We all know someone who seems to be cheerful and happy no matter their circumstances, as well as someone who can never be satisfied. So, what’s the difference between the two?
I believe that in some way, gratitude is a major contributor to one’s glass half-full or half-empty perspective.
This reminds me of a story I once heard:
“There once was a waiter who asked a customer whether he had enjoyed the meal. The guest replied that everything was fine, but it would have been better if they had served more bread. The next day, when the man returned, the waiter doubled the amount of bread, giving him four slices instead of two, but still the man was not happy. The next day, the waiter doubled the bread again, without success.
“On the fourth day, the waiter was really determined to make the man happy. And so he took a nine-foot-long loaf of bread, cut it in half, and with a smile, served that to the customer. The waiter could scarcely wait for the man’s reaction.
“After the meal, the man looked up and said, ‘Good as always. But I see you’re back to giving only two slices of bread.’” (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, October 2014 General Conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
Finding ways to be grateful to God is encouraged throughout scripture. In Psalms 92:1 it states, “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord.” Again, in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 we read, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God.”
An example of this is the Apostle Paul, who had sought three times to be healed of what he called a “thorn in the flesh (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).” Christ could have healed him as he had so many others, but instead he told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” To which Paul responds, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities…Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”
Once Paul realized that it was through the difficulties in life that God’s grace could work through him, he now had a new perspective which enabled him to be grateful for the very thing that he sought to be removed.
I believe that one of the keys in finding ways to be grateful in our circumstances is recognizing that every morning is a gift from God. We can easily have a myopic view of our difficulties and struggles in life, but if we are able to widen that perspective to see the countless ways we are blessed, just as Paul was able to alter his perspective without his actual circumstances changing, gratitude will begin to fill our hearts and we will be able to find the happiness we all seek.
Mark D. Fullmer is Bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Gilroy Ward. He is an active member of the Interfaith Clergy Alliance of South County. Bishop Fullmer can be reached at 1d******@***il.com
