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Browsing Tag: grateful

Faith,Lessons Learned

Migraines and Spiritual Growth

posted on : August 23, 2018 posted by : Somethingsihavelearned 0 Comment

I have had migraines for over 40 years, some of them so severe I didn’t want to be alive anymore.  I have been to every kind of doctor, tried every cure and done everything that seemed reasonable and even tried some things that were unreasonable in trying to rid myself of this plague.  There have been moments when I thought that if all my life offered was pain, it would be better to die.  At times I have thought that I couldn’t stand anymore pain and felt desperate to end the pain but it continued on with nothing I could do.  In desperation I have cried out to God many times for relief, knowing that He is the ultimate source of relief.  Sometimes I have had an immediate answer on what I could do for relief.  One time as I stood trying to relax in the hot water of a shower I was begging God for help. Quietly the thought “get into bed and relax” came into my mind.  I turned off the water, got dressed and got into bed, relaxed, and as soon as I did my migraine was gone.  I have pondered about this occurrence many times. God easily could have taken away my migraine while I was standing in the shower, so why did I need to get into bed and relax?  In the bible there is the story of the captain of a Syrian army named Naaman who had leprosy.  He came to the prophet Elisha to cure his leprosy and Elisha told Naaman, through his servant, to wash himself in the river Jordan seven times.  Did the waters of Jordan have miraculous curing powers?  Elisha could have blessed Naaman or cured him some other way, but washing in the waters of the Jordan required Naaman to act, to do something. For miracles to happen there must be faith and faith requires action.  Just as Naaman had to act to be cured, I had to show my faith by acting.  God could have taken away my migraine in the shower but He wanted me to show my faith through my actions.  He already knew what I believe and how strongly I believed it but sometimes I need to be reminded, I needed to find out how strong my faith is.  That night as I laid there with a grateful heart for the relief from pain I was also grateful to know I have a loving Father in Heaven who hears my prayers and gives me experiences to help my faith grow.  I absolutely hate migraines but I am grateful for the spiritual growth I have had because of them.

Faith,Life

Gratitude and Prayer

posted on : July 5, 2018 posted by : Somethingsihavelearned 0 Comment

I have given some thought about prayer and why we are instructed to thank our Father in Heaven for our blessings before asking for the things we need.  When I express in my prayers sincere gratitude for the things I have in my life I feel a change in myself and in my attitude.  I become more humble and in tune with the Spirit, and I can feel a difference in how I approach my problems, how I see others around me and I feel a greater desire to help them.  James E. Talmage said “Gratitude is the twin sister to humility.”  Sincere gratitude leads to humility and when I sincerely thank my God for His love and blessings I definitely become more humble and then I am in a better position to ask for the things I need, and then often the things I need are no longer things.  When I really focus on my gratitude in my prayers I also end my prayers feeling happier, and closer to my Heavenly Father, and sometimes I feel the Spirit intensely.  For me gratitude is closely linked with happiness and actually with most of the desirable traits of life, and it gives perspective to my life.  Not recognizing the hand of God and the blessings He gives us in our lives often leads to coveting, jealously, and unhappiness and for me being grumpy, because I am usually feeling dissatisfied with my life.  When I was a student at BYU there was one semester when I decided my prayers were boring.  I felt like I was saying the same things over and over so I decided that I would find one new thing each day to be grateful for.  I remember one day walking to class and seeing the most beautiful monarch butterfly.  It flew along with me as I walked and I noticed how graceful it was and how delicate.  That night I thanked my Heavenly Father for that butterfly that seemed to have been sent just for me to enjoy.  That semester at school was one of the happiest times of my life and I think it was because I was actively looking for things to be grateful for.  Being truly grateful leads me to be more humble and happier, makes my prayers more meaningful and draws me closer to my Heavenly Father.  We are commanded to be grateful but isn’t it interesting that just like all of the other commandments, it is to bless our lives.  God doesn’t need us to be grateful but oh how we need  to be grateful.

https://www.lds.org/ensign/2014/05/sunday-morning-session/grateful-in-any-circumstances?lang=eng

Life

Gratitude

posted on : October 15, 2017 posted by : Somethingsihavelearned 2 Comments

Many years ago I read a sign that said “Lord, let me be thankful for dishes to wash because it means I had food to eat.” That little saying impacted me greatly and I have thought about it quite a bit over the years and have decided that sometimes it is so easy to complain while missing the big picture.  I have good food to eat and clean water to drink, while I know that many in the world are unable to say that. Even though I had a ton of laundry to do with 8 kids, it means we had clothes to wear and washing machines to do the laundry in.  Once when I was helping to make quilts for a humanitarian project we were given very specific instructions on making them with 1/2 inch batting, no thicker.  They explained that the quilts are often washed in streams or tubs of water and need to be able to dry quickly.  People still wash clothes and bedding in streams or tubs!  It’s hard to imagine that since I can throw a load of laundry in my machine in just a few minutes and come back later to clean clothes. Sometimes it’s easy to forget how good I have it.  Even in the midst of a terrible migraine I try to remember that I am somewhere safe in a comfortable bed, with a freezer that makes ice for me to use and a shower with plenty of hot water.  It doesn’t change my situation but it changes me and my attitude. Remembering that helps me to relax and to focus on the good in my life even in the midst of pain. Another sign I once saw said “There is always, always something to be grateful for.” I believe this!  A family friend told me a few years ago that on her mission for our church to Nicaragua that she had a bucket of cold water to bathe from most of the time.  I’m sure she would have loved a hot shower daily-something that I take for granted, like having a good car to drive or living in a beautiful area with good neighbors, and family who loves each other.  I want to be better at complaining a lot less and expressing gratitude more frequently.  “Lord, let me be thankful for dishes and bathrooms to clean, and laundry to do, and noisy family gatherings because it means I have so much.”