Boring Talk - Keeping for Posterity

'And 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, yea, more' (D&C 78:19)." 

I heard a story many years ago about a Samaritan man named Ruben Ben Zoro. He was a happily married man with two small boys. One day he noticed a spot on his hand. He tried to hide it, but it worried him. When he could no longer hide it, he showed it to his father in law the priest. The priest who loved the man was saddened and told him to leave because he was unclean.

The man had nowhere to go, and wandered aimlessly for a time. He did not want to be around other people, especially not others who were like him. The knowledge that in a short time he too would be like them blind, crippled, wretched… experiencing misery without hope was too much for him.

Then one day he saw a small group of nine men, and he watched them with astonishment. They were hurrying. A leper has no need to hurry. He would have let them pass, but one of them fell nearly at his feet, and cried out for the others to wait. No one noticed the old man, and so Ruben reached down to help him. “May you be rewarded”, the old man sobbed. “Help me quickly. We must reach the highway! He is there, and we must see Him before He passes!”

Just as they arrived, the Man on the highway lifted His hand and as the voices about Him quieted, He called to them, “Go show yourselves unto the priests.” Then He turned and the multitude closed about Him again.

Ruben stood there looking at the others. One questioned, “To the priests? What have I to show the priest save my blinded eye and my leprous skin?

But the old man whom Ruben helped said, “I go.” And as he went, he leaned no more, his back straightened, his limbs carried him swiftly and surely and he went on alone. So too, the others went. They began to run and to laugh as they hurried off to show the priest.

Ruben too, felt the miracle of newborn health within him. A great gratitude for this undeserved blessing, welled up within him. For he had not looked for this cleansing. Of Jesus of Nazareth, he had known little and believed less, but he felt he must know more. Truly God, this Man must be, and he must worship Him and thank Him and love Him.  

So he hurried back to the highway. He pushed his way through the crowd. When he reached Jesus, he fell on his face at his feet and poured out his thanks and devotion before Him.

And Jesus looked about Him and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?” Then He lifted him to his feet, and laid His hand upon him in blessing said, “Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.”

Jesus had said, “Were there not ten cleansed?” Should not all give glory to god?

Ruben Ben Zoro did not go home to his wife and family. He is seeking out the nine. Could one of them be you?    (Adapted from the Story entitled The Nine by: Dorthy Charlemagne)

Thinking about the nine in this story, I can’t help but wonder why they didn’t return? What prevented them from feeling the same gratitude as the one that did? They obviously believed or wanted to believe enough to seek Jesus in the first place, but what prevented them from returning. Maybe some of those reasons resonate with us today.

• Perhaps they thought the disease just suddenly got better on its own.
• Perhaps they thanked the priests for proclaiming them clean, but they never made the connection between Jesus’ words and the miracle of healing.
• Perhaps they wanted to be healed physically, but didn’t want to be committed to Jesus’ demand for discipleship.
• Perhaps they were so excited to go home to see their families.
• Perhaps they had every intention of returning, but life just got too busy and they forgot.
• Perhaps they thought, “I’ve had such a hard life, God owes me this one.”
• Perhaps they were so stressed out about planning a party to celebrate their homecoming they didn’t have time to go back.
• Perhaps they just wanted to forget and to focus on the future. 
• Perhaps they were going to go back to thank Jesus, but they didn’t want to be seen with a Samaritan – the tenth and only thankful leper?

President Thomas S. Monson has said:

“My brothers and sisters, 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.”

This statement struck a chord with me because all of the adjectives he uses are traits I want to embrace and cultivate in my life. I want to be gracious, honorable, generous, and noble, and I very much want to touch heaven as often as I can.

If we study the action words of President Monson’s statement, we can learn more about what he is counseling us to do. His action words are EXPRESS, ENACT, and LIVE.

Expressing gratitude: Is the mere action of saying thank you for a gift or benefit received. President Monson says this is kind and makes us gracious and honorable.

The second action word he uses is enact. This means we need to put our gratitude into action. We need to do more than just say it, we need to act as if we are grateful. Studies have shown that people who are grateful tend to be happier. They are more energetic, and helpful.  They are more hopeful, more forgiving, more spiritual, and less materialistic. 

These people show fine personal qualities and have high moral principles. And President Monson says these people are generous and noble.

The last action word he uses is live. I found it interesting when I looked up the definitions of Living.  There were many definitions, but the ones I found that I felt applied were these:

• To exhibit enthusiasm in to remain in human memory
• to have a life rich in experience to experience firsthand  
• to be thoroughly absorbed by or involved with 
•  to attain eternal life

If we find room in our hearts for gratitude, and live with it every day, it will enable us to experience firsthand the sanctifying trait that will lead us to eternal life. It will motivate us with the energy to live life to its fullest and we will have a truly rewarding life experience. It will enable us to “Walk with God”.

Gratitude is a topic we hear repeatedly especially at this time of year. A few years ago, I found myself struggling with my ability to handle life’s challenges, and I felt that I needed to work on feeling more appreciation for all that I had. During the previous summer, my home had flooded which resulted in the necessity of my home being gutted and put back together. We had just barely moved back home after spending 3 ½ months living with my mom. After sitting through a lesson on gratitude in Relief Society, I decided to keep track of things I was grateful for every day during the month of November. In hopes of helping me get back to stable ground.

I was diligent in my efforts even though some days were a stretch. This is what I wrote on the very last day.

November 30 - As I finish up my gratitude month, I would have liked to say that it helped me get back to where I was before my house fell apart, and I fell apart with it, but maybe just maybe I am not supposed to be where I was.  Maybe I am supposed to be somewhere else and the Lord is pushing me in that direction. 

Sometimes, I get so caught up in the day to day running of life that I forget to watch it unfold. To be grateful for the chance to be a part of something amazing.  So, for the last day, I would have to say that I am grateful for "my life".  I am grateful for everything the Lord has given me.  I am grateful for the chance to be married to such a wonderful man.  I am grateful to be the mother of two amazing children.  I am grateful for the chance to know so many wonderful people.  I am grateful to experience real life with all of them.  My life is not perfect.  I am certainly not perfect, but the love I feel from my Heavenly Father when I live my imperfect life is perfect.  I marvel from time to time just how perfect that love is.  Sometimes it is through my weaknesses that I realize just how much He means to me.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf reminds us:

"We sometimes think that being grateful is what we do after our problems are solved, but how terribly shortsighted that is. How much of life do we miss by waiting to see the rainbow before thanking God that there is rain?

I am so grateful to a loving Father that has opened my eyes and allowed me from time to time to see a glimpse of eternity.

Life has taught me that even though things are hard there is joy in the journey, and that a loving Father is there every step of the way.

For some reason, it is easier to see the hand of the Lord working in my kids life, than it is in my own.

My daughter Jacey seriously had the hardest sophomore year anyone could have. Everything that could go wrong did, from bone tumors and car accidents to concussions and friend and school issues. She had one disappointment right after another. She was often in a position to feel abandoned and alone, and as a parent I became very protective of my daughter. I didn’t want the world to hurt her any more. Fortunately, miracles and blessings were witnessed to keep her going. She learned to stand on her own and to fight for herself because she was worth it, and she learned that when no one else was there, her Savior always was.

When Jacey was nearing the end of her junior year, she decided to run for office.  She had tried in the 9^th grade and in the 10^th grade, and had to watch her close friends get what she wanted while she was forced to watch from the sidelines. Because this was something she really wanted to be a part of, rather than being defeated, she decided to give it everything she had. She was going to run for every possible office she could.

Jacey tried for SBO and didn't make either the elected or the appointed office. Jacey tried for elected Senior Class office and didn't make it either. She had one chance left, and the weight of it was certainly wearing on her. After trying seven times, and failing, it kind of makes you feel defeated. I felt defeated with her.

By this time, I would like to say that I had worked it all out in my mind and aligned my will to that of the Lord's, so that I could trust in the outcome, and be what my daughter needed me to be, but that is definitely not what happened. I knew what my daughter was capable of, and I knew she had a lot to offer.

This was my prayer:

“Please, please, please let her make it, and if this is not your will, I will definitely not be okay, and neither will Jacey, and I will try to eventually be okay with it, but I think I will be really upset for a while. I am just letting you know.”

I have seen my daughter go through the whole range of dealing with disappointments, from seeing her come home and cry and wallow in grief, to seeing her lift herself up by reaching out to others through her pain. She has learned well the art of getting over things by serving others. Her goodness throughout the whole election process often brought tears to my eyes.

It was at this point I started to see eternity. Jacey when she had learned she didn’t make the elected portion was sad, but she knew that she still had one more chance. She came home and since we had the service plan already in place, off to the store we went for ice cream to congratulate the winners. Jacey took the ice cream to her friend Stephens home first. Stephen wasn’t there, but his very sweet mom was. She took one look at Jacey and started to cry. She pulled her close and just hugged her. And Jacey broke down and wept. The simple gesture of reaching out to serve others, had put my daughter in a place where she too could be comforted.

The next Friday the final five positions were filled. Jacey’s name was the very last named called, and she was already in self-preservation mode. Then my beautiful sweet daughter's true personality came out. She was horrified to feel the burden of success when others were hurting. There were no squeals of delight, nor jumping for joy. There was no laughter, or even the desire to celebrate. When she came home, tears were streaming down her face, and her whole demeanor was disheartened. She simply didn't know how to navigate this new adventure. So we did what we knew to do. We reached out to serve those who were hurting.

I wouldn't trade either of my children for anyone else's. They are unique in their own ways and definitely not perfect, but their weaknesses and mine at times combine to have the most soul searching and rewarding of experiences. I absolutely love them with all of my heart. They bring me to my knees often, and they also bring me so much joy and happiness. I am so proud of my children who think of others feelings ahead of their own. I absolutely love the fact that they just try to be good, and hope the world will accept them for doing their best. They are hard workers, and will push through hard things to reach their dreams.

That is what this life is all about. That is why when I received the text from Jacey that said, "I made it!" I burst into tears, fell to my knees, and thanked the Lord for the journey. I also owed him an apology. "Wilt thou bless my unbelief." Which is sometimes the story of my life.

Had my daughter not gone through the defeats she had, she would never have turned to her Savior for strength and understanding. She would never have grown into the beautiful young woman she now is. The trials she faces are not over (because that is the way life is), but I know she knows where to turn for strength, and for that I am truly grateful.

I can share similar stories that involve my son. Truth be told, our spiritual connection existed even before he was even born. I have often had the opportunity to feel of his strength and goodness. By nature he is a protector and a defender, and he will fight for what is right. He will quietly play his role, unless he is challenged. I have no doubt he has a destiny to fulfill. I used to quote the Spiderman theme to him which says “With Great Power comes Great Responsibility”, but one day the spirit told me the saying is backwards. There is more truth to the statement, “With Great Responsibility, Comes Great Power.” Meaning that if the Lord needs you to do something, He will give you the power to do it. Oh how I love my handsome son who daily teaches me and humbles me to fight for what is right and true.

President James E. Faust has said,

"A grateful heart is a beginning of greatness. It is an expression of humility. It helps us develop such virtues as prayer, faith, courage, contentment, happiness, love and well-being.”

There is a quote I love from the movie Letters to Juliet. It is:  “Life is the Messy Bits” - It’s in the messy bits of life that we find

• Strength we never thought we had.
• Courage to do what we never thought we’d do.
• Hope that keeps us going one more day,
• Friends we didn’t realize we had.
• Joy in the small simple things of life.
• Empathy for others
• Compassion
• Faith
• Forgiveness
• And Unconditional Christ-like Love

So often in my prayers I have whispered to my Savior, Help me have faith in the plan. Help me keep moving forward, Help me rely on your strength.

He knows my heart, and he is making of my life so much more than I would if left on my own. It is hard, but oh so beautiful.  I am so grateful for His love. There is so much joy in the journey.

It was only after all that had transpired in the Garden of Eden, after they were removed from the presence of God, and after all they learned in the process, that Eve said, “It is better for us to pass through sorrow that we may know the good from the evil.” Men are that they might have joy.

I am grateful for this journey. I am grateful for a loving Father who gave us this chance. 

I am grateful for the moments in my life that I have felt that I have touched heaven.

Gratitude does not sum up the feelings in my heart for my Savior, but I am grateful for the joy that comes with traveling this life with Him. There are days that I literally want to hug everyone I meet because I am so grateful for them and their influence and support in my life, and there are days when I realistically have work to do.

Elder David B. Haight –

“If we’re ever going to show gratitude properly to our Heavenly Father, we should do it with all of our heart, might, mind, and strength.”

The Lord has commanded us to be grateful so that we can cling to the Light He has to offer.

How many times in the scriptures are we encouraged to remember and give thanks? In Psalms 77: 11-13 we are reminded that only by remembering God, and His mighty works are we truly humble and can offer grateful worship unto Him.

"I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds. Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God?" Psalm 77:11-13

It is my prayer that we will continue to strive to look for those things in our lives that we are grateful for especially those things given to us by our loving Father who wants us to become even as He is. I hope that we will embrace the principle of gratitude so that we may brush up against heaven often, and know of His love for us.

I pray we may indeed be gracious and honorable, generous and noble, so that we may walk with God.

I leave my testimony with you that I know My Savior is real, that He loves us, and He died for us so that we may live with Him again. This journey through life that I am so Grateful for really is the Plan of Happiness.

This I do in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.