Attitude of Gratitude

This being the first day of November, gratitude has been on my mind. Last night as I was preparing a spiritual thought for ward prayer, my mind was drawn back to President Monson's talk from General Conference. I decided to read the talk, and find some material that I could pass on to those that would come to ward prayer.

The first little nugget that hit me was a quote from President Gordon B. Hinckley, "When you walk with gratitude, you do not walk with arrogance and conceit and egotism, you walk with a spirit of thanksgiving that is becoming to you and will bless your lives."

Walk with gratitude. That is big. That doesn't mean that I am just grateful, that means that my whole being is full of gratitude at all times. I don't have to think about it, I just am. That is a gift that I could possess. When I, as a being, am possessed with gratitude, I don't have any form of pride in me. This will reflect in my life, it will reflect in my countenance, and it will enrich my life.

President Monson asks us how we can cultivate in our hearts gratitude. He turns to President Joseph F. Smith, "The grateful man sees so much in the world to be thankful for, and with him the good outweighs the evil. Love overpowers jealousy, and light drives darkness out of his life. Pride destroys our gratitude and sets up selfishness in its place. How much happier we are in the presence of a grateful and loving soul, and how careful we should be to cultivate, through the medium of a prayerful life, a thankful attitude toward God and man!"

It's another example of overcoming weakness! If I turn to God, He will help me see all the reasons to be grateful in my life. I remember one week when I tried to make this a priority in my life. I specifically prayed to have a Spirit of gratitude with me at all times. I saw the world in so much better terms and was so grateful for everything that was put in it.

"A grateful heart, then, comes through expressing gratitude to our Heavenly Father for His blessings and to those around us for all that they bring into our lives. This requires conscious effort-- at least until we have truly learned and cultivated an attitude of gratitude. Often we feel grateful and intend to express our thanks but forget to do so or just don't get around to it. Someone has said that 'feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.'

"When we encounter challenges and problems in our lives, it is often difficult for us to focus on our blessing. However if we reach deep enough and look hard enough, we will be able to feel and recognize just how much we have been given."

I love that. My goal for this next month of November is to cultivate and Attitude of Gratitude. I am going to be looking for things to be grateful for everyday of this month. It's my own personal experiment to see how this enriches my life and how it visibly changes it.