Hey there everybody welcome out to another episode
of redeemed through his blood. This is Scott
Durfey has always joined by the lovely The lovely
Debra Durfey. What's up, babe? Hello friends.
How are you deb? I'm great Here here we are the
Sun is shining Yeah, you love that. I do love
it and I'm sorry I keep bringing this up and
I bet you some of our listeners are in gloomy
winter some of you are already in sunny weather
but If you don't, if we don't have sunny weather
here, just energetically just know I'm reaching
for your sunshine. I love the sunshine. Bless
the sunshine. That's what I always say. Well,
we're getting some sunshine here on the Wasatch
Front. It's 60 -something degrees today. February
1st part of March, rather. March 4th. And yeah,
here we go. Well, Deb, for tonight's episode,
I think that we've come to an agreement, a conclusion.
We've talked a lot about this over the last several
days and it just kind of made sense to talk about
it as part of our our process in the podcast
here, you know, as we talk about putting on the
Atonement of Jesus Christ and learning about
Him, knowing Him better, loving Him more, striving
harder to become like Him through alignment and
all those other things. There's just a key that
I believe, and I've been helped along the way
to this belief, but a key that I believe that
is so important when it comes to these principles.
And that key is gratitude. And it's not even
Thanksgiving. I know. I think it's perfect timing
because we celebrate Thanksgiving in the season
of gratitude and then we celebrate Christmas.
And what a perfect time to celebrate gratitude
in celebration of Easter. Right. Exactly. That's
a great, I think it's a perfect time to to focus
and think about gratitude. Yeah. Well, so we're
going to talk about that. We're going to talk
about the role of gratitude, what that means,
how that how that can affect us. You know, this
this is something that's one of the most actually
actually one of the most talked talked about
principles in the gospel, not just the gospel
really, but in anything. Right? Is it just a
really popular principle? You hear about the
attitude of gratitude. I was just going to say
that. That's funny. There's actually t -shirts
that were made at one point that said the attitude
of gratitude. There was a lady who was extremely
popular. not podcasts, but a host on a radio
show back in the 80s. And she was really all
about attitude of gratitude, syndicated thousands,
millions really of people, you know, and all
of that. So I don't think that we're going to
get a whole lot of pushback or I don't think
we need to be in fear of successful contradiction
that anybody that anybody is going to say, oh,
gratitude is not important. I think that we can
pretty much universally accept that. That gratitude
is just important, you know when we talk about
it as one of the God principles in the gospel
etc But you know it also feels like it can be
one of the hardest ones Yeah, right because sometimes
life gets messy sometimes life gets painful Sometimes
life gets confusing sometimes life just throws
us a curveball and it's hard and we don't Understand
where the curveball came from exactly Unfair
and so you know what is grad gratitude actually
mean? Is it really about just positive thinking?
Or is it something that's a little deeper than
that? And what if gratitude is not pretending
life is good? Yeah. What if when you go to the
fleshy tables of your heart and you put your
spiritual glasses on and maybe just try to see
Jesus in the middle of it? In the middle of everything.
Yeah. Or anything. Because honestly, when I be
still and know that I am God is is still one
of the most powerful scriptures for me because
even in amongst chaos crazy turmoil tumultuous
times which we have been warned about and we're
seeing them turn on the news you guys I mean,
it's bananas and Honestly, I have to turn off
the noise go sit in my chair and open my scriptures
and I read about the tumultuous times in the
in the Old Testament right now. I mean, the messy
lives they lived and the messy things that they
functioned. But you know what? It's just in that
moment that and they followed and they know Jesus.
I mean, they find Jesus. And he walks with them.
It's interesting because the youth theme for
2026 is walk with me. And I think it's... It's
been Such a sweet reminder for me. I I think
I'm primary age and now I'm growing to youth
again I'll probably go back to primary here soon
because it seems to be your pattern. I'm not
I'm never gonna grow up. Let's just get honest
me and Peter Pan But it's it's one of those things
that was a really great reminder for me In fact,
they give us the young men and the young women
They gave us all a pair of socks that says walk
with me. Wow. Yeah And it's like, you know what?
I think there's literal moments that we can push
pause. I can push pause. I'm not taking anybody's
inventory because I've seen it happen in the
past. And now I'm like, I know you're here. I
know you're present and I know you're walking
with me because I don't have to do this alone.
I was promised. I do not have to do this alone.
You said something that really hit me. You said,
what if gratitude is not pretending that life
is good but learning to see Jesus in the middle
of it? I love that. I have a friend who is a
member of Alcoholics Anonymous too. And we get
to work steps together and various things like
that. And the other day he was telling me that
he had had this aha moment. And this aha moment
happened when he was in a counseling or a therapy
session with his counselor. And he was talking
about how things feel heavy sometimes and how
things just he was just talking about the human
experience and sometimes this human experience
can Find itself in the extremities for us on
occasion and I think that that's where he was
with this But but his therapist wisely I thought
this was so cool when he shared it with me that
this had happened I was like I'm gonna do this
more because I had done it in the past But when
he brought that up, I thought, wow, it's been
a minute since I've done this, and I'm going
to do it more often. But what he invited my friend
to do, what this counselor invited my therapist,
invited my friend to do, is that when he was
having these difficult times, when things felt
dark, when things felt heavy, when things felt
too big to overcome, et cetera, to invite Jesus
into it, and to literally see him in his mind's
eye. in the middle of all of that, and if not
healing it, sitting with him in it. I love that.
Sitting with him in it. Yeah, I mean. You know,
there's been times that I, when I go to the,
you know, when you have an attitude, try gratitude,
and I've done this for, I mean, my mother was
a mis -positive thinker. She still is. Yeah,
I know. And so it was like. Okay, make a gratitude
list. I'm grateful for toilet paper. I'm grateful
for, I mean, you know, the despite, you know,
the spiteful things. Sure. But you know, when
I really go to the things that I really truly
am grateful for, and I'm going to get emotional
even saying this, when I think of my husband,
when I think of my children, when I think of
my grandchildren, and the gift that I have had
to raise them and to love them, my my siblings,
my in -laws, my nieces and nephews. I mean it's
just my gratitude like literally when I go to
that place and it's all because of Jesus Christ
that I have all those blessings. So when you
think of those things that you just mentioned
and you see Jesus in the middle of all of that,
what does that do to your gratitude? It changes
my heart, literally changes my heart. Because
I start with an attitude. Believe me you guys,
I have an attitude and I get it often and I get
a little spicy and I bark. And sometimes I bite,
not very hard, but I do bite. I've never been
bitten for the record, but... Ask my kids. I
bite them. You know, all joking aside, something
I've been thinking about lately, and it's just
really a simple idea, and it's not an idea that
I came up with on my own. I was actually taught
this by David. You know our original my original
partner in the podcast who's now in Australia
serving on a mission He's having a wonderful
experience there. It was his birthday yesterday
We were texting back and forth. It's so cool
that you can text all the way to Australia I
sound like my dad when I say that but it's just
like I'm just blown away by the technology that
I can text him and then just across the world
seconds. Yeah Literally, and then just seconds
later to get a text right back from him. But
anyway, one of the things that he taught me as
we were developing this podcast and and and everything
about it was that gratitude is really the beginning
of desire. And I know that he learned that from
somebody. I think it was Ed Pinnaker at the MTC
and I don't know where Elder Pinnaker or whatever
learned it as well. But but so this isn't new.
But but it's but it's important. Gratitude is
the beginning of desire. Desire do what? And
that's the question you know great grateful sure
desire for what though? You know and in my case
it is it gives me my gratitude towards him and
you said it right when you said what if gratitude
is not pretending that life is good but learning
to see Jesus in the middle of everything in the
in the middle of whatever it is that we're going
through and you know what sometimes even if we
say the Savior Right because he saves us. Yeah,
you know, I think or the Redeemer because he
redeems us, right? Yeah, it's like because sometimes
when we're in those sticky messy moments Yeah,
it's like please save me or the healer because
he heals this or the comfort me Please come for
me. Yes. Yeah. Yeah, and all so many names and
all of that All of that is administered to us
and administrated unto us by the power of the
Holy Ghost. And how grateful we are for the Holy
Ghost. So gratitude is the beginning of desire.
For me, the desire to be more aligned with His
will for me so that the administration of Christ's
atonement can be more evident and prominent in
my life as is evidenced by the spirit of the
Holy Ghost being there with me. And can I just
say this too? Because I always thought that I
had to be worthy. Like, I had to be at a certain
place in my life in order to access the Holy
Ghost or to access God and His powers. And, you
know, it was in the midst of my messy life and
choices I had made that had got me in deep despair
that is where I felt Him sometimes the most.
And He comes to where we are. And we've talked
about this in previous podcasts. He's not afraid
to get his hands dirty and messy. You think about
when he came, when he ministered here, he was
among the sinners. He was among the adulterers.
He was among the people that were sick and afflicted.
You know, he didn't hang out in churches and
I mean, I guess he was a synagogue is a little
bit, but yeah, but but he was he spent his time
in the margins of our society in the margins.
Those who had been marginalized, that's where
Jesus found himself most. Yeah. Yeah. And that's
where I am in the marginalized. We're all marginalized
to a degree from time to time. Yeah. We all feel
that way. We all feel a little bit on the outside
of something somehow somewhere that is just part
of being fallen. I love a story. This story kind
of reminds me of sometimes where I find myself
and this story is found in Luke chapter 17. verse
11 through, I think, 19 would I read. And I was
going to read this from the NSRV just to give
it a little more clarity, a different version
of the Bible. But I think that I'm going to stick
with the King James version on this one, Doug,
because it just rings a little more familiar
that way. And it came to pass that as he went
to Jerusalem and he passed through the midst
of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into
a certain village, there met him 10 men that
were lepers. which stood afar off. And they lifted
up their voices and said, Jesus, Master, have
mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto
them, Go shoot them yourselves unto the priests.
And it came to pass that as they went, they were
cleansed. As they went, they were cleansed. And
one of them, now there were ten. in the beginning.
And one of them, when he saw that he was healed,
turned back and with a loud voice glorified God
and he fell down on his face at his feet and
giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan. There's
significance in that. He was a Samaritan. He
was, as you just mentioned, one of those who
had been marginalized, Deb. Right? But because
he had been healed and Jesus healed him, two
and the other nine I don't know you know they
weren't Samaritans it makes that differentiation
early on and then Jesus answering in verse 17
said where they're not ten cleansed but where
are the nine there are not found that are returned
to give glory to God save this stranger and he
said unto him arise and go thy way this is the
best part thy faith have made thee whole we just
Have talked about faith too. Yeah, faith of the
mustard seed Small faith. Yeah faith by faith
have made the whole and one of the things that
we talked about Dev when we were talking about
faith is faith doesn't it's not just a decision
We make it's a relationship. We establish Yeah.
And through that relationship that's established,
then that faith turns into hope. Right. And from
so, you know, I mean, all of these things really
play in together in an important ways. But that's
an important for me. That's an important story.
Yeah. And I just one more thing on faith because
I've been reading my patriarchal blessing multiple
times lately. And it says in there often. I mean,
more times than not, according to your faith.
And your patriarchal blessing, I gotcha. Yes,
according to your faith. Okay. And we hear that
a lot. Sure. You know, when we receive blessings,
even, you know, according to your faith, you
will receive these blessings. According to your
faith. Faith in what? Back to Jesus Christ. Faith
in whom? Yes, faith in whom. You know, our redeemer,
our comforter, our healer. Yeah, all about him.
Right. Yeah. Well, so going back to the story,
the miracle happened for all 10 of them, but
only one actually recognized it. So, you know,
sometimes gratitude is not just about receiving
blessings. Yeah. The other nine received the
same blessing. Yeah. Apparently, if there was
gratitude there, it was expressed differently.
And I think that the writers of the Luke, right?
The physician Luke needed this included in his
account of his experiences with the Savior to
teach a lesson to help us understand that gratitude
is not just about receiving blessings, it's about
recognizing blessings. When he did come back
and he's he to say thank you the Samaritan. Yeah,
the Samaritan came back and said thank you The
Lord did say your faith has made you whole. Yeah,
so it would be interesting if you could go into
those 10 lepers lives and say How was your life
whole and how was your life different? Oh, wow.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, you know, what does that what
does that even look like? Did you get leprosy
again? Did you get? was your life full of the
gospel of Jesus Christ? Did you have an abundance
of joy and happiness going forth, or were you
just healed? Because what does whole mean? Your
faith has made the whole. That's an interesting
statement. I've never thought of that before.
Well, I think that oftentimes, Deb, when we're
talking about this, we kind of miss gratitude
because we're looking for something different.
You know, maybe we're looking for huge miracles.
Maybe we're looking for dramatic answers, you
know, while God's instead giving us these little
quiet mercies or daily grace or sustaining strength.
I call those tender mercies. Yeah, I call them
instruments of grace. And it takes it takes spiritual
glasses. I say, put your spiritual glasses on
or use your spiritual eyes to see the miracles
in your life because they happen. Well, we know,
I think Deb, that gratitude changes the way we
feel spiritually, right? Absolutely. So why do
you think that, why does it sometimes gratitude
that is? Why does it sometimes seem to soften
our hearts so much? I think it's interesting
that this just came to me, but I was listening
to a podcast earlier about right brain, left
brain and how one side is more analytical and
the other one's more feeling and knowing. And
I think oftentimes in order to balance that brain
and our heart is to really have that spiritual
connection in this physical realm. You know what
I mean? It's it's like we're here having this
mortal physical and the physical part can get
really Distracting and I know this is why we
we fast is to weaken the physical body so that
the spirit can be strengthened But I think with
gratitude it invites the spirit I think when
and there's I've done this a couple of times
well more than a couple a handful of times But
I have had an entire prayer of gratitude. Father,
I am so grateful. I love that. And it really
softens me. And it changes me because. You know,
when I think about some of the things that are
not going right in my life or things that I'm
worried about in my life right now or things
that I'm worried about my children or my grandchildren's
life right now, when I go to gratitude, it literally
changes my heart. Why? Because I'm exercising
that spiritual muscle, my faith muscle, that
Jesus Christ paid for this. That Jesus Christ
is the reason why I have my very breath. So again,
why does gratitude seem to soften our hearts
so much? I really think about that. This is something
that in recovery circles that is really prominent
and prevalent and important. When I, for example,
used to call my sponsor and all the world was
coming down around me, and it could be something
simple and it could be something legitimately
big. But it was probably more common than not
that the first thing that my sponsor would have
me do when I was in that realm of despair and
everything's coming down around me was to write
a gratitude list. And sometimes that gratitude
list looked like the one that you talked about
a minute ago. I'm just thankful for the basics
of life sometimes. Thankful for things. Initially
we start thinking about thankful for things.
I'm thankful for... Whatever just thinks and
I hesitate to even start putting things out there
because I don't want to to create in some people's
minds You know what it is for them that's different,
but but but you know What if we remembered that
gratitude actually dissolves resentment? Yeah.
It couldn't even change our perspective. This
is one of the reasons that we use this in recovery.
Right. So often, you know, the number one offender
in recovery is resentment. Right. It is. And
when I have a sponsor, he called me now and they're
dealing with resentment. It's not necessarily
always and it's not necessarily the first thing,
but it's not uncommon. And in fact, it's pretty
prominent, pretty prevalent that we actually
will focus on, okay, what are we grateful for?
Well, I don't think recovering alcoholics have
the only, you know, They don't have the corner
on this. No, they don't have the corner on this.
I think the human race gets resentful. You think
if we're falling? I think it's big from your
perspective, but a lot of us get resentful. A
lot of us need our perspectives changed. I always
say when you're having a disagreement, I like
to push pause. and put on the glasses of the
other person and ask, what are you seeing? What
is hurting you? What is harming you? What is
upsetting you? So that I can see from different
eyes. And I think like you said, gratitude changes
that perspective. It's like, yeah, if you let
it, your faith can make you whole. Your gratitude
can change your heart and your perspective and
your resentment. And it also can reconnect us
to our Heavenly Father. I mean which is ultimately
the most important because you know what love
the Lord thy God with all thy heart mind mind
and strength and the second is like unto it love
thy neighbor as thyself right and that is literally
the amen yeah exactly the end yeah the end I
shouldn't say that yeah well yeah well because
also in Um, Mosiah to I love this. I love this.
Mosiah to 20 and 21 King Benjamin. Okay. So in
set and Mosiah to 20 and 21, it says, I say unto
you, my brethren, that if you should render all
the things and praise, which your whole soul
has power to possess to that God who has created
you. and has kept you and preserved you and has
caused that ye should rejoice and has granted
that ye should live in peace one with another."
That's 20. 21 says, I say unto you that if ye
should serve him who has created you from the
beginning and is preserving you from day to day
by lending you breath. Guys we are dependent
on our own breath. So when we go to gratitude
Let me finish this then I'm a go there when we
that ye may live and move and do according to
your own will And even supporting you from one
moment to another, I say if ye should serve him
with all your whole soul, yet ye would be unprofitable
servants. We have absolutely nothing, not even
our own breath. We have our will to align with
his and he can take our breath at any given time.
And I think that's one of the things that I need
to add to my gratitude is I am grateful for my
breath. I'm a yogi girl and I I remember hearing
that the breath is Yahweh meaning and using it
as a breath of I hope that comes across Anyways,
and there's often times when I'm on my yoga mat
and I think of being on Mother Earth and then
I think of God connecting me and Yahweh from
my heart space. I know that sounds cheesy to
so many people, but it works for me. And it is
literally, thank you God for my breath. Thank
you for my very breath. I think that's such a
critical piece. I just love that. I think that
there's a lot of things that come to us when
we recognize literally everything. that we have
and really even our own will is given to us,
right? I mean, we own it now, but it was given
to us. But but when we recognize that literally
everything comes from God, that there's a couple
of things that happen to us that can enhance
our lives. One of the things is our humility
increases. We recognize that it's on him, not
us. We're borrowing breath, right? And here we
begin to move from gratitude to desire, right?
Because now our love for him is making us or
requiring us even that we become more like him,
right? Because we love from adoration to emulation,
Elder Maxwell, remember. It also, you know, one
of the problems that I think that, and you and
I have talked about this, we've talked about
it recently. One of the big things that we, one
of the big problems I think that we deal with
in our society is this thing called entitlement.
Be a manager. You'll see it. You'll know what
I mean. If any of you have managed people, others.
It's a real thing. Well, not just that, but let's
call it spade of spade. If any of you have children.
Yeah, or friends or I know or people that you
associate with or if you have a calling in the
church or if you have Entitlement is is is a
big deal right so but it decreases but more importantly
gratitude grows when we recognize that literally
everything comes from God our gratitude grows.
When our gratitude grows, I go back to my desire
to be like Him, to follow Him, to align with
His will for me so I can put His Atonement on
in my life, in all parts of my life, increases.
Increases exponentially. So important for me
to do that. You know, most of the time we talk
about, again, and I just talked about this, mentioned
this, but most of the time when we talk about
gratitude, we're focusing on things. I'm thankful
for my job. I'm grateful for my family. I'm grateful
for my home. I'm grateful for the area that I
live in. I'm grateful for my and on and on it
goes, which is fine. I'm grateful for my even
for my sobriety, which is a big deal. But the
gospel takes it deeper, Dub. A relationship with
Jesus Christ, a relationship with deity takes
us so much deeper than that. Real gratitude eventually
leads us to the giver of the gift. Yeah. Real
gratitude eventually leads us to the giver of
all gifts. If I turn to one of the couple of
scriptures that I really love here, and this
one's in 2 Corinthians chapter 9 verse 15. Thanks
be unto God for his unspeakable gift. Thanks
be unto God for his unspeakable. gift. What's
that unspeakable gift? Oh, Jesus Christ, of course.
And everything that comes from and through. And
the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Exactly. Right.
That is the unspeakable gift. The more I learn
about the Atonement of Jesus Christ, the more
I realize I don't know anything. And I have studied
it for years, and especially teaching on it.
the divine gift of forgiveness is all about the
atonement of Jesus Christ. And that's why I love
the scripture because it talks about the unspeakable
gift because it's not something that words can
even explain. It's definitely a God. Given gift
the word to the unspeakable gift the word to
describe that is ineffable It just has no way
words cannot describe. No, no words cannot describe
and the more you study it the more you'll learn
that as well. I Yeah Right along with that is
another one of my favorites and this is in doctrine
and Covenants section 88 verse 33 for what does
the prophet a man if gift is bestowed upon him
And he received not the gift. Let's talk about
that for a second. What gift are we talking about
here? We're obviously talking about the gift
of the promise. Exactly. And all that comes with
it, all that comes with his atonement to us,
right? So what does a prophet a man if the gift
is bestowed upon him and he doesn't receive the
gift? That's interesting. We have to receive.
It just doesn't happen. A giver and a receiver.
Exactly. And maybe we should talk about what
it really looks like to receive this gift in
an upcoming podcast because that's really important.
So here's the whole thing again, DNC 8833. For
what does the Prophet a man, if a gift is stowed
upon him and he receiveth not the gift? Behold,
he rejoices not in that which is given unto him.
Neither rejoices in him who is the giver. of
the gift. You know, as a grandma, one of my favorite
things to do is give birthday gifts. Yeah, I
know. And I just went and purchased, you know,
another birthday gift for one of my grandmothers.
For little Molly. And I just, yes, one of the
things I thought about was, what if I presented
that gift and the receiver walked away from it,
turned their back on me and walked away, said,
I don't want this gift. I think about that often,
and I know that's the mortal side of it and the
physical side of it, but I think about that often.
Am I walking away from that gift? And am I walking
away from that giver? Because Christ himself
gave the unspeakable gift. And do I receive that
gift? And if so, how do I receive that gift?
I love that. Yeah. Such a great reminder. Well,
and it actually reminds us too that the giver
of the gift is actually the gift itself. 100
percent. Yes. Right. It's only through. Right.
Right. Right. Right. The greatest blessing is
Jesus Christ himself. It's him. Yeah. It's literally
the giver of the gift. When gratitude shifts
from what we've received to who he is, something
kind of begins to change in us at that point.
Yeah. Yeah. You know, I remember a moment just
not that long ago. I was thinking about the Savior.
I was thinking about my own life. Inevitably,
it still comes up sometimes, and this was a while
ago, but it still comes up sometimes when inevitably
I begin to think about mistakes that I've made,
things that I regret. places where I have fallen
short, offenses that I have created in other
people's life. And then I realized something.
Jesus Christ knew every one of those moments
before I ever lived them, babe. He knew the exact
weakness. He knew the exact mistake. He knew
the exact regret. He knew the exact harm. He
knew the effect that it would have on others
pain, the grief, the sorrow, the broken. He knew
all of that before I did it. Yes. Before I was
in it. Yep. But you know, he still chose Gethsemane.
Yep. And he would do it again. He still drops
of blood. He still chose the cross. You know,
what surprised me about that moment. And again,
this was a few years ago and this hasn't been
all it's been pretty much that way this way since
then. But prior to then that those feelings would
come as more of an indictment, more of a condemnation
towards me and more of a separation or or a proof
that I was not worthy. Because sometimes I think
that we fell that way. And I got. He was busy.
Yeah, exactly. So but what surprised me in that
moment when I was thinking this through and I
remember it like it was very recent, but I didn't
feel condemnation. I felt gratitude. There it
is. And I will never forget that. You know, I
realized something simple, but powerful, something
I'd been taught. And again, that is the gratitude
is the beginning of desire because in that moment
when I felt that gratitude, I have never and
when I still feel this way, when I still focus
on the gratitude I have for him, the giver of
all gifts. When I focus on that, when I focus
on that, I realize the gift that he gave me is
him. The great gift that Heavenly Father gave
me is Jesus. You said it a little while ago.
He's my savior. He's my redeemer. He's my healer.
He healed all of that. He healed it in eternity.
And to know that. It gives me such a deep desire.
I want to be closer to him. I want to follow
him. I want to be changed by him. I want to be
more like him. And that's where the gratitude
to desire really, that's when I say that gratitude
is the beginning of desire. That's where it really
pulls me in. Yeah. And then you get to feel his
love for you. And while he was busy, you know,
dripping drops of blood for you, he was dripping
drops of blood for me and for all of our listeners
and for everyone. Even some of those that will
walk away from the gift because the invitation
is always there. Yeah, to come to me and it's
not a one and done It's not like you pass up
the invitation. You don't get another one Well,
one of the things that is is healing for me is
that the atonement is infinite meaning no beginning
and no end and so when I have a Moment or when
I have a child or or someone that I'm worried
about it's like God has them Jesus Christ blood
for them, too He loves them perfectly and gave
that unspeakable gift to them. And if it was
just for them, he would have done it. Again,
I'm just going to reiterate it. When I feel gratitude
for him, suddenly I want to be closer to him.
I want to follow him. I want to be changed by
him. I want to be more like him. And it's for
a different reason. It's not from pressure, Deb.
It's not from, if I make things, it's not, it's
not a quid pro quo kind of experience, right?
It's more of a, not from pressure, but from love.
100 % love. And it goes back to that relationship.
We walk with, if you want to walk with somebody,
you're going to have some kind of a relationship
with them. If you want to have a relationship
with someone, you will covenant with them, which
is one of the sacred things of marriage is that
covenant relationship that you and I have. And
then I think about, do I have that kind of covenant
relationship with my Savior, Jesus Christ? Do
I honor those covenants every week when I partake
of that bread and drink of those emblems, that
water? Do I think about my covenants that I have
made with him? to renew and remember. Because
my relationship with him is the most important
relationship in my life. Right. The most important
relationship in my life. Bar none. Me too. Bar
none. I love when we, and again this, when I
talk about gratitude and desire, it takes me
straight to love. You just mentioned it. Yeah.
Straight to love. John 419 that you see on everybody's
bumper sticker. John 419. Yeah. Actually, I'm
going to do 418 and 19. So this first John 4,
there is no fair in love, but perfect love casteth
out fear because fear hath torment. He that feareth
is not made perfect in love. We love him because
he first loved us. I think about where that love
was demonstrated for me. You know, we talked
about just recently an institute, the events
of Christ's home. We talked about his sinless
life. We talked about Gethsemane and the torment
and torture that he went through just spiritually
and physically there. And then the torment and
torture that he went through between Gethsemane
and the cross and the flogging and the spinning
upon and just the absolute vile disrespect that
Jesus went through, all of that. And then on
the cross, where I guess so many was intensified,
according to so many of our modern day apostles
and prophets, right? And so, you know, when I
think of all of that, And I think of the love
that he had for me to go through that. And again,
I'll go back to my experience. You know, all
of those things that I was experiencing, he knew.
And he loved me through them and because of them.
And not only that, but the reason I was able
to have gratitude in that experience is because
I knew that he knew. Prior to all of and any
of that happening to me, what was going to happen
to me? And he chose it anyway. Yeah, he loved
me first and speakable gift. Yeah. What about
when life is painful? Yeah, or when there are
things get unfair or when someone is struggling
with addiction or grief or loss or or accusation,
false accusation. There's so many things. that
life throws at us. And again, when President
Nelson said, we live in tumultuous times. I mean,
and boy, howdy, have we ever seen mass. You know,
just around us. And I realized that we kind of
put ourselves in situations where we're probably
more prone to have these kinds of experiences
around us being in recovery and teaching us,
I don't know, whatever, maybe not. Maybe not.
I think everybody has stuff. I really do. I think
the most important thing to know is gratitude
doesn't mean pretending that suffering isn't
happening, isn't real. Gratitude doesn't mean
calling evil good and it doesn't minimize the
pain or suffering or sorrow that we're going
through or the loss. I don't think gratitude
is here to say, okay, well, I just lost this
or I'm struggling with this. I don't think it's
a pretending thing. I think gratitude means recognizing
that Jesus Christ is present, even in the broken
pieces and in all the broken places. I love how
you say that. Broken pieces, broken places. I
love that. Well, we're in a fallen world. Everything's
broken here. Well, and you know, and here's the
other thing too, sometimes, and I know that this
is something that we've talked about in the past,
but sometimes we feel like that when things are
tough in our life, that maybe we're being punished.
And it's really difficult sometimes to find gratitude
in those situations. But if we look to the Prophet
Joseph Smith and his experience in Liberty Jail
where where he's going through, you know, he
says, and I'm not going to read it. I'll just
kind of summarize it, but he tells the Heavenly
Father, he says, where are you? Where's the pavilion
that's hiding you and how could you leave me
here and all that? And then, you know, Heavenly
Father talks to him and one of the things that
he says to him is all these things shall give
the experience and shall be for thy good. So
I don't know. Can we find gratitude and hardship?
Well, I will tell you this. Looking back on my
personal life, some of the greatest growth and
some of the most growth momentum times of my
life was when I have been going through grief
and sorrow and the pains and it literally I can
tell you that that was for my greatest good.
And I'm gonna go back to my, there's no growing
in the comfort zone, no comfort in the growing
zone, because I'm uncomfortable still, and I'm
growing. But I get to ask that question, help
me see what it is for my good. I think about
taking little children to the... doctor when
they're little to get them their their vaccinations
or to get a shot to help them feel better from
an ear infection or whatever and they hate me
at the time and they're in massive pain but I
just say trust me this is gonna be for your good
you will heal and this will make you feel better
and this will keep you from getting more sick
or whatever that may be but just knowing that
These experiences these challenges these things
that we are going through even though I don't
always know Will be for my good and I know God's
in charge he is the author and finisher of my
my life and I trust him I Love that Deb So, where
do we go from here? How do we now look at gratitude?
Do we still look at it the same, or do we practice
it the same, or should we maybe just take a look?
I'm gonna do a little personal inventory. I'm
gonna take a look at the way I've been doing
gratitude lately, because I know that there's
areas, Deb, where I can do better. Me too. I
know there's areas where I can focus on more
on the who instead of the what. I get caught
up in it. I get caught up in the what sometimes.
Am I thankful for this or that? And I really
just need to be more focused. This is me. I need
to be more focused on him. Just being more grateful
for him. And maybe instead of asking, what am
I grateful for today? Maybe say, where did I
see the Savior in my life today? Maybe change
that gratitude is where did I see Jesus today,
right? How did he show up in my life today? Those
tender mercies those instruments of grace Because
I know from my own experience that when I put
on those spiritual eyes I see him every day and
everywhere I am reminded what Paul told those
Thessalonica at the end of 1 Thessalonians chapter
5 verse 18 he said in everything give thanks
in every good thing give thanks you know because
when when we begin to recognize him in our lifestyle
Him being Jesus Christ our gratitude grows and
when our gratitude grows our desire grows So
I desire to follow him our desire to be more
like him our desire to love him and to love others
It just grows and as we do that we find ourselves
in an attitude of come unto me when he invites
us to come unto me and walk with me. I love that
you brought that up earlier. Come unto me and
walk with me. This is an area where desire is
what draws us closer to Jesus Christ and it's
in him that we find peace. In order for that
desire to become bigger I need to I'm invited
to practice deeper gratitude. And maybe that
can be our invitation this week. Well, and I
think even when we get vulnerable like that,
it's a more intimate relationship with our Savior.
And that's what He wants, is that intimate relationship.
Into me, I see that intimacy. And being vulnerable
and taking all of your challenges and trials,
cry out to Him. Talk to him like you would your
very, very, very best friend, your confidant,
your spouse, your name, I mean, whoever that
person is, but just know that he not only hears
you, but he's felt it, everything. And what a
gift it is to know that. Let's all make it a
goal to strengthen our relationship, our covenant
relationship with him. I think our invitation
this week then Deb is maybe through gratitude.
We begin to see him and we focus our gratitude
on him. I love that you invited us rather than
to be looking for things that we're grateful
for, to see the things that he, to look for him
in our lives, various aspects of our lives and
that will just naturally bring gratitude to us.
Thanks for being with us everybody. We look forward
to being with you again next week and until then
be well.