Gather in Gratitude

"Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you."
Jacob 2:17

A couple weeks ago in Institute we talked about this scripture and it just really hit me. I need to be selfless! An amazing example of this principle is my roommate. A little while ago one of my roommates didn't have enough money to buy bread, so my especially selfless roommate bought bread for her. Then she came home and made bread because she didn't have enough money to buy herself bread. WOW! Selfless right? This is just one example, but all of my roommates are great examples of being selfless. During conference one thing that especially hit me was selflessness. This is something that is hard for me. It seems like I am at a point in my life where everything I'm doing is for me. I am going to school so I can get an education. I am working so I will have enough money, I am doing MY homework, so I can get good grades. I I I I I... But, I am supposed to be selfless. During conference I felt that if I made people more important than things, then everything would still work out. I would still get all of my homework done, I would do well in school, and He would just bless me more. Heavenly Father's children are most important to Him, and so they should be most important to me. I once heard that if I do Heavenly Father's work first then everything will fall into place or fall out of my life. When we talked about this scripture we also talked about how everything we have is from God. Nothing is really mine, God gave me everything I have. So why shouldn't I give it away? It belongs to God anyways. I realized how much I owe my Heavenly Father. I owe Him everything. I am nothing. How humble we must be. I also learned that one way we can become humble is by cultivating gratitude. In Mosiah 2:20-21 it says
"I say unto you, my brethren, that if you should render all the thanks and praise which your whole soul has power to posses, to that God who has created you, and has kept and preserved you, and has caused that ye should rejoice, and has granted that ye should live in peace one with another.
I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning....I say, if ye should serve him with ALL your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants."
We also learn in verse 17 that the way we can serve God is by serving those around us. So, if we show our gratitude by serving God which is by serving others and being selfless, then wow! Think! What if we gathered together in gratitude? In real, true gratitude. Everyone would be serving each other, loving each other, and giving everything we have to each other. We would hope that everyone would succeed and we would support them in any way we can. We are all in this together. We are all at the same level, and the only way we can advance is by helping others to do the same. We should be selfless, we should be loving and we should serve. Jillian brought this cute decoration down about a month ago, but now it means so much to me. Gather together in gratitude... and what better time to start practicing this then now? In this wonderful Thanksgiving season!

On Wed we also made this Thankful tree. I love it! Counting your blessings really does make you so much happier. I truly am so blessed, and because I have been given much I too must give. GIVE, give of my time, my substance, and my heart.


I LOVE Thanksgiving and I can't wait to spend it with my family!Thanksgiving is my very most favorite holiday.