"Do not let us speak of darker days; let us speak rather of sterner days. These are not dark days; these are great days - the greatest days our country has ever lived; and we must all thank God that we have been allowed, each of us according to our stations, to play a part in making these days memorable in the history of our race." - Winston Churchill
These words, spoken in the throes of World War II and the German bombing campaign against England are inspiring to me. I'm sure that this time had destruction and death always on the minds of the English, yet Churchill reminded them that those days, while not pleasant, would help strengthen and define the character of the British.
Lately, I have had a struggle (to a lesser degree than the British, to be sure) trying to maintain optimism in the face of challenges. Without getting too detailed, we have had two major household appliances and a car (the second one this year) fail on us in the past two weeks, we received word that my wife will likely be downsized from the part time job she works, and there have been other things which, to say the least, have not worked out as expected.
Yet as I gathered my thoughts to say my prayers last night, frustrated and tired, I stopped and realized how many things I still have to be thankful for. I have a roof over my head. I have more than adequate food to eat. I have a family that loves me, and I am still able to provide for their needs. The list goes on, but last night I was reminded again how much having the Gospel and the perspective it brings sustains me from day to day.
Showing posts with label blessings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blessings. Show all posts
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
The Source of our Blessings (6/15/2009)
"Therefore may God grant unto you, my brethren, that ye may begin to exercise your faith unto repentance, that ye begin to call upon his holy name, that he would have mercy upon you; Yea, cry unto him for mercy; for he is mighty to save. Yea, humble yourselves, and continue in prayer unto him.
"Cry unto him when ye are in your fields, yea, over all your flocks. Cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household, both morning, mid-day, and evening. Yea, cry unto him against the power of your enemies. Yea, cry unto him against the devil, who is an enemy to all righteousness.
"Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye may prosper in them. Cry over the flocks of your fields, that they may increase. But this is not all; ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness. Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you." (Alma 34:17-27)
Last night, my three year old started to ask me where things came from. Who gave us our house? Who gave us the food we were eating? Who gave us the cars? You get the idea. Each time, we answered that our Father in Heaven blesses us with those things.
She could not reconcile that with the fact that we bought the house from Mrs. Gentry, or that she was with us on Friday night when we purchased the groceries, so we explained to her that Heavenly Father blesses daddy with talents so that he can have a job that helps us pay for everything we have. I am not sure how much of that she understood, but it caused me to reflect how dependent we are on our Father in Heaven.
As Amulek stated, our Father will bless us in a wide range of things - our work, our gardens, with protection against those who would do us harm - as long as we seek His help. I hope that we can always remember that He is the source of all of our blessings, and may we be humble enough to acknowledge His hand in all things, and have faith sufficient to call upon Him for those things we and our neighbors need.
"Cry unto him when ye are in your fields, yea, over all your flocks. Cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household, both morning, mid-day, and evening. Yea, cry unto him against the power of your enemies. Yea, cry unto him against the devil, who is an enemy to all righteousness.
"Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye may prosper in them. Cry over the flocks of your fields, that they may increase. But this is not all; ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness. Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you." (Alma 34:17-27)
Last night, my three year old started to ask me where things came from. Who gave us our house? Who gave us the food we were eating? Who gave us the cars? You get the idea. Each time, we answered that our Father in Heaven blesses us with those things.
She could not reconcile that with the fact that we bought the house from Mrs. Gentry, or that she was with us on Friday night when we purchased the groceries, so we explained to her that Heavenly Father blesses daddy with talents so that he can have a job that helps us pay for everything we have. I am not sure how much of that she understood, but it caused me to reflect how dependent we are on our Father in Heaven.
As Amulek stated, our Father will bless us in a wide range of things - our work, our gardens, with protection against those who would do us harm - as long as we seek His help. I hope that we can always remember that He is the source of all of our blessings, and may we be humble enough to acknowledge His hand in all things, and have faith sufficient to call upon Him for those things we and our neighbors need.
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