My Thanksgiving Thoughts
I did my visiting teaching on Monday. This month was "choose-your-own-message" month because November was all about using a Conference talk from last month. I chose two separate talks for my two sisters because they are both in very different seasons in their life. For the older sister who is an empty-nester, I chose Elder Scott's talk about faith and character. For the other sister, a less-active, new convert, single mom, I chose President Monson's talk about gratitude. I like to be careful not to shove too much doctrine down her throat.
It was amazing how interconnected the two were.
The thing is - in the next life, we are not going to be judged by how much service we do, or how prestigious our callings were, or how severe our trials were, although these things definitely have a profound effect on it all. But this isn't a college application. We aren't trying to get accepted into some school with a scholarship. We are going to be judged (and I'm quoting Elder Scott here) on our character.
You've heard all of those quotes about how character is "who we are when no one's looking." In Elder Scott's talk, he talks about how faith is a huge contributor to changing our character for the good. Believing a result comes from certain behaviors can change the mediocrity in our lives to a perspective of joy. Knowing that the work I do at home, although monotonous and often mundane, is the work the Lord wants of me and will do amazing things to help my children become, potentially, their greatest. Well - it makes the work that much better. It changes my life from "laundry-doing-dish-washing-nose-blowing-face-washing-diaper-changing-duck-duck-goose-playing housekeeper" to Superhero!
And this acknowledgement makes me work harder at it.
But also, it makes me grateful for it. Having a heart filled with gratitude is an active way to change your passive self. When one takes the time to consciously express thanks whenever possible, their depressed and self-centered hearts become humbled. If you've ever said to yourself, "How can I become more humble?" I think making a daily effort to say thank you to your husband, your parents, your friends, your children, your Heavenly Father - that will bring to your heart the amazing things that are done for you and will humble you.
It will change your character.
Today? I am grateful for my family, my faith, my home, my life.
But I am also grateful for my mistakes, my misgivings, my moments of weakness. There is great power in life lessons learned while traveling. And while the road is bumpy, I'm grateful for the God-give opportunity to take that ride.
And I'm most grateful, above all things, that the Atonement exists to smooth out the potholes...
It was amazing how interconnected the two were.
The thing is - in the next life, we are not going to be judged by how much service we do, or how prestigious our callings were, or how severe our trials were, although these things definitely have a profound effect on it all. But this isn't a college application. We aren't trying to get accepted into some school with a scholarship. We are going to be judged (and I'm quoting Elder Scott here) on our character.
You've heard all of those quotes about how character is "who we are when no one's looking." In Elder Scott's talk, he talks about how faith is a huge contributor to changing our character for the good. Believing a result comes from certain behaviors can change the mediocrity in our lives to a perspective of joy. Knowing that the work I do at home, although monotonous and often mundane, is the work the Lord wants of me and will do amazing things to help my children become, potentially, their greatest. Well - it makes the work that much better. It changes my life from "laundry-doing-dish-washing-nose-blowing-face-washing-diaper-changing-duck-duck-goose-playing housekeeper" to Superhero!
And this acknowledgement makes me work harder at it.
But also, it makes me grateful for it. Having a heart filled with gratitude is an active way to change your passive self. When one takes the time to consciously express thanks whenever possible, their depressed and self-centered hearts become humbled. If you've ever said to yourself, "How can I become more humble?" I think making a daily effort to say thank you to your husband, your parents, your friends, your children, your Heavenly Father - that will bring to your heart the amazing things that are done for you and will humble you.
It will change your character.
Today? I am grateful for my family, my faith, my home, my life.
But I am also grateful for my mistakes, my misgivings, my moments of weakness. There is great power in life lessons learned while traveling. And while the road is bumpy, I'm grateful for the God-give opportunity to take that ride.
And I'm most grateful, above all things, that the Atonement exists to smooth out the potholes...
2 comments:
Thank you for this. We had the missionaries over for dinner last night, and they gave a lesson on hope. It made me think of similar things, mainly how happiness doesn't happen to us--we choose to be happy. And if we're constantly seeing the negative, never giving thanks, and not hopeful, we will be unhappy. Gratitude, hope, thanks--these will make us happy. And it's not that it's just nice to be happy (which it is)--we're are commanded to rejoice! We need to be thankful!
So anyways, thanks :) It's nice to feel spiritually uplifted as I check blogs.
You pretty much just wrote a whole Sacrament meeting talk there, sista. :-)
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