The origins of the Thanksgiving holiday go back to the very founding of the American republic. Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln are both credited with setting aside a national day of thanksgiving--Washington in 1789 and Lincoln in 1863. Ever since those times we have been expressing our gratitude for our many blessings. But what of those of us who might say, “What do I have to be grateful for when my world is falling apart?”
Dieter F. Uchtdorf gave an address in May of 2014 wherein he suggested that we might be filled with gratitude regardless of the circumstances in which we find ourselves. What follows are excerpts from that address:
“Over the years, I have had the sacred opportunity to meet with many people whose sorrows seem to reach the very depths of their souls. Often their grief is caused by what seems to them as an ending. Some are facing the end of a cherished relationship, such as the death of a loved one or estrangement from a family member. Others may be facing the end of hope—the hope of being married or bearing children or overcoming an illness. Others may be facing the end of their faith, as confusing and conflicting voices in the world tempt them to question, even abandon, what they once knew to be true.
“It is easy to be grateful for things when life seems to be going our way. But what then of those times when what we wish for seems to be far out of reach? Could I suggest that we see gratitude as a disposition, a way of life that stands independent of our current situation? In other words, I’m suggesting that instead of being thankful for things, we focus on being thankful in our circumstances—whatever they may be.
“We can choose to be grateful, no matter what. This type of gratitude transcends whatever is happening around us. It surpasses disappointment, discouragement, and despair. It blooms just as beautifully in the icy landscape of winter as it does in the pleasant warmth of summer.
“When we are grateful to God in our circumstances, we can experience gentle peace in the midst of tribulation. In grief, we can still lift up our hearts in praise. In pain, we can glory in Christ’s Atonement. In the cold of bitter sorrow, we can experience the closeness and warmth of heaven’s embrace.
“We sometimes think that being grateful is what we do after our problems are solved, but how terribly shortsighted that is. How much of life do we miss by waiting to see the rainbow before thanking God that there is rain?
“We are made of the stuff of eternity. We are eternal beings, children of the Almighty God, whose name is Endless and who promises eternal blessings without number. Endings are not our destiny… Endings here in mortality are not endings at all. They are merely interruptions—temporary pauses that one day will seem small compared to the eternal joy awaiting the faithful.”
(Ensign Magazine, May 2014, pp.70-77)
Both Washington and Lincoln showed gratitude for the hand of Providence that directed their actions in the furnace of affliction. May each one of us possess, to some degree, that same trait of noble character.
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