Find The Good

 

This Sunday's lesson from the Book of Mormon made the recent counsel of President Russell M. Nelson to "give thanks" and pray to God even more poignant.

"No matter our situation, showing gratitude for our privileges is a fast-acting and long-lasting spiritual prescription," said President Nelson.

 

In the chapters from Ether in today's lesson, we read of the Jaredite people who applied this gospel doctrine in their time when they followed God's counsel to build barges to cross the deep ocean waters with nothing more than the wind, crashing waves, and faith in God to light the way to their destination.
 
Interestingly, the very same winds that beat against the Jaredite people carried them to their final destination, a promised land, much like Moses after them. As they crossed the depths of the sea they cried to the Lord and gave him praises long before, and after, they reached the promised land. 
 
A Lesson from the Past
As you read the verses below, notice how the Jaredites put emphasis on signing praises to God, more than crying over their woes to him. (Ether 6:5–12)
 

5 And it came to pass that the Lord God caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon the face of the waters, towards the promised land; and thus they were tossed upon the waves of the sea before the wind.

 

6 And it came to pass that they were many times buried in the depths of the sea, because of the mountain waves which broke upon them, and also the great and terrible tempests which were caused by the fierceness of the wind.

 

7 And it came to pass that when they were buried in the deep there was no water that could hurt them, their vessels being tight like unto a dish, and also they were tight like unto the ark of Noah; therefore when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters.

 

8 And it came to pass that the wind did never cease to blow towards the promised land while they were upon the waters; and thus they were driven forth before the wind.

 

9 And they did sing praises unto the Lord; yea, the brother of Jared did sing praises unto the Lord, and he did thank and praise the Lord all the day long; and when the night came, they did not cease to praise the Lord.

 

10 And thus they were driven forth; and no monster of the sea could break them, neither whale that could mar them; and they did have light continually, whether it was above the water or under the water.

 

11 And thus they were driven forth, three hundred and forty and four days upon the water.

 

12 And they did land upon the shore of the promised land. And when they had set their feet upon the shores of the promised land they bowed themselves down upon the face of the land, and did humble themselves before the Lord, and did shed tears of joy before the Lord, because of the multitude of his tender mercies over them.

 

Storms are Not the Purpose of Life
Sometimes the things that we think are fighting against us, or the things that we are fighting against, are the very things that God is using to help us become who we need to be, and are often the answer to the very things that we are praying for. 

 

It is important to understand that the purpose of life is not the the storm. The purpose of life is found in the lessons we learn and the blessings we acknowledge by the hand of God, both in the storms and calms of life.

"I have concluded that counting our blessings is far better than recounting our problems," said President Nelson. 

Do we strive to see the blessings among our trials? Are we grateful only when things are good? Do we only step up to the plate only when things are good or only when things are hard? Do we strive to see good and be good regardless of the peaks and valleys of life?
 

An Invitation from a Living Prophet

"As a doctor, I know the value of good therapy. So, dear friends, may I prescribe two activities to help us experience the healing power of gratitude.

"First, I invite you — just for the next seven days — to turn social media into your own personal gratitude journal. Post every day about what you are grateful for, who you are grateful for and why you are grateful. 

"At the end of seven days, see if you feel happier and more at peace. Use the hashtag #GiveThanks. Working together, we can flood social media with a wave of gratitude that reaches the four corners of the earth. Perhaps this will fulfill, in part, the promise God gave to Father Abraham, that through his descendants, “all families of the earth [shall] be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3)

"Second, let us unite in thanking God through daily prayer. Jesus Christ taught His disciples to pray by first expressing gratitude to God, and then petitioning Him for the things we need. Prayer brings forth miracles."

Moving Forward
To find God's blessings and learn from our experiences, we must do as the Jaredites did. We must pray for God's help and give thanks well before and after we reach the promised land.
 
Both efforts are essential in our ability see God's blessings in all of life's experiences. Both were part of the very counsel that President Nelson, a modern-day prophet, prescribed as a remedy to find healing in our hearts and our society.
 
We must focus on the lessons and the blessings of life amidst the storms. Otherwise, we will find ourselves swallowed up in woe, losing sight of God, and failing to see his plan for us to reach our full potential.
 
That is why we often refer to God's plan for his children as the Plan of Salvation or the Plan of Happiness, not the Plan of Damnation or the Plan of Suffering.
 
Learning to find the good now, will help us see the good more clearly throughout our lives and in the end.
 
My hope is that all of us can one day say of ourselves as did the late President Gordon B. Hinckley, "I am an optimist." 

This does mean that we should walk through life naively with rose-colored glasses, but rather, we should move forward with our eyes wide open to all the good around us.

He explained, "My plea is that we stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight. I am suggesting that as we go through life, we accentuate the positive." (Pg. 117, Standing for Something).

I personally have seen the benefits of this in my own life through the loss of loved ones, job changes and a variety of personal hardships. As a result, this approach has carried me forward in ways that I am forever grateful to God for.

So whether you are a person of faith or not, we can all give thanks! Please join me, President Russell M Nelson, and millions of others around the world in an effort to #givethanks!