The Gratitude Cycle

At this moment of writing, I am sitting in a hospital room eating my first meal in ten days. I had been restricted to only clear liquids due to a prolonged illness, and I have never been more grateful for a scrambled egg and piece of toast in my life. It is so easy to take the blessings of life for granted -- food, clothing, shelter, protection and possessions. We never seem to fully appreciate these things until they are taken away. And while the Lord seeks to bless us in these ways, when He does, the natural man in us feels we no longer need God. Thus, our lack of gratitude during the good times often requires that the Lord chastens us to wake us up. The Book of Mormon teaches about this gratitude cycle which allows us to continually be worthy of His blessings.

 Helaman 12:2 Yea, and we may see at the very time when he doth prosper his people, yea, in the increase of their fields, their flocks and their herds, and in gold, and in silver, and in all manner of precious things of every kind and art; sparing their lives, and delivering them out of the hands of their enemies; softening the hearts of their enemies that they should not declare wars against them; yea, and in fine, doing all things for the welfare and happiness of his people; yea, then is the time that they do harden their hearts, and do forget the Lord their God, and do trample under their feet the Holy One—yea, and this because of their ease, and their exceedingly great prosperity.
 3 And thus we see that except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence, they will not remember him.

LESSON LEARNED: It is easy to be humble and penitent during difficult times. Conversely, it is also easy to regard God and religion as unimportant during times of plenty. The Lord puts us through humbling cycles so He can continue to bless us and to see if we will choose to remember Him always.

FEEDBACK: HAVE YOU HAD AN EXPERIENCE WHEN YOU FELT THE LORD CHASTEN YOU IN ORDER TO TEACH YOU HUMILITY AND GRATITUDE?