I was flipping through the Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley and saw something that caught my eye. He talked about being surprised at something Pres. Kimball said on one occasion and quoted: "I find myself hungering and thirsting for just a word of appreciation or of honest evaluation from my superiors and my peers. I want no praise; I want no flattery. I am seeking only to know if what I gave was acceptable." (Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 489)
Pres. Hinckley went on: "If Pres. Kimball needed a little of that, how much do all of us need it? On one occasion I received a great shock from my mission president. I was his assistant at the time. Some of the Saints in the district had with tremendous effort put on a great program. I suggested to my mission president that we write a letter of thanks to these people for what they had done. His response was, 'We do not thank the people in the Church for doing their duty.'
7.27.2007
Cultivating a Thankful Heart
That was the only thing I ever disagreed with him about. I believe we should thank people. I think that thanks should be genuine and sincere, as well it can be when there is honest effort and dedicated service." (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, pg. 247-48).
I need to cultivate a thankful heart. I do know that when I am full of gratitude, it's impossible to be unhappy. The trick is to find the joy now instead of waiting for some far-off day when all my needs (wants!) are finally filled. My personal happiness depends on my ability to feel gratitude for the things I already have -- and when I stop to reflect, I recognize that I have a lot. My life is rich with things that I take for granted. I need to "Hold fast to the blessings which God has provided for you. Yours is not the task to gain them, they are here; yours is the part of cherishing them. (J. Reuben Clark Jr.) I love that word cherish -- it goes with a thankful heart.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
8 comments:
I love this! It's so true. Our family home eveing this last Monday night was on having thankful hearts. We talked with our kids about how when we make a habit of being thankful for EVERYTHING, we are much happier people (because in our heads we're thinking of all that we DO have, not what we don't). We also talked about remembering to appreciate the things that others do for us. Having a husband who's love language happens to be "words of affirmation," I've learned a great deal about remembering to thank people, and to be thankful. It doesn't always come easy for me, but I'm SO much happier when I do!
Be grateful is a so important. Saying Thank You is such a small thing that can make a world of difference! Thank you :) for the reminder, too!
ok, that 1st sentence should read "Being grateful is so important." I sound Italian in my other comment! Oops
Ha! you do sound italian in your comment kristi! Great post Jan(as always) There is a lady in our ward whose husband is deathly ill in the hospital. He is only in his late thirties and she has 4 little kids she is trying to take care of. Her husband has been in the hospital for 2 weeks with no end in site. This situation has made me extra thankful for my many blessings. I hate it when I am not properly appreciative.
I love your blog today. I always feel good about everything when I have a grateful heart.
Loved the Italian comment, Kristi! You always make me smile. For some reason, having a thankful heart is in the forefront of my mind today so clearly it's something I need to be working on!
those are great thoughts! is it heather's blog that says something like "if you are grateful for what you have, you will always have much to be grateful for." i love that.
Thank you for your post Jan. :) It is so true, we all need to be a little appreciated. I always feel better about myself and those around me when I'm thankful for the things they do, and in turn, they show their gratitude back. It is such a mind-blowing cycle! Your post reminded me that I need to show my thanks more often. I appreciate that for sure.
Post a Comment