When we see someone who is successful and admired—full of good qualities and good works—we might assume that he or she is always confident and never overwhelmed. Meanwhile, painfully aware of our own weaknesses, we might doubt our ability to live up to life’s challenges.
But if we could see inside each other’s hearts, we would know that everyone faces moments of self-doubt, even the accomplished among us. One man who had done a lot of good in his life and had overcome many challenges still struggled with feelings of inadequacy. For a time, he focused on his faults and weaknesses and wondered if he was a failure.
How did he overcome such feelings? He looked for the hand of God in his life. He remembered how the Lord had been there for him through the difficult times, and he was filled with gratitude for the blessings he had received. This didn’t mean that all his trials went away. But now he knew he could face them, just as he always had—by putting his trust in God and believing that, eventually, everything would be all right.[1]
Gratitude has that effect on us. It can change our perspective. It quiets the frantic mind and brings us back to our true self, helping us reconnect with our basic goodness and innate personal power.[2] Most important, it connects us with God, the giver of “every good gift.”[3] The truth is that all of us are, by ourselves, inadequate. But we are not by ourselves. God offers His strength, helping us see that our lives really are filled with many good things, even when we’re in the middle of something difficult.
Scripture teaches us, “Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God.”[4]
If we start and end each day in gratitude, we can find peace during the good and the hard times. By reflecting on our blessings and trusting the giver of those blessings, we can feel joy and a renewed desire to move forward—in gratitude.
[1] See 2 Nephi 4:16–35.
[2] See Joanna Macy and Molly Brown, Coming Back to Life (2014), 67.
[3] James 1:17.
[4] Alma 37:37.
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November 19, 2023
Broadcast Number 4,914
The Tabernacle Choir
Orchestra at Temple Square
Conductors
Mack Wilberg
Craig Jessop
Organist
Andrew Unsworth
Host
Lloyd Newell
I Think the World Is Glorious
Alexander Schreiner; Arr. Mack Wilberg
I Sing the Mighty Power of God
English melody; Arr. Mack Wilberg
I’m Trying to Be like Jesus
Janice Kapp Perry; Arr. Barlow Bradford
In Christ There Is No East or West
Spiritual hymn; Arr. Gilbert M. Martin
Alabaré (I Will Praise)
José Pagán and Manuel José Alonso; Arr. Mack Wilberg
Did You Think to Pray?
William O. Perkins; Arr. Mack Wilberg
Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep, from White Christmas
Irving Berlin; Arr. Michael Davis
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
from Stralsund Gesangbuch; Arr. Mack Wilberg