Him:) He is there and He hears your prayers. He will listen! The Mormon Channel on YouTube posted a video titled "I Am Here" a few weeks ago and I love it!! The description of the video says: "The eight Bonner siblings and their parents, all talented vocalists in their own rights, gathered from around the country to compose and record this original song based on the hymn “I Need Thee Every Hour.” Debra and Harry Bonner served as Baptist missionaries in Africa before becoming members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In this powerful performance, they and their children, who are also members, share the message dearest to their hearts: We need Him, and He is here." CLICK HERE to watch it! I am grateful for all the assurances that there indeed is a God, A Father in Heaven, who loves us perfectly. I am grateful for the stunning sunrises that Heavenly Father gives us that reminds us the light always comes. Light is always there. I am grateful for each day my Father in Heaven gives me even when each day isn't always the best, yet there is something good in every day. (It may take a little squinting to see it;) I am grateful for the whisperings of the spirit that assure me things are going to be okay, I can calm down, and trust in my Savior and God. I encourage you to take time out of your busy day and ponder, reflect, think, pray, etc. to just realize how blessed you are and all the beautiful things/"signs" around you that there is a God. He is aware of you. He loves you and He has a plan for you. Trust that. Take time to look up at the blue sky, look at the mountains (if you live in Utah;), gaze at the sunrises and sunsets, breathe it all in. You will feel at peace and you will feel joy. I hope you all have a fantastic Sabbath and great upcoming week! Love you all! Ness |
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Ponderize Of The Week:
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed." - James 1:5-6 Quote Of The Week:
"Give it to God and go to sleep." - Unknown |