"The Divine Gift of Gratitude"

I recently found, and gave a talk about, a wonderful address from President Thomas S. Monson called The Divine Gift of Gratitude.

When many people think of gratitude they think simply of giving thanks. But I have found gratitude has alot more power than that.

President Monson said,
"Sincerely giving thanks not only helps us recognize our blessings, but it also unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel God’s love."

Who doesn't want to feel God's love? It makes us happy.

When you are grateful you feel happier. I know I do. This is because when you are grateful you are thinking of others and what they do for you, and not about yourself and what you need or lack. You cannot be mean-spirited or negative if you are grateful.

"We have all experienced times when our focus is on what we lack rather than on our blessings...[However,] We can lift ourselves and others as well when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude..How can we cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude? ...a prayerful life is the key."

Why? i think it is because in our prayers we are taught to give thanks. You can't do that very well if you do not recognize things to be thankful for. So if you are trying to pray sincerely to your Heavenly Father, you are forced to think about your blessings.

"A grateful heart, then, comes through expressing gratitude to our Heavenly Father for His blessings and to those around us for all that they bring into our lives. This requires conscious effort—at least until we have truly learned and cultivated an attitude of gratitude. 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'"

Practice being grateful! I takes conscious effort until it becomes a habit. Thank people for anything and everything - no matter how simple.

This is my favorite quote from the entire talk, it is so beautiful -

"To express gratitude is gracious and honorable, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live with gratitude ever in our hearts is to touch heaven."

To live with gratitude ever in our hearts is to touch heaven....how wonderful =]

Kia Kaha

Kia Kaha is Maori, it means "forever strong." Which is (cleverly ;) ) the title of a movie I love.

Forever Strong

So this rugby player, Rick, gets into some trouble and is sent to this juvenile correction facility, where is reluctantly plays for a rival rugby team in order to reduce his sentence. This team, Highland, helps teach him to be a good boy, and become a better man. Add to that all sorts of family strife and team competition, and whew! Loads of both fun and heartache.

This is a great, inspiring, motivational movie. One of those family, feel good type movies. You should watch it, it has something for everyone! =]

Just Another Life or Death Story

This weekend I went with mis amigas to our Girls Camp Youth Leadership Training (Girls Camp is going to be amazing this year, by the way =] ). Anyway, Friday night my girlies and I were sharing stories, scriptures, and such, and my darling Miss K told us of a great spiritual experience she had a few days ago.

Miss K and Miss B were driving, and stopped at a red light. It turned green, but Miss K didn't hit the gas pedal. She said her mind just went blank, she saw the light change, but it didn't process. After a few seconds she slowly eased down the gas and began rolling forward. Just as a truck came roaring through the intersection. Very, very fast. Too fast.

If Miss K had gone as soon as the light changed, they both would have died. Or at least be seriously injured.

I don't know what I would do if I lost those girlies, my sisters. It makes me so glad that they know who they are, and are in tune with the Spirit. Because that is what saved them; the Holy Ghost. Why else would they have stopped? The Lord guided and protected them, and I am so grateful for that.

"No Cussing Club"

In response to my previous rant on swearing, the wonderful Mama D sent me this video. It is about a No Cussing Club. I love it. Go ahead, take a look. Also, you can go to the website mentioned in the video, NoCussing.com, and even take the no cussing challenge and become a member. Pretty cool.

Swearing

Swearing, cussing, cursing, crude or foul language...it's all the same. And it's all nasty. Whatever you want to call it, I hate it. I feel so strongly about this that there will probably be several posts about it. Swearing is just so negative, it only  make me grumpy. I prefer to be around people who are uplifting, not constantly bringing me, and others, down.

There is a LOT of swearing at school. It is impossible for me to get through the day and not hear at least one bad word MINIMUM. And that is being optimistic. Usually I hear much, much more. I can't really express how much I dislike it.

The For the Strength of Youth pamphlet has a great section on language (which has some other great links and resources, by the way) -

"How you speak says much about who you are. Clean and intelligent language is evidence of a bright and wholesome mind. Use language that uplifts, encourages, and compliments others. Do not insult others or put them down, even in joking. Speak kindly and positively about others so you can fulfill the Lord’s commandment to love one another. When you use good language, you invite the Spirit to be with you.

Always use the names of God and Jesus Christ with reverence and respect. Misusing their names is a sin. Profane, vulgar, or crude language or gestures, as well as jokes about immoral actions, are offensive to the Lord and to others. Foul language harms your spirit and degrades you. Do not let others influence you to use it."

Isn't that great? "When you use good language, you invite the Spirit to be with you." Who doesn't want that? The Spirit helps guide us and comforts us. Conversely, "Foul language harms your spirit and degrades you." Nobody wants to be degraded. So we shouldn't use foul language.

I have heard the excuse swearing "is just words." No harm, it's just words....

Not true. Not true at all. When someone tells you they love you, is that just words, or does that have meaning? Doesn't being told you are loved inspire a feeling? Happiness, maybe? It works that same in reverse. Crude, degrading language brings you down. Words have power. There is proof of that everywhere.

If you have time, take a look and study James 3:2-13. It's pretty intense.

I know it is hard to stand out, to be that one kid who doesn't swear. But it is completely worth it. You are standing steadfast for what you believe in, and your example truly does influence others. There will always be those who ridicule you, that is inevitable. But it is not their opinion of you that matters. It is your Heavenly Father's opinion that matters.