By Lu Ann Brobst Staheli

O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth forever. (Psalms 136:1)

Among the first words a child learns are the simple phrases Please and Thank you. Somewhere in the teenage years, we tend to forget about those kind words and become more demanding in our requests, occasionally expecting more than we need and rarely giving thanks where thanks is due. As adults, we try to convince ourselves that this simply isn’t true, that we are indeed gracious in balancing our requests and response, but, like it or not, it’s all too easy for us to forget the gratitude and maintain the attitude.

Here are three things that I have done to help me add more gratitude into my life. Each has brought remarkable change for me. Perhaps they will spark an idea that you can use.

Simply Abundant

Several years ago I heard author Sarah Breathnach talk about her book Simple Abundance. One of the ideas she introduced was that of a gratitude journal. This type of journal is more than a place to record the daily events of our lives—it is a place to record those things for which we are most grateful. The goal was to list five items each day. The first few days were easy. Family, friends, blessings of home, health, and income filled the pages. But by the end of the first month, I was scrambling to find a series of unique topics to write in each slot.

I began to doubt that I had that many blessings in my life, and I came close to abandoning the journal. It took me longer each day to come up with the required number of items, and some days I skipped the activity altogether.

Then, one night, as I was reading a talk by President Henry B. Eyring in which he said, “My point is to urge you to find ways to recognize and remember God’s kindness…You may not keep a journal. You may not share whatever record you keep with those you love and serve. But you and they will be blessed as you remember what the Lord has done.”

Well, I was keeping a journal, and I had a record of my blessings, so I flipped back through the pages, reviewing those things I had previously written. A flood of new insight came to me, and I found it easy to write my list for that night. So many ideas entered my mind I even went back and filled in some of the days I had previously missed.

My life was already filled with abundance, and I had somehow forgotten to notice.

When we get so wrapped up in the routine of day-to-day, it is easy to lose track of all we have accomplished and all the blessings that have come into our lives as a result. Take a moment to consider your own blessings. If you want, keep a record in a journal. I think if you are honest with yourself, you will find that your blessings are also simply abundant.

Prayers of Gratitude

In the most recent General Conference, Elder David Bednar spoke about the importance of occasionally offering prayers of gratitude—no asking, only thanking. I don’t remember exactly where I had heard this taught before, but gratitude prayers have been a staple in my regular prayers for some time now, and what a difference it has made. Perhaps because I already keep a gratitude journal, or just because it’s different than the laundry list of asking each of us, including me, can sometimes fall into, I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to simply thank my Father in Heaven for the blessings I have received.

Because I’m not asking, asking, asking, I’ve noticed that more blessings are actually coming. Once I ask for something, I’m now learning to let it go. I’ve discovered that the Lord knows what I want and need.
He ought to, I’ve told Him enough times before in all too many ways. In every case, He has answered my prayers, perhaps not with everything I thought I needed, but in the way that is in line with what He knows is best for me. And for that, I am grateful.

Adding more gratitude and fewer requests into our prayers changes the way we look at life. It allows us to see the good and cope more successfully with the difficult. If you’re just getting started, plan a day each week to offer nothing but a prayer of gratitude—perhaps Sunday—and see how your life can change.

Begin with the End in Mind

If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know when you get there? A goal not written down is nothing more than a wish, and a wish, although nice, never becomes a reality.

We all have places we want to be and things we want to do in this life. Although many of our goals are related to things—homes, incomes, and other tangible objects—it’s also likely we have set some spiritual goals for ourselves that we’d like to reach.

Take for instance the building of faith. This trait, like so many others, can be strengthened through the expression of gratitude. One of the strategies I’ve used to demonstrate my faith, is to prepay my tithing. The first time I tried this, I’ll admit, I started small. I decided that I wanted to earn an extra one hundred dollars in the coming weeks, so I faithfully wrote out my check for ten and gave it to the Bishop. Then I set to work, looking for ways to earn extra dollars. I understood that “faith without works was dead” (James 2:18), so I worked hard the next few days. At the end of the week, I reviewed my income, and sure enough, I had made not only my regular wage, but an extra one hundred dollars, just as I had wanted to do.

Since then I have used the concept on other occasions, using larger amounts and setting higher sites for my goals, and never once has the Lord failed me. Perhaps that’s because He has taught me not to fail myself. “If you reach for the sun and miss, you’ll at least reach the stars,” and hitting those stars is a pretty good increase in abundance for anybody.

Being Grateful

When it comes to gratitude, we owe the Lord everything. It’s certainly not going to hurt us to stop and thank Him a little more often than usual. Perhaps the blessings we receive in return won’t come in obvious ways, yet perhaps they will. But whatever happens, we will be better people because we have taken the time to say Thank you to the one individual to whom we owe the most.

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. (Colossians 3: 17)

Lu Ann Brobst Staheli is Utah’s 2008 Best of State Educator K-12, and former Nebo Reading Council Reading Teacher of the Year, Utah English Language Arts Teacher of the Year, and Utah Reading Council Celebrate Literacy Award recipient. She is a member of the Wolf Hollow 1st Ward in Spanish Fork, Utah.