After some request and a little poking, I have finally typed up the talk I gave a few weeks ago in church...Feel free to read it if you want. Wont hurt my feelings if you don't, it is kind of long! :o)
Finding Gratitude in Troubled Times
Talk written and given by Lila Strasser
November 30, 2008
Intro of family….
I am going to tell you more about our family and some of our life experience as well as reflect on some words from our Prophet and apostles today as I talk about finding gratitude in troubled times.
You may be thinking “Humm, life experiences…from a 24 year old, yeah, okay…I can probably teach her better than she can teach me.” Which I am sure could be the case, but this topic is one that everyone can and does have experiences in…my hope is that what I am going to share will give you comfort in knowing that you are never alone and that the best way to overcome our trials is to find gratitude in them and the Lord, and to be a beacon to those you are surrounded by.
Joel and I were only married two months when we received a phone call that brought sorrow, fear, pain, and despair into our lives. This phone call, was one that we never thought could come and quite frankly, we never even knew it was a possibility. Then phone call was to inform us that Joel’s brigade with the Idaho Army National Guard was getting deployed to
At times it isn’t easy to stay positive through our trials, but in order to avoid sorrow and depression, we have to life out thoughts, words and deeds to a platform of gratitude and positive thinking. President Monson said, “We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts and attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues.”
We all are aware that our attitude can spread quickly…the good and the bad…we need to be careful not to let our negative vibes rub off on others.
A year and a half later, the biggest trial of my life was over. During the days when fear, sorrow, and depression came over me I used my faith and found strength and gratitude in my life. At times I had to use family, friends and our Savior as a crutch, but “this to did pass” and now I can relate to others and help others overcome some of their feelings of despair.
In his most recent conference talk, Elder Quentin L. Cook reminded us that “This life is not always easy, nor was it meant to be; it is a time of testing and proving.” Testing and proving- Humm…prove you can overcome, endure and be strengthened while trials will come at all angles, times and places.
We find in D&C 121:7-8 “My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high.”
Elder Cook also taught us that “We know from the scriptures that some trials are for our good and are suited for our own personal development. We also know that the rain falls on the just and unjust. It is also true that every cloud we see doesn’t result in rain. Regardless of the challenges, trials, and hardships we endure, the reassuring doctrine of the Atonement wrought by Jesus Christ includes
I learned a very valuable lesson on the Atonement and how it helps us gain gratitude and strength to overcome our trials. When Joel was deployed I realized my hopes of starting a family soon were shattered…by the time we were together again and ready to work towards having a family I became very sick. I was in and out of doctor’s offices, hospitals and even surgeries. I couldn’t believe that as soon as I had just overcome one intense trials, another was starting…and starting quickly. I began asking, “why me?” “what did I do?” I fell into depression and started feeling anger that no one ever told me that infertility happens and that I would have to change my mindset from, “date, get married, have a family” to “date, get married, and get into a career.” It was and still is one of my biggest trials. Well one Sunday I was baring my testimony and realized that I was being foolish for building up anger towards myself and Heavenly Father. Joel and I felt such desire and pain to just be able to have a baby, which was my dream. One Sunday as we were fasting with our entire extended family in our behalf, I was humbled as I laid sobbing, wondering if we would ever have a family, when at my lowest point I was encompassed by the arms of our Savior. At that moment it was as if I was being told, “I am sorry that you have this, but I am here. I know how you feel and I will continue to guide you through this if you let me.” Wow! Really, at that moment I knew that I had to try to push passed the pain and “Woe is me” feeling and start being more grateful for what I had and knew.
Elder Richard C. Edgley said, “Humbly submitting our will to the Father brings us the empowerment of God—the power of humility. It is the power to meet life’s adversities, the power of peace, the power of hope, the power of a heart throbbing with a love for and testimony of the Savior Jesus Christ, even the power of redemption. To this end, the Savior is our supreme example of the power of humility and submissiveness. After all, His submitting His will to the Father brought about the greatest, and even the most powerful, event in all of history. Perhaps some of the most sacred words in all the scriptures are simply. “Not my will, but thine, be done.”
Once I accepted to notion of “not my will, but thine be done” my whole life changed. I received more guidance and direction from the Holy Ghost and had the strength to make it through the day. After that experience we decided it was time to put our paperwork in and start the adoption process. Many tender mercies from the Lord blessed our lives during this trial. It was as if being grateful through it all made our load lighter and our vision/purpose more clear. We filled out our paperwork, did everything in haste and one amazing day in August part of our trial became easier…”this to shall pass” is now how I refer to some of it. A phone call (pattern?!) changes our lives forever. Calvin came into our lives after 4 ½ years of waiting (well worth the wait, if I do say so). I still struggle with this trial of infertility but my load is lighter now and I am able to show more gratitude through it all.
We must have gratitude in our experiences to make it though all of life. No one is exempt from trials, we all live with them daily, but we need to make sure we are going about them more positive, more grateful, and more willingly.
In his book Standing For Something, President Hinckley says
“Gratitude is a sign of maturity. It is an indication of sincere humility. It is a hallmark of civility. And most of all, it is a divine principle. I doubt there is anything in which we more offend the Almighty than in our tendency to forget His mercies and to be ungrateful for that which He has given us.
Where there is appreciation, there is also courtesy and concern for the rights and property of others. Without these, there is arrogance and evil. Where there is gratitude, there is humility instead of pride, generosity rather than selfishness.
We would do well to get on our knees and thank the Almighty for His bounties. We would do well, also, to cultivate within ourselves a spirit of thanksgiving for the blessing of life itself and for the marvelous gifts and privileges we enjoy. The Lord has said that “the meek shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). It is difficult to escape the interpretation that, rather than an attitude of self-sufficiency, meekness implies a spirit of gratitude, and acknowledgement of a greater power beyond oneself, a recognition of God and an acceptance of His commandments and inspired way of living. Gratitude is the beginning of wisdom. Stated differently, true wisdom can not be obtained unless it is built on a foundation of true humility and gratitude.
Indeed, gratitude is the beginning of civility, of decency and goodness, of a recognition that we cannot afford to be arrogant. We should walk with the knowledge that we will need help every step of the way. The absence of gratitude bespeaks a lack of appreciation and an ignorance that comes of an attitude of self-sufficiency. It expresses itself in ugly egotism and, frequently, in malicious conduct. Many selfish, arrogant, and usually miserable people in this world walk without gratitude. Perhaps they do so because they do not fully realize all they have to be thankful for.” (pg 106-107)
Let us all try a little harder to find gratitude in our trials…past and present…it is guaranteed to make our loads a little lighter along the way.
In closing I would like to say (Count your Blessing, Hymn 241 Sung slowly)
When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings; name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done…
So amid the conflict, whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged; God is over all.
Count your many blessings; angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to yours journey’s end.
Brother and Sisters, may the Lord bless you as you allow His Atonement to bring gratitude through your trials.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
