"Being grateful for all our trials can help us."
Fast Sunday brings us the Presidency message and the opportunity to meet with the Young Women.
Sister Sydney Dennis conducted the meeting. Sister Anni Groves provided the announcements:
Brother Scott Goddard will be out of town this week in order to attend his newest grandson's blessing, so anyone having cookies/desserts for the Wildlife Museum dinner on Friday, please deliver them to Sister Groves' home by 4:00 p.m. or take them directly to the Museum before 6:30 p.m.
Each year the Relief Society adopts a service project and this year our project will be turned to our own families and friends. Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m. will be our first meeting to implement this project. We will be crafting treats, both edible and non-edible, for the enjoyment of our friends and family. We also will be enjoying some edible treats of our own!
Our missionary moments were from Sister Groves and Sister Wasden. Sister Groves reminded us that we all are given the opportunity to open our mouths, all the time. We just have to be aware and take advantage of the opportunities we are given. She had a conversation with a 'yoga person' last week that opened the opportunity to share some of our beliefs. They talked about how important we are and how important it is to take care of ourselves in all ways, mentally, physically and spiritually. This person is not a member, but shared a belief in many of the same principles we value in the gospel. Anni mentioned that it is so easy in conversation to slip in the beliefs that we have in the gospel.
Bro. and Sis. Warden have had many conversations with their neighbor over the years and have offered to share the Book of Mormon with him. One day last week the neighbor came over and they were discussing the political situation. Gail happened to mention that, if you read the Book of Mormon, you will see that all of the political upheaval of today has been prophesied hundreds of years ago. This greatly interested the neighbor and he said he would be over to pick up that copy of the Book of Mormon. It's a start!
Sister Janice Cunningham gave our lesson today - making the comment that this lesson pretty much chose her. There is no manual for the presidency lessons and the teacher of the day is dependent upon prayer and inspiration for the topic to be discussed.
She began by talking about their youngest son, Jeffrey. He has always been their family's spiritual giant. He is a very accomplished musician with a PhD in music, particularly saxophone performance. He had hoped to be able to perform as a musician and also to teach others to play. Things have not worked out as he would have hoped. In the past few years, physical issues have developed that do not allow for him to practice, which is necessary for both of his goals. He did as many of us do when faced with a roadblock. He looked for Plan 'B'. The question he was confronted with is, "How can I use music to support my family if I can no longer practice enough to maintain my skill?"
Jeffrey turned to the Internet and developed a website to teach saxophone online. He has been diligent and faithful to the task of making this website a success, but now has gone as far as he can go by himself. He has reached the point where he needs to be able to get people to see his website and he needs to expand his area of influence.
In the meantime, he has been working with various schools, but the income level is very low.
One day, when he was praying in the temple, he felt he was told to be grateful.
Jeffrey and his wife have always been struggling while he was finishing his education, but they are, as Janice says, 'one of the happiest couples, ever.' They may not have a lot of money and material goods, but they have happiness and love in abundance.
Sister Cunningham asked the class for any adverse things they had experienced and endured that were not fun.
Various answers given were: divorce, any loss of a child (physical, spiritual), loss of job/income, having to move away from loved ones, financial difficulties, brain tumor/serious health issues, death of a parent or family member, raising a child with infirmities - mental/physical, anxiety and depression.
What do these situations cause? Angst
Well, Jeffrey has some of these issues, but his message was to be grateful.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 - "In every thing give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."
Are thankful and grateful the same? Sister Michelle Gaussen read from Doc. & Cov. 46:32, "And ye must give thanks unto God in the Spirit for whatsoever blessing ye are blessed with."
Sister Cunningham had asked three other sisters to tell of an experience in which they used gratitude to get them through the trial.
Sister Diana Senn said that we don't always choose those things that occur in our lives. In 2000, her son Matt was in a terrible car accident. He had just graduated from high school, had a good job and had entered the JC. On the night of October 8th, Diana was in Reno attending a bachelorette party for her best friend. At home in Petaluma, Matt had gone out with friends for the evening. What he didn't know was the the driver of the car was on drugs. Driving on city streets, the car was going about 90 mph, went out of control and crashed after flipping and then caught fire. Matt sustained multiple serious injuries: shattered hip, burned legs, a punctured lung and damaged spleen.
He was in the hospital, St. Francis Memorial Hospital Burn Center, for three months. Diana was right there with him. She was able to hold herself together during the day, but spent evenings praying and crying in the shower. She knew Matt was alive and was grateful for that. Her gratitude helped see her through the hard days and she was eventually able to be thankful for the strength both she and Matt gained from the experience.
Sister Linda Trockle said that, reflecting back through her life she could see a number of times that the Lord's hand was directing her path.
When she was 4 years old she became ill and almost died. In a dream, she saw a woman she had never met, who told her she had to go back. Later in life she saw a picture of her grandmother and realized that she was the person in her dream.
When she was in the 8th grade, she was afflicted with insomnia so bad she didn't sleep for 3 months. She says she decided one night that she would just read the Bible until she got bored and fell asleep. She may not have gotten much sleep, but she gained much knowledge and grew closer to God.
Her family lived in a trailer park and the president of the park was a Seventy who greatly influenced her and her husband.
Through all these experiences, she could see that the Lord was leading and guiding her life. When she finally joined the church, she received answers to all her questions about why things happened as they did.
Being grateful for all our trials helps us. There is a different between being thankful for being in a situation and being grateful in all our circumstances.
President Uchtdorf tells us in his talk from April 2014 General Conference that "There is one thing we can do to make life sweeter, more joyful, even glorious." Even in the midst of our greatest challenges and trials.
God commands us to be grateful and all His commandments are given to help us exercise our agency and to receive blessings.
When we choose to be grateful, we are following the Savior. When we choose not to be grateful we are actually breaking a commandment.
Gratitude is an attitude we need to develop because it will bring us joy and happiness.
President Uchtdorf suggests that we see gratitude as a disposition, a way of life.
He gives us for an example, the Prophet Joseph Smith who, while a prisoner in miserable conditions in Liberty jail, wrote to the Saints: "Dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power and then may we stand still with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for His arm to be revealed."
We can choose to be grateful, or not.
We were encouraged to make a list of at least 10 things to be grateful for. Sister Cunningham's example was one day swimming when it was cold and the rain was pelting down so hard on her face that she had to duck underwater to escape. She turned in the water and looked up to see the amazing patterns the rain created on the surface of the water.
No matter what adversity we face, we know the Lord loves us and will help us in our trials.
Click on the link below to watch the entire video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtnUM_jVNg0&t=4s
Your bloggess,
Karen
P.S. Please note that your bloggess will be on vacation in New Zealand for the next two weeks, so the Blog will be on hiatus until after the 27th. I promise to have a wonderful time!!
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