Gratitude: remember the Lord

 I was reading in the Book of Mormon today at the end of Alma. The 20 or so chapters before this are full of stories of war and injustice and God's hand in the lives of the faithful. In chapter 62, Mormon makes an observation that stuck out to me today(Alma 62;41, 48-51):

41 But behold, because of the exceedingly great length of the war between the Nephites and the Lamanites many had become hardened, because of the exceedingly great length of the war; and many were softened because of their afflictions, insomuch that they did humble themselves before God, even in the depth of humility.48 And the people of Nephi began to prosper again in the land, and began to multiply and to wax exceedingly strong again in the land. And they began to grow exceedingly rich.49 But notwithstanding their riches, or their strength, or their prosperity, they were not lifted up in the pride of their eyes; neither were they slow to remember the Lord their God; but they did humble themselves exceedingly before him. 50 Yea, they did remember how great things the Lord had done for them, that he had delivered them from death, and from bonds, and from prisons, and from all manner of afflictions, and he haddelivered them out of the hands of their enemies. 51 And they did pray unto the Lord their God continually, insomuch that the Lord did bless them, according to his word, so that they did wax strong and prosper in the land.

 In verse 41, Mormon compares two kinds of people who went through the same experience: ones that grew bitter with hate and disappointment and ones who became deeply humbled. What made the difference? According to C. Max Caldwell, it was the way they viewed God:

"These people all had basically the same experience. The war was the same length for all people; yet out of the same experience some were hardened and some were softened. What made the difference? It was what they thought of God and His Son."

All throughout the Book of Mormon there are stories describing how people react to trials and blessings alike. Many times, pride is a ruling factor in bringing down nations through hate, complacence, greed, etc. But there are yet other times when humility reigns and the people prosper. So I asked myself as I read these verses, "Where am I?" Am I like those who hardened their hearts and stop seeing the hand of God in front of me, or am I like those who see God as a being who loves unconditionally, looks for His hand, and trusts in it come what may? Sometimes I think I lean towards the first, in moments of intense frustration or sorrow, but thankfully, I usually fall under the second category. So what's the secret? I think it all has to do with remembering God and having gratitude for what we have.

Pres. Spencer W. Kimball once said, " When you look in the dictionary for the most important word, do you know what it is? It could be remember...our greatest need is to remember."

On a similar but deeper strain, Sister Susan L. Warner said, "Satan wants us to be slow to remember what we have received and heard. He wants us to minimize and even forget the quiet witnesses of the Spirit that have told us who we really are."

If God wants us to remember and Satan wants us to forget, remembering must be a pretty important principle. A main reason why the Nephites were blessed so abundantly was because the remembered what the Lord had done for them and they LET that memory humble them.

I realized that in whatever circumstances we are placed, with whatever blessings we are or are not given, it is crucial to our happiness and eternal growth to remember the Lord our God always and be grateful for what He has given us. That's why it is a covenant that we make every week when we partake of the sacrament, because if we keep our Heavenly Father and Brother close to us, Satan has a hard time getting in.

Really though, we need to remember Him because He is there. Because He is the one who gave us all we have. He is the one who can take it all away or give us even more. He is the one who knows us better than anyone else. He knows our innermost needs better than we do and He will give us those things. By serving Him and His children, studying His words, and talking with Him everyday we show Him our love and gratitude for the countless tender mercies the Lord has poured down upon us.

He is my rock and my mountain of peace. He is my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ is His Son. I cannot contain my gratitude for all they have blessed me with. Thank you.