As much as we would like to think we are always in control of what happens to us, we are not. There are times when power over our circumstances seems to slip out of our hands. In these moments, it is natural for us to wish the time of difficulty would pass. Our error with this tendency, as Dieter F. Utchdorf persuades, is that “Sometimes we become so focused on the finish line, that we fail to find joy in the journey.” But finding joy in the journey is not always the easiest thing to do when what we want to change in our lives is beyond our capacity.
We know that drawing closer to our
Savior can help us overcome any difficulty we may face. He as promised, “Come
unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
(Matthew 11:28) But if we think that coming unto him means traveling far
distances across wide prairies and wild frontiers, than we have forgotten that
the Atonement is always within reaching distance. This is because Christ is
there beside us. Drawing near unto the Savior is not so much about changing
where we are, but opening our eyes to see him. This change of sight
miraculously happens as we embrace what is with Gratitude. Gratitude is seeing things as they truly
are. Hand-crafted by the maker of our God, we and this world are a reflection
of what God is. If we look for him in our world, we can see him and be filled
with joy. We don’t have to wait until the end of our race to see his miracles
unfolding. We can experience the gift of joy now through gratitude. But this
gift of sight takes practice.
“Developing gratitude is like the sun. It
doesn’t rise all at once, but in degrees.” A friend of mine said this to me
when I asked her what she thought of gratitude. She has suffered severe health
challenges since the time she was in high school. Many opportunities in her
life passed before her eyes because she was too sick to take them. When asked
how she found joy in the journey, she said it wasn’t easy at first. She decided
to pick one thing at a time to be grateful for. First, it was the people in her
life. Second, it was the little things she could accomplish despite her
illness. And then, with a lot of diligence in faith and prayer, it was her
illness. She saw the good in it, and could rejoice in it. She says, “I still
have moments where I don’t know that I feel the gratitude for it. But I keep
trying.” There have been many times where
gratitude felt too difficult for me to feel, but if there is anything I know we
have power to gain, it is our Gratitude. It may not seem like much, but I am
certain it means everything to our Heavenly Father and his son, Jesus Christ. When
we are truly grateful for the atonement of Jesus Christ, we are using it. We are
letting it help us. The beauty behind Gratitude is that as long as it is present, service is never one-sided. When we are grateful for others, they are filled with the blessing of our appreciation for them. Gratitude is what binds us together. Gratitude binds us to our Savior. Let us bless the life of our Savior now by being grateful for him. Let us look for him in our lives. The path we walk leads us to God’s kingdom, but it is our heart full of gratitude that is building it. Keep trying, and it will come. This I testify in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
A talk I highly recommend, “Grateful in
Any Circumstances” by Dieter F. Utchdorf, April 2014 General Conference.
Rebecca Wilkinson
