An Attitude of Gratitude

"Mercies and blessings come in different forms--sometimes as hard things. Yet the Lord said, 'Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things' (D&C 59:7). All things means just that: good things, difficult things--not just some things. He has commanded us to be grateful because He knows being grateful will make us happy. This is another evidence of His love."

-Bonnie D. Parkin

Jesus Christ and the 10 lepers.



In the book of Luke, chapter 17, we read:

“And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.

“And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:

“And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.

“And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.

“And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,

“And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

“And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?

“There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.

“And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.”

I love the story of Jesus Christ and the ten lepers because it teaches us how important the principle of gratitude really is. In the book of Psalms 136:1 we read, "O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever." When we look for the things that we have to be grateful for in our lives we are so much happier and are able to more fully experience all of the blessings that life has to offer.

President Gordon B. Hinckley taught us, “When you walk with gratitude, you do not walk with arrogance and conceit and egotism, you walk with a spirit of thanksgiving that is becoming to you and will bless your lives.”

 I know that as we live our lives striving to be grateful for the many things that we have been given, we will find that we are very blessed and the Lord is very aware of us and our situations. As I have tried to be more aware of the many things that I have to be grateful for in my own life I have found peace and assurance. I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ live, that they are very aware of us, and watch over us each and every single day of our lives. We all have so much to be grateful for.