DAY 19

Question:  How do I show gratitude to the Lord and those He sends to bless my life?
Read:  Alma 34:38
Ponder: Am I living in thanksgiving daily?

Do I recognize and acknowledge the tender mercies of God in my daily life?

Gratitude requires awareness and effort, not only to feel it but to express it.  Frequently we are oblivious to the Lord's hand.  We murmur, complain, resist, criticize:  so often we are not grateful.  In the Book of Mormon, we learn that those who murmur do not now "the dealings of that God who...created them."  The Lord counsels us not to murmur because it is then difficult for the Spirit to work with us.


Gratitude is a Spirit-filled principle. It opens our minds to a universe permeated with the richness of a living God. Through it, we become spiritually aware of the wonder of the smallest things, which gladden our hearts with their messages of God’s love. This grateful awareness heightens our sensitivity to divine direction. When we communicate gratitude, we can be filled with the Spirit and connected to those around us and the Lord. Gratitude inspires happiness and carries divine influence. “Live in thanksgiving daily,” said Amulek, “for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you.” ⁴
~ Sister Bonnie Parkin (Ensign May 2007 p.35)