Day 21 What am I thankful for ....Gratitude it changed my Life The last few years have probably been some of the hardest emotionally and financially.We had closed Our business of 35 years. It was not easy decision we had raised 6 children and had a good income from it. Well the bottom fell out of Our live and my husband was in the work field or NOT. I decided to make a change in my prayer life ... I felt that we had so many needs to pray for. Could I really focus my prayers on just gratitude? Many Years ago we purchased a home we adored and spent a lot of time and money fixing it up. Well the economy took a dive. We had to spend our hard-earned savings on a mortgage and a slew of unforeseen expenses. Months of trials and financial hardships went by. Lost Our Beautiful Kristina We hit a particularly difficult month of home and pool repairs, Garys heart attack, and unemployment. Our savings quickly disappeared. I remember praying, asking over and over again for the things we needed. Consumed by stress, I found it difficult to care properly for myself and our family’s needs as I was falling into depression and despair. Still, I continued to pray, seeking comfort and knowing prayer to be the anchor keeping me from falling further into darkness. After months of praying for help, I began thinking of ways to pray more fervently. The Spirit brought to my mind counsel from scriptures that taught the importance of expressing gratitude to Our Heavenly Father. These promptings helped me realize that I needed to express deeper appreciation for my blessings and ask less for the things my family and I needed. I decided that I would try for one week to let go of my daily pleadings and express only gratitude in my prayers. It was difficult. I felt my family had so many needs. I felt as though I was letting my family down by not asking for the blessings we so desperately needed. How would the Lord bless me when I didn’t ask? Despite my nervousness about it, I tried. I soon realized that my prayers were no longer begging, pleadings. I regained the ability to recognize the needs of others and see beyond my problems to the blessings that were still mine. My gratitude was drawing me closer to the Savior, comforting me in ways I could not have received otherwise. A scripture kept coming to mind: “If God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?” (Matthew 6:30). This scripture humbled me as I continued to pray. Through gratitude, I was learning more about true humility. As the week progressed, my prayers changed from “I thankYou Lord for food, clothing, and shelter” to “I thank You Lord for the family that I still have... preserved and kept well, for the protection you continue to give us. I thank you for the provisions you will continue to bless us with.” I also remember praying, “I thank You for our dependence upon You Father, for Your mindfulness of us, and for the pathway You are preparing for us to escape this bondage, whatever it may be.” Somewhere along the line, my prayers became prayers of not just gratitude, not just humility, but of faith also. Without asking for blessings, I was expressing faith that the Lord would provide for us, and my faith was growing exponentially. During these prayers, my thoughts were often drawn to the sacrifice of the early Saints, and I would ask myself what I was willing to sacrifice. In a few more months I will be putting My Beloved Home that I raised my family in , up for sale. The real estate market is depressed, but I am believing we will sell our home. Though we may take a loss——Gary and I will be in position to begin building a more firm temporal foundation. The miracle in all of this is the faith I developed and the understanding I gained. I turned my heart and prayers to Our Heavenly Father, receiving comfort, peace, and guidance. My newfound testimony of gratitude is that it inspires humility, humility encourages faith, and faith brings miracles.
Posted on: Fri, 22 Nov 2013 10:44:59 +0000
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