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An Attitude of Gratitude

 

“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.” (Luke 17:11–19.)

 

“The expressed gratitude by one merited the Master’s blessing, the ingratitude shown by the nine, His disappointment…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. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues.” (Thomas S. Monson, April 1992)

Of all the readings and videos from this week, this is what impacted me the most. Not because I did not know about the importance of gratitude but because I saw it with other lenses. I got to understand how being grateful can spare the negative in our lives and help us build a happy attitude in the face of challenges. Besides, being aware of how disappointed is the Lord when we do not recognize His blessings in our lives is another attention calling. When I was going through a hard period in my life two years ago, I started a gratitude journal. I wrote in it almost daily counting the blessings I received or the good things I experienced. By doing it, I could focus on the positive aspects of my everyday life and put the negative in the correct perspective; this means, they were there to teach me and to strengthen me. This practice was paramount to overcome the trials I was facing, and President Monson´s speech instilled the desire to go back to my gratitude journal and keep writing in it. When you read what you wrote after certain time, you can acknowledge how the Lord has been there all the way through and has sustained you with His love and mercy.

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