Jun 3, 2007

Preparedness and Prayer and Faith and Gratitude and...

by Marsha Ward

So many gospel topics are running through my mind today on this day of worship. Our Relief Society lesson was on being prepared for temporal emergencies as well as other emergencies, such as emotional, social, financial, and the like.

Our Sunday School lesson was on faith in Jesus Christ and how to apply it to everyday living. It included how we need to persist in faith and prayers to know what God's plan is for us individually. Our wishes may not be for our best good, but God does answer our prayers.

In Testimony Meeting, the feeling of gratitude that filled the chapel was almost tangible, as members and visitors counted a few of their blessings and gave their thanks to God for them.

After choir practice, I came home and watched 'Music and the Spoken Word,' the weekly broadcast of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. In keeping with the recently celebrated Memorial Day, gratitude for our armed forces was the theme. How my heart was stirred by their rendition of 'Battle Hymn of the Republic!'

The program following on BYU Television was 'A Worship Service,' which was a re-run from Thanksgiving time in 2001. Again, the topic in song and sermon was gratitude.

Thus prompted by the teachings of the day, I want to express my gratitude for all my blessings, which are too numerous to count or tick off. I'll only mention a few.

One of them is the blessing of firefighters who know what they're doing and work hard to accomplish their tasks. Another is a Savior who knows me and my needs, and sends the Comforter to sooth my fears. A third is friends who love and appreciate me, and offer solace in times of trouble. A fourth is family. The promise of an eternal binding is balm to the wounded heart. I am grateful for the sealing power.

Today, give a thought or two of what your blessing are, and how you can express your gratitude to God for them.

4 comments:

  1. I'm glad to hear that everything went well and you're back to counting your blessings!

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  2. I'm happy for you Marsha! I, too, am grateful for the firefighters efforts to keep you and your neighbors safe from harm.

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  3. Dear Marsha - Thank you for the reminder. Gratitude brightens everything. I'm glad, too, for firefighters and that you are safe again.

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  4. Thank you, Marsha, for sharing your grateful reflections of a wonderful Sabbath day. Following closely after the trauma of fire, it must have been even more touching.

    (I wrote more here, but decided to save it for my next blog.)

    We love you, and thank you for your caring, sharing, tireless effort, and goodness. We're especially happy for your preservation from fire disaster, and thank you for your good advice. We can never be too thankful nor too appreciative.

    ReplyDelete

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