Giving Thanks Talk

This is the talk that I gave in November when we were asked to speak in church. It's really just for my own record...

There are many things that we can be grateful for as we come into this holiday season. You've heard the talks many times before about how we should show our gratitude and ways that we can do this, but why should we even be grateful?

President Hinckley wrote a book called Standing for Something and in this book, one of the neglected virtues that will heal our hearts and homes is gratitude. He writes, "Gratitude is a sign of maturity. 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."

President Hinckley is so keen to articulate the reasons WHY we should be grateful. If we are here on this earth to become more like our Heavenly Father or more exalted, what better way to do it than through the simple task of consistently being grateful and appreciative to gain these valuable virtues and add them to our characters.

So just how can we be grateful? What is there to be grateful about in these troubled times? Rhett and I have mapped out 5 main categories in which we feel we are given the valuable opportunity to be grateful in our lives. So, kids, I want you to listen up. Especially kids from 1st grade on. I know it's difficult for you to listen but we wanted to make it easy for you. I want you to hold up your fingers. Every time we name one of those categories in which we can be grateful, you can put your finger down. When all five fingers are down, we will be finished with our talks.

We can be grateful as Children of God, as Americans, as Spouses, as Parents and as Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

First, as Children of God we have been given the light of Christ to shine as a beacon to all the earth. Moroni 7:19 says, "Wherefore, I beseech of you, brethren, that ye should search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil; and if ye will lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn it not, ye certainly will be a child of Christ. "

Understanding where we come from and where we're going as Children of God helps us to grab hold of opportunities to be grateful. Said the Lord in a revelation given through the Prophet Joseph Smith, "In nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things."

President Monson encouraged us to be "found among those who give our thanks to our Heavenly Father. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues."

There is no more compelling motivation to worthwhile endeavor than the knowledge that we are children of God, the Creator of the universe, our all-wise Heavenly Father!

Children of God have always been commanded to give thanks. There are examples throughout the Old and New Testaments. The Apostle Paul wrote, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” . The prophet Alma taught, “When thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God.” And in modern revelation the Lord declared that “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."

Next, as Americans living in this foreordained land, we have the responsibility and overwhelming evidence of far too many reasons why we should be grateful.

President Monson gave some great insights in his talk An Attitude of Gratitude. He said, "When we ponder that vast throng who have died honorable defending home and hearth, we contemplate those immortal words, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." The feelings of heartfelt gratitude for the supreme sacrifice made by so many cannot be confined to a Memorial Day, a military parade or a decorated grave.

President Hinckley also talks about our great land in his talk, "With All Thy Getting, Get Understanding."

“It is difficult for [most] North Americans to understand the plight of people in underdeveloped countries, because [most of us] have never been hungry. No one dies here of starvation. Elsewhere more than 1,500 million people go to bed hungry every night. … The fact is that not more than one in a hundred of the people in underdeveloped countries will ever, in all his life, have what a North American family would consider a good, square meal.”

Cultivate a spirit of thanksgiving for the blessing of life and for the marvelous gifts and privileges each of us enjoy. The Lord has said that the meek shall inherit the earth. I cannot escape the interpretation that meekness implies a spirit of gratitude as opposed to an attitude of self-sufficiency, an acknowledgment of a greater power beyond oneself, a recognition of God, and an acceptance of his commandments. This is the beginning of wisdom. Walk with gratitude before him who is the giver of life and every good gift.

And in his book an Stand for Something (PAGE 109-110).

As spouses, we not only have divine roles that offer us reasons for gratitude, but we also have the responsibility to show gratitude to our spouses to nurture and strengthen our marriages.

President Hinckley reflects on his own parents and what they gave to him that inspires gratitude in his heart. (PAGE 151)

My own story of gratitude to my Heavenly Father and to my spouse has to do with how I met Rhett.....

I finished my student teaching in Payson, UT and graduated from BYU in December 1999.
I continued on in the same school and same class with disabled children K-5.
I soon found that I was barely able to pay my bills with my newly acquired Bachelor's Degree.
There had to be a better way.
I started researching the scenario of finding a place to live for free and teaching in a place where I could make more money. Living for free? Yeah, right but there had to be a way.
The first thing that came to mind was to live with my aunt in CA who had a large house, kids who needed extra attention and a school district that paid beginning teachers very well. A lot more than I was making.
I was grateful for the idea.
I didn't have any other options but I wasn't too excited to move to CA because...
I didn't like CA. I didn't like being in a place with so many people, with so much pollution, so much HEAT, so little snow and such a worldly atmosphere. I judged it harshly.
But because the thought came to me so strongly, I decided to look into it.
The school district in the area was extremely large but looked promising.
The idea of interviewing there, however, was daunting and I didn't have the money to even think about it.
A few days after the idea first came to me, I decided to call my aunt anyway and just run the idea past her.
She actually told me how she was going to be going on a cruise with her husband and was having a difficult time finding someone to watch her kids while she was gone. She made the deal that if I would come out and keep an eye on them, she would pay for my plane ticket.
I was grateful for her generosity and the possibility of actually finding a job there.
So I flew to the Bay Area, and made an appointment with the District Office to interview for a position.
At the interview, the first question I was asked was, What are your credentials? That was also the last question as I answered that I had my Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education K-8 and Special Education K-12, severe disabilties.
She was immediately on the phone finding me a position.
I was grateful that there was such a need for teachers.
I had one of the interviews a day or two later and during the interview, I felt like I should share my story of how I felt God had brought me here to find a job and that even though I wasn't too happy to come to CA, I knew it was what He wanted me to do.
I was grateful to the Spirit that day for prompting me to share my journey because that principal was a very religious woman who felt I would fit in just right at her Middle School.
I soon found myself pulling a Uhaul through the Sierras and settling into a home with three kids and an empty office that I would make into my little area in that big world.
I knew God had brought me to that point in time and to that specific place and position, but in the back of my mind I was only going to stay there for a year.
I would pay off my school debt and get back to my family and the mountains and the snow that I loved. I didn't need to stay any longer. A year would be just fine.
I can't even begin to tell you how many experiences I had in California that would show me how important faith is, how real God is, how prayers are answered, how God's will is greater than our own, how much He is guiding us and looking after us, and how love conquers all. Because, love made me stay in California, the place where I didn't necessarily want to be but where I knew I needed to be.
I met Rhett in February of that first year and we were married in February of the next year.
I was grateful to the spirit for inspiring me to go to California to find my husband. I am grateful for the many experiences of faith and inspiration that came after we left California and lived in Park City for 5 years...and then Saratoga Springs and now Lehi.
God is good.
We should be grateful and thankful for the many aspects of being Children of God, Americans and spouses.

How thankful I am that so many intelligent, thoughtful and insightful revelations were given to our modern-day prophets and leaders to fill our hearts and lift our spirits to offering gratitude and in-turn, strengthening our characters.