Every Monday morning we have a brief devotional in the Pacific Area Office before starting a new work week. We have been SO blessed by the thoughtful messages that have been presented in these meetings. Today we got a great reminder about Choosing to be POSITIVE and focus on GRATITUDE no matter what!
The speaker began with a question to ponder - "What is your response to terrible things?" He then told the story of a District President in New Caledonia who was persecuted for bringing religion to the villages there. One of the village leaders beat the man with a stick and called him many insulting names.
The man did not fight back. He did not show any outward sign of anger or resentment for the treatment he received. He actually expressed gratitude for his absolute knowledge that the Gospel of Christ was true.
We were then challenged to consider our own opportunity to fully experience and express gratitude in all circumstances. With Thanksgiving coming up I've been thinking a lot about all that I have to be grateful for. Truly, I DO have many blessings to give thanks for. However, I have not been inclined to turn first to gratitude when things go terribly wrong. Today's message was a good reminder that I can make the choice to be thankful in ALL circumstances.
These weekly devotionals have totally reformatted the way we view Monday mornings. Instead of "UGH - weekend is over...gotta go back to the grind of work" we get up perky and ready to be spritually fed. LOVING this mission!
The speaker began with a question to ponder - "What is your response to terrible things?" He then told the story of a District President in New Caledonia who was persecuted for bringing religion to the villages there. One of the village leaders beat the man with a stick and called him many insulting names.
The man did not fight back. He did not show any outward sign of anger or resentment for the treatment he received. He actually expressed gratitude for his absolute knowledge that the Gospel of Christ was true.
We were then challenged to consider our own opportunity to fully experience and express gratitude in all circumstances. With Thanksgiving coming up I've been thinking a lot about all that I have to be grateful for. Truly, I DO have many blessings to give thanks for. However, I have not been inclined to turn first to gratitude when things go terribly wrong. Today's message was a good reminder that I can make the choice to be thankful in ALL circumstances.
These weekly devotionals have totally reformatted the way we view Monday mornings. Instead of "UGH - weekend is over...gotta go back to the grind of work" we get up perky and ready to be spritually fed. LOVING this mission!
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