Lesson 12

This lesson is about giving back and anyone, no matter what their circumstances, can show gratitude for what they have and what they have been given. Everyone shows gratitude in different ways, but the important thing is that gratitude is shown swiftly and properly. We show gratitude to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ for all that they have given us simply by serving those in need and by living the best possible lives that we can, using our agency properly and repenting when we don't.

I first read a bit from a talk by President Hinckley called "The Perpetual Emigration Fund," and it talked about how, during the emigration of the Saints, that a fund was set up to finance emigration from overseas so that the Saints could gather to Zion as they so desired. When the Saints were able to repay the money loaned to them, they did and that which was repaid was used to make emigration for other Saints an actual reality, much more than a mere possibility. I am sure that a great deal of organization and sacrifice were made in order to make such a feat possible and many generations have benefited because of the faith of their ancestors to make such an unpredictable journey.

I then read a quote by President Monson about how we all do our best to get through life and how we should do our best to not only live, but help others. I then watched a Mormon Message called "Lessons I Learned As a Boy," by President Hinckley and in it, he reminisced about his childhood and how his father and a friend decided to leave money in a poor man's shoes instead of hiding them and see how the man would react. The man was surprised and very grateful to find the two silver dollars and was overcome with gratitude. He gave a prayer of gratitude because he could now help his sick wife by being able to feed their children. The two boys were overcome with good feelings for performing their act of service.

 A quote on gratitude by President Monson followed, as did reading the April 1992 General Conference address given by Thomas S. Monson entitled, “An Attitude of Gratitude." We really need to take time in our daily lives, no matter how busy we might get, to think about the Savior and how much He gave us that we might be able to live and learn to our fullest potential and that we don't have to focus on our sins because He bought them off of us and took the penalty required for them, something only one of a perfect life could do. We need to show gratitude for Christ's act of healing and grace by living the best lives we can live. 

Along with being grateful for the Savior, we also need to be grateful for:
-Mothers: We need to behold them and cherish what they do for us on a daily basis.
-Fathers: We need to know and cherish the sacrifices they make for our comfort.
-Teachers: They take time to teach us and help us to learn what will benefit us.
-Friends: They stay by our side in good times and bad and love us for who we are.
-Country: We were born there for a reason and the Lord will watch over us.
-Jesus Christ: He died for us that we might live now and in the hereafter.

I then read a devotional address called
"Drenched in Gratitude: Protection Against the Spirit of Entitlement" by Elder Kim B. Clark and it talked about how like physical poison can cause great damage to the body, spiritual poisons can cause great damage if allowed to grow and fester. The Spirit of entitlement is a fallible belief that we are entitled to rewards even if we do not put in the full effort required to gain the reward. We need to work for our rewards, not just assume we can take them with minimal effort and expect that our status, name, or other things will make up for our lack of effort. Our effort teaches us things and we will not learn if we are simply handed things without learning about them, as being handed things teaches us that ignorance is acceptable when it really isn't. Our name, worldly status, or anything else will not entitle us to special treatment in a lot of things, if anything, and we must work for the reward we want.

Fortunately, the Savior has provided remedies for this sickness of self-entitlement:
-Prayer
-The Sacrament
-The Temple

Doctrine and Covenants 88:77-81 talks about how we need to teach others by the Spirit of God by first having it within us and we shall be blessed with the ability to share what needs to be shared however it needs to be shared, for the Lord will not abandon us when we strive to do his work in a righteous frame of mind. By being prepared to teach others, we shall be given the opportunity to do so as long as we strive to do it righteously.

 I then watched a Mormon Message called 'Sharing the Light of Christ.'

I then watched a Mormon Message called '“Have I Done Any Good in the World Today?” by President Thomas S. Monson.

 I then turned my attention to the
“We Can All Help,” section of the Helping Others page on the Mormon.org website and studied it carefully.

I then read a talk called What Have I Done for Someone Today? by Thomas S. Monson and it talked about how there are people in need all around us and with that, there are ample opportunities for us to serve and fulfill those needs. There is opportunity to show love for others every day and serve others to truly show that love and lose our daily concerns and worries in the love that we can show through our service and feel as a result of doing service. Intent is nice, but it dies unless action follows it even if the action is but a simple gesture of love. 

I then took the test and got 18/18 - 100% and I am so grateful for the Spirit's guidance!

 Discussion Board Post
 When we perform service and someone gives thanks for our efforts, the gratitude gives the giver self-confidence and a belief that they are capable of helping others. When someone has confidence in their ability to serve, that attitude of hope and faith invites the Spirit to come into their heart and prompts further opportunities to not only give and receive service, but also to teach about service. When we give service, we often receive gratitude that gives us confidence to keep serving according to our own love for others and also by the promptings of the Spirit. When we receive service, we are reminded that the Spirit gives us strength to be an instrument in the Lord's hand and that we also have the right and privilege of receiving blessings by others whom the Lord has called to meet our needs. Receiving service also reminds us to have humility and gratitude for the giver, the Spirit of the Lord, and the fact that God knows our needs and will do whatever He can to meet them, most often doing so through others. Giving and receiving service often makes us aware that not everyone knows about service and that as givers and receivers, the best thing we can do to say thank you for the Lord blessing us with such abilities is to bless others by teaching them how to give, receive, and teach service not only to benefit them with useful knowledge they can use, but to also pass on the love we have been given. We are all given strength and ability to lift others through the Atonement of Jesus Christ enabling us to look beyond our own imperfections and to waste such opportunity would be to deny ourselves much needed blessings.
 

 O Remember, Remember.
"Have I seen the hand of the Lord in my life today?'

  What extraordinary things can be found in ordinary living if we just take the time to be in tune with our feelings, our emotions, and with the Spirit?