The Power We Possess Through Gratitude

     In my last post I spoke of the blessings that come from adversity.  I also encouraged readers to express gratitude to God for their afflictions.  However, when we are in the midst of great pain, it can be extremely difficult to marshal our thoughts and focus on any blessings that might result from what we are going through. Therefore, I decided to elaborate a little on what I wrote on Wednesday, and make some suggestions for just how to accomplish the task. 

     The benefits that come from adversity most often aren't the blessings we want or think we need. Therefore, finding words to express gratitude for them can be difficult.  Our effort to do so is, at the very least, an act of humility and obedience, showing God that we are willing to trust Him and try to explore our situation for any good it might contain.  

      Being schooled in patience and submissiveness to God's will are great lessons, but they are not easy lessons.  God knows that, and is aware of our struggle to find the meekness and faith it takes to say "thank you" even when the "gift" is one we would rather not have received.  There is a true tenderness that enters our hearts during such humble prayer, as we pour out our soul and express our gratitude that He knows better than we do, and we are willing to accept our situation, believing that He is watching over us, that He cares about what we are going through, and that He will turn our suffering into a blessing.
      Such humility, I believe, touches not only our heart, but His, and I think He cannot be restrained from blessing us.  At least I have found that, as I have thus prayed, there is an outpouring of guidance and a tangible feeling of His love. Sometimes I think He is just waiting for us to recognize that He is always there--not just in good times, but in difficulties, too.  He wants us to have the experiences that develop our trust in Him; that show us He can make all things work together for our good, if we don't remove ourselves from His influence through bitterness and anger.  As we express thanks for our difficulties it is a manifestation of that recognition, and I believe His heart swells with appreciation toward us for saying, in effect, "Thank you, I know you love me, even though I am in pain just now.  I know you haven't abandoned me.  I know that you understand my suffering because you have already experienced this kind of pain and so much more.  Thank you for always abiding with me."  When we are angry and bitter, we can't convey that message. We aren't feeling the truth of that message, or having faith in it.
      Severe trials present us with such difficult life lessons.  My heart goes out to anyone who is suffering through adversity that seems to them more than they can bear.  In truth, it probably is more than they can handle on their own.  Consequently, our times of trial are not times to close ourselves off from God.  As we express our thanks for adversity, and our confidence in His love, I believe it actually opens up a channel between us and His divine power.  Through that channel flows peace, understanding, and guidance.  Through it comes greater patience and faith so that we can endure for as long as we must.  It is interesting to me that we possess such power.  Indeed we, and only we, have the power to open that divine portal.  He stands at the door, but we must open it (see Rev.3:20).  It is accomplished through our humility, faith, obedience, and gratitude, and it is rewarded.

TODAY'S  INSPIRED  QUOTATION:  God brings men into deep waters, not to drown them, but to cleanse them.                  John Aughey

Gratitude for Adversity

     It might seem crazy, but one of the greatest blessing we receive in this life is the opportunity to experience adversity.  Challenges don't seem like blessings when we're going through them, but if we can realize there are lessons contained in every hardship, it helps to ease the pain--at least a little.  Not only are there lessons to be learned, there are also attributes to be acquired, if we choose to acquire them, rather than give in to the temptation to become bitter and angry.

     I'm not speaking from some theoretical point of view here.  I've certainly gone through my share of heartaches, disappointments, and trials.  Life can get messy.  It can present problems we never suspected we'd have to deal with.  It can throw us curve balls that hit us smack upside the head, and demand our attention to ordeals we thought we'd never face, given our careful preparation for life, and our desire to avoid  pitfalls.  But, we soon learn that the best laid plans can, indeed, go awry.  Though our intentions may have been good, life's outcomes don't always go according to plan.  I think of my own situation here.  My husband and I had our life pretty well planned out:  have our babies, get them raised, send them on missions for our Church, then on to college; we would work for another ten or twelve years and retire.  Didn't work out that way.  Our daughter still had two years of high school to complete when my husband became ill and life took a drastic and unexpected turn for us.  Sometimes it seems like this particular trial will never end.  It takes its own peculiar twists and turns, but so far, it is still with us.

     So, how do we handle these unsettling, sometimes prolonged situations with gratitude?  And why should we? 

     How?   I think a good starting place is being humble enough to realize we don't need to handle them alone.  We are told in Proverbs 3:5, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths."  Since God knows all things and has all power, and He loves His children, we can go to Him in confidence, trusting that He is aware of our situation, and desires to help us.  All we need do is ask, believing He will extend the blessings that are best for us.  That doesn't mean our trial will end quickly, but it does mean that we are not going through it alone.

     We are also instructed in scripture to "giv[e] thanks always for all things unto God" (Ephesians 5:20).  and, "In everything give thanks;... waiting patiently on the Lord....and all things wherewith ye have been afflicted shall work together for your good, and to my name's glory, saith the Lord." (Doctrine and Covenants 98: 1,2,3). It is comforting and wonderful to know that the difficulties of life will be turned to our blessing as we remember to thank God for the trials we encounter and must work through.

     Why should we be grateful for them?  What possible good comes from the challenges, illnesses, injustices and heartaches of life?   It is only in such uncomfortable circumstances that we learn true compassion for those who suffer pain;  develop faith, patience and humility; discover strengths we didn't know we had;  learn to forgive;  and come to know our reliance upon God and His mercy as He helps us and gives us insight.   I have also learned, through personal experience, that it is sometimes while suffering some great heartache of our own that we learn to rise above ourselves to serve a loved one or friend who is also in need of help. Thereby we come to know that, at our best, we are stronger and less selfish than we ever knew we could be.  These are no small gifts, and it is only by traveling the path of adversity that we come to acquire these attributes.  

     So, be grateful for the path you find yourself traveling, even if it is steep and rutted, and strewn with obstacles.  It is your path, lovingly watched over by God.  And if you let it, it will lead you through many wonderful, though sometimes difficult, experiences.  In fact, I am confident that, no matter how careful you were with your life plan, as you gratefully travel the path you find yourself on, it will lead you to a more beautiful place than you ever could have imagined. 

TODAY'S  AWESOME  BLESSING:  A friend brought me a wonderful book* that was filled with amazing insights regarding forgiveness and gratitude.  In fact, it gave me a whole new perspective on some things.  Although the grammar and spelling were sometimes awkward, and some of its content might seem a little "out there" to some readers, the stories that were related were insightful. As I read, I certainly felt there were possibilities to be considered that had never occurred to me.

    

*Possibilities by Doug Mendenhall.  Available on Amazon.com