Grateful No Matter the Circumstance

Today my good friend Kacey suggested I read a recent talk by Dieter F. Uchtdorf...Kacey was an answer to my prayers today, i needed to read every single word of this talk...it has already helped me so much and the attitude I had an hour ago has completely changed after reading it.  (you can read it by clicking here)

He basically just talks about gratitude. And being grateful in every situation, no matter the circumstances. Good or bad, happy or sad. To always have gratitude in your heart. 

These were a few of my favorite parts of his talk:

"We can choose to be grateful, no matter what.

This type of gratitude transcends whatever is happening around us. It surpasses disappointment, discouragement, and despair. It blooms just as beautifully in the icy landscape of winter as it does in the pleasant warmth of summer.

When we are grateful to God in our circumstances, we can experience gentle peace in the midst of tribulation. In grief, we can still lift up our hearts in praise. In pain, we can glory in Christ’s Atonement. In the cold of bitter sorrow, we can experience the closeness and warmth of heaven’s embrace.

We sometimes think that being grateful is what we do after our problems are solved, but how terribly shortsighted that is. How much of life do we miss by waiting to see the rainbow before thanking God that there is rain?

Being grateful in times of distress does not mean that we are pleased with our circumstances. It does mean that through the eyes of faith we look beyond our present-day challenges.

This is not a gratitude of the lips but of the soul. It is a gratitude that heals the heart and expands the mind."

I really liked the part where he says that more often than not we think being grateful comes after our problems. Throughout this whole experience, this is something that I have tried to really understand and believe in, and it is not easy, by any means. We can sit back and talk about how many blessings we have seen come from this, all of the great stories we have heard and the hearts that have been changed...but at the end of the day, our hearts still hurt. The pain is still there. My brother is still here. At those times, when i forget about being grateful for all of the good...I find it nearly impossible to cope. And then I snap out of it and i'm like HELLO ARE YOU KIDDING, LOOK WHERE YOU ARE. LOOK HOW FAR BRITT HAS COME. LOOK AT ALL THE MIRACLES YOUVE WITNESSED. THE BLESSINGS YOU'VE SEEN. LOOK HOW MUCH CLOSER YOU'VE BECOME TO YOU'RE HEAVENLY FATHER AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST. LOOK HOW STRONG AND UNBREAKABLE YOUR FAMILY HAS PROVED TO BE. And then, i remember to hold on to that continuos and never ending sense of gratitude. To God and to the amazing community we have. Because when you are grateful, you become humbled and hopeful, and when you are humbled and hopeful you are much happier, in any circumstance. 

"Being grateful in our circumstances is an act of faith in God. It requires that we trust God and hope for things we may not see but which are true.⁸By being grateful, we follow the example of our beloved Savior, who said, “Not my will, but thine, be done.”⁹

True gratitude is an expression of hope and testimony. It comes from acknowledging that we do not always understand the trials of life but trusting that one day we will.

In any circumstance, our sense of gratitude is nourished by the many and sacred truths we do know: that our Father has given His children the great plan of happiness; that through the Atonement of His Son, Jesus Christ, we can live forever with our loved ones; that in the end, we will have glorious, perfect, and immortal bodies, unburdened by sickness or disability; and that our tears of sadness and loss will be replaced with an abundance of happiness and joy, “good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over.”¹⁰

And this is where i thank my lucky stars to have the gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, in my life. To know what I know. And not just say I know it because I have read it, and listened to it, and and been taught it my entire life...but because I have FELT IT. I have felt the spirit testify to me that these things, the principles and teaching of the gospel, are true, and they are real. By knowing that God has a plan, and that his hand is in all things, it makes the hard times in life understood. There is always a greater purpose behind things like what my brother is going through. Greater than we could ever imagine. If my family and I didn't understand these truths, these doctrines...I feel we would be broken, lost, in denial, scared and afraid of a potential ending. Asking why us? Why Britton? What did he do to deserve this? Feeling sorry for ourselves, with blame and hatred in our hearts. I just know that it would not be good. It would be terrible!! Don't get me wrong, we are not immune to the feelings of fear and heartache by any means...they come. BUT, the difference is that we are not alone in this. Trusting in the Lord and understanding and utilizing the atonement in our lives, and being grateful every step of the way. Even if it seems impossible to find the good in the hard times, we must have faith that we are being prepared for something great, and have faith that the Lord will hold our hand, leading us and guiding us through it all. Being Grateful...for that. 

I've said it a million times, and I'll say it a million more...but my family and I are truly grateful. Yeah of course we would like to rewind and pretend this never happened, but sometimes we stop and think to ourselves....would we? To rewind would to be going against the will of the Lord, and to have never grown as we have, to have never witnessed the changes and miracles we've seen. And we know that Britton chose this. That after this, no matter the outcome, he will be far more incredible and inspiring than he ever was before. Which is hard to imagine, cause he was pretty great. We are grateful for the blessings and opportunities that have come from this. Although sometimes in disguise, we see them everyday, and that's what keeps us going....the good....the gratitude.

This holiday season, take time to truly think about all of the blessing in your lives. Small or big. Each is so significant. Take the time to thank Heavenly Father for each of them. Especially your families. There is no greater blessing upon the face of the earth. Be thankful for them. Remember that thing I said about "Say it, show it, let them know it?"...please don't forget that. Tell the people you care about that you love them everyday, and show them that through your actions. Remember that there is a big picture. That all of the things we get worrying about or stressed out about, the things that take up so much of our time, and pull us away from what matters most...are not important. They don't matter, really. Don't get caught up in the small unimportant things. It's not worth it. Put all of your time, and efforts towards who and what you care about. Happy Sunday, and remember to believe for our Britt. 

p.s. here is a good laugh for you! courtesy of my aunt lib and her photoshop skills