Having a grateful heart brings us peace....From my friend KM

Psalms 100:

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.  Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.  Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.  Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

The lds.org website tells us that “Gratitude is a feeling of appreciation and thankfulness for blessings or benefits we have received – that as we cultivate a grateful attitude, we are more likely to be happy and spiritually strong.  It says that Gratitude is an uplifting, exalting attitude. People are generally happier when they have gratitude in their hearts. We cannot be bitter, resentful, or mean-spirited when we are grateful.

We should thank our Heavenly Father for His goodness to us by acknowledging His hand in all things, thanking Him for all that He gives us, keeping His commandments, and serving others. We should especially thank Him for His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, for the Savior's great example, for His teachings, for His outreaching hand to lift and help, for His infinite Atonement.”

Let’s first explore what having a grateful heart means.

In Luke 17:12-19 we find the story of the 10 lepers. As the Savior went through Samaria and Galilee, “he entered into a certain village, [and] there met him ten men that were lepers” who “lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” Jesus told them to go show themselves unto the priest.

“And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.

“And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God.

“And fell down … at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

“And Jesus answering said, were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?

“There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.

“And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole” (Luke 17:12–19).

Only the Samaritan had a grateful heart.

In a conference talk given in 1996 President James E. Faust had this to say about this particular example of gratitude from the scriptures:

Leprosy was so loathsome a disease that those afflicted were not permitted under the law to come close to Jesus. Those suffering from this terrible disease were required to agonize together, sharing their common misery. (See Lev. 13:45-46) Their forlorn cry, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us,” must have touched the Savior’s heart. When they were healed and had received priestly approval that they were clean and acceptable in society, they must have been overcome with joy and amazement. Having received so great a miracle, they seemed completely satisfied. But they forgot their benefactor. It is difficult to understand why they were so lacking in gratitude. Such ingratitude is self-centered. It is a form of pride.

What is the significance of the fact that the one who returned to give thanks was a Samaritan? As in the story of the Good Samaritan, the point seems to be that those of lesser social or economic status often rise to a greater duty and nobility.

A grateful heart, continues President Faust, is a beginning of greatness. It is an expression of humility. It is a foundation for the development of such virtues as prayer, faith, courage, contentment, happiness, love, and well being. As with all commandments, gratitude is a description of a successful mode of living. The thankful heart opens our eyes to a multitude of blessings that continually surround us.”

In the Doctrine and Covenants 78:19 the Lord said “And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more.”

Steven Snow, in an October 2001 General Conference address, said this about Gratitude:  “It is human nature, I suppose, to seek elsewhere for our happiness. Pursuit of career goals, wealth, and material rewards can cloud our perspective and often leads to a lack of appreciation for the bounteous blessings of our present circumstances.

It is precarious to dwell on why we have not been given more. It is, however, beneficial and humbling to dwell on why we have been given so much.  An old proverb states, “The greater wealth is contentment with a little.”

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul wrote, “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content” (Philip. 4:11).”

President Joseph F. Smith has instructed us that “the spirit of gratitude is always pleasant and satisfying because it carries with it a sense of helpfulness to others; it begets love and friendship, and engenders divine influence. Gratitude is said to be the memory of the heart” (Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed. [1939], 262).

How then does gratitude bring us peace?

This past week, as I’ve thought about what it means to have a grateful heart, and how it can bring me peace, I’ve thought about stepping stones.  Stepping stones made from round, generous pieces of solid foundation, which if followed, will lead me where I want to go.  Some of you may have seen silver necklaces or bracelets made with beads in the shape of small pebbles or stones with words on them such as love. Faith. Courage. Hope.  I envision my stepping stones, similarly marked as I’ll describe.

If my destination is peace, then the first step forward must be honesty.  Because having a grateful heart is, first of all, acknowledging the many gifts, kindnesses and blessings that I receive on a daily basis – no matter how routine, small or seemingly insignificant they may be.  To be truly grateful, I must then give thanks.  This can be done verbally, or in writing, with a smile, handshake or hug, or on my knees in prayer.  Next, having a grateful heart means being content with what I have been given.  It doesn’t mean “thank you for the lovely gift, BUT could I have some more, or could I have a slightly different color, or could you hold that for me until next week … .  it means being content with what I have been given.

Having a grateful heart frees me from greed.  Freedom from greed  returns to me as a gift of time – time not spent in “busily pursuing” things that have no lasting value.   If I have a grateful heart I can enjoy a sense of serenity, and a feeling of calm.  

Finally, I came to realize that gratitude for the all the gifts that I have been given, and those that I receive through living the gospel will bring me peace, in this life and the next - and it will bring me closer to the peacemaker.

The peace of Christ does not come by seeking the superficial things of life; neither does it come except as it springs from the individual’s heart.  David. O McKay, Conference report, Oct. 1938

The dictionary definition states that peace is a state of tranquility or quiet, freedom from disquieting thoughts or emotions, and harmony in personal relations.  According to Joseph B. Wirthlin, in the scriptures, peace means either freedom from strife, contention, conflict, or war - or an inner calm and comfort born of the Spirit that is a gift of God to all of his children, an assurance and serenity within a person’s heart. (Joseph B. Wirthlin, Peace Within, May 1991) 

Marion G Romney, suggested that we might think of peace as “harmony within one’s self, and with God and man.”

Joseph B. Wirthlin gave an excellent talk entitled Peace Within in April 1991, largely based on another wonderful talk, entitled The Price of Peace that Marion G. Romney had given 8 years earlier.  The following examples were outlined in these 2 talks.

During most of the world’s history, strife, dissension, and conflict have flourished and displaced peace. The times when peace has reigned, it began in the hearts of righteous, obedient individuals and grew until it engulfed a society. We have at least two scriptural accounts of periods of absolute peace:

The first of these periods of peace was among the people of Enoch, who lived before the great flood. They continued in righteousness, and “the Lord came and dwelt with” them. He “called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness.” They “built a city that was called the City of Holiness, even Zion” that, in the “process of time, was taken up into heaven.” (Moses 7:16–21.)  These people of Enoch are the only ones we know of in the scriptures that have obtained lasting perfect peace.

The second period of peace followed the ministry of the resurrected Jesus among the Nephites. They abolished the works of evil and obtained the fruit of the Spirit. Quoting from the Book of Mormon: “The disciples of Jesus had formed a church of Christ. … And as many as did come unto them, and did truly repent of their sins, were baptized in the name of Jesus; and they did also receive the Holy Ghost.” (4 Ne. 1:1.) Consequently, “there were no contentions and disputations among them” (4 Ne. 1:2) “because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people. And there were no envyings, nor strifes, nor tumults, nor whoredoms, nor lyings, nor murders, nor any manner of lasciviousness.” (4 Ne. 1:15–16.) “They were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God.” (4 Ne. 1:17.) “And every man did deal justly one with another.” (4 Ne. 1:2.) “And surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God.” (4 Ne. 1:16.)

Peace prevailed among the Nephites for almost two centuries. Then some of them deserted the teachings of Jesus Christ and turned to wickedness and selfish pride  [ingratitude]. Within another two centuries, the Nephite nation that had enjoyed this long period of perfect peace had destroyed itself in savage civil war.

How can we cultivate and a grateful heart? 

The short answer is through practice. 

President Monson once said that we should “think to thank”. 

Henry B. Eyring, in a 1989 conference address suggested that we can begin a private prayer with thanks.  We can start to count our blessings, and then pause for a moment.  If we exercise faith, and with the gift of the Holy Ghost, we will find that memories of other blessings will flood into our minds.  If we begin to express

gratitude for each of them, our prayer may take a little longer than usual.  Remembrance will come.  And so will gratitude.

President Spencer W. Kimball said that Journals are a way of counting our blessings and of leaving an inventory of these blessings for our posterity.  As we start to write, we can ask ourselves, “How did God bless me today?”

The Prophet Joseph Smith assured us that we can enjoy that peace of God which passeth human understanding (noted in Philip. 4:7.) We can enjoy it personally, within our families, in our communities, in our nations, and in our world if we will do the things that produce it. This peace leads to happiness.

(See Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 255–56.)

As I’ve outlined, one of the things that produces peace is showing gratitude, or having a grateful heart.  And what better time of year to practice showing gratitude than now.

President J. Reuben Clark, wisely counseled: “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” (Church News, 14 June 1969, 2).

I echo his wishes that we may cultivate grateful hearts so that we may cherish the multitude of blessings that God has so graciously bestowed upon us. May we openly express such gratitude to our Father in Heaven and our fellowmen and may we live in peace.

“Live in peace,” said the Apostle Paul, “and the God of love and peace shall be with you” (2 Cor. 13:11).