The Power of Gratitude

I just want to start by saying how thankful I am for the knowledge I have of Jesus Christ. All blessings and joy and light come through and because of Him.

When I’m driving down the street and someone indicates to come into my lane, I let them in. I don’t have to, but because I’m trying to be more loving and kind, I do. Then to my disgust, they have the cheek not to wave, nod or the like. They do not show any form of gratitude. They just come into my lane in front of me and go on their merry way. This makes me angry; I want to punish them; I want them to suffer for this gross injustice. And then to make matters worse they get through the light on amber and I have stop for the red.

The lyrics from one of Bob Dylan's Christian inspired songs are: “In the fury of the moment I can see the Master's hand in every leaf that trembles, in every grain of sand”

On the other hand, when I let them into my lane and they give me a wave, a nod or the thumbs up, I feel great. I have completed some ministering and they have been grateful. They are a lovely person and I wish them all the best for the rest of their life.

My point is that it’s nice to express gratitude and to be grateful.

In the Doctrine and Covenants we read: "And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious, and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more." (emphasis added, D&C 78:19)

I think the interesting word in this scripture is ALL. It says "receiveth all things with thankfulness".

To me, this implies that when we receive “trial” blessings with gratitude and have an attitude of gratitude then the Lord knows he can bless us in all things as he is confident that all blessings will for our eternal benefit and not detriment.

In 2003 Elder Oaks gave a wonderful talk entitled “Give Thanks in All Things”. In the talk, Elder Oaks talks about how much he loves the musical “Fiddler on the Roof”. From the musical there is a famous song “If I Were a Rich Man”. In the last verse of the song, the character Tevye sings:

Lord, who made the lion and the lamb,You decreed I should be what I am; Would it spoil some vast eternal plan,If I were a wealthy man?

Elder Oaks says to Tevye, "yes...it might."

Elder Oaks then teaches us: "Let us give thanks for what we are and the circumstances that God has given us for our personal journey through mortality."

When I look around at the congregation, we should be thankful for our life’s experiences which have led us here to be at church partaking of the sacrament in the Lord's Kingdom this very day. It's easy to be thankful for the recognised blessings we see in our life. But what about the blessings we don’t recognise at all or blessings that we see as trials?

I believe that blessings are experiences that draw us closer to God and ultimately eternal life. Any event or experience that does the opposite and puts distance between God and us is not a blessing. That could be money, success or popularity. The world sees these things as blessings and things to be sought after, but remember God’s ways are not man's ways for He loves us with perfect love and wants the eternal best for us.

A Baptist minister in the 1800’s by the name of Charles Spurgeon said the following two quotes which I love and relate to gratitude: “Blessed is that man who has done with chance, who never speaks of luck, but believes that from the least even to the greatest, all things are ordained of the Lord”

And another: “Remember this, had any other condition been better for you than the one in which you are, divine love would have put you there.”

I’ve been thinking of my life and the different events at different stages in my life which either then or now I recognise as blessings but didn’t necessarily at the time. I was born on Good Friday, April 20th 1973 in Whyalla to a working-class immigrant family. That’s the first blessing for which I’m grateful. I never wanted for anything but we certainly lived on a budget. Takeaway was $2 worth of hot chips wrapped in the 'Whyalla News' newspaper, a bottle of sauce and a loaf of bread. Dad liked HP sauce or as he referred to it, brown sauce.

We also used to wrap empty boxes around the Christmas tree so it looked more festive. I used to imagine that they were real presents. By the way, I did receive real presents just not in complete abundance.

When I was born, and mum and dad realised I was a boy, the first words my father said with a proud smile on his face were “we have been blessed with another priesthood holder”. That’s another wonderful blessing, I was born into a home where the gospel was present and lived.

I was the first McCappin child to be born in the covenant of eternal marriage. A few years before, my mum and dad along with my older siblings went to the New Zealand temple to be sealed for time and eternity. They went to New Zealand on faith with some minor savings. This was a priority to them as they had been in the church only 1 or 2 years and wanted to be sealed in the temple above all other things. Five years later my younger sister Leah was born under the covenant, which will be an eternal blessing.

When I was 4 or 5 years old, my dad worked at the steel works during the day and then a few nights a week worked for the local taxi rank, Des’s Cabs. I thought this was brilliant and I was so proud of my dad, in fact my mum made me a little Des’s Cabs outfit to be just like dad. I even had a coin machine, like a proper cab driver. My wife Kelly always laughs at the photo because my mum's sewing and attention to detail was awful. But I learned that my mum loved me and I thought the uniform she made me was brilliant.

Dad used to come home in the evening while he was driving cabs and have a “brew” (a hot chocolate or Ecco) with my mum. That showed me that dad loved mum and even though he was working, he would still come home. When he came home, he would take me around the block in the taxi which was great and of course, I would always want the meter running which dad allowed. (I didn’t realise that when the meter ran, the cab company would want money for that fare, so dad would have to pay).

Although Mum and Dad didn’t have the “blessing” of wealth, they had the true blessing of a Christ centred focus and teaching their young son that he was loved and that his parents loved the Lord Jesus Christ and his Gospel.

The Apostle Paul taught: “In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you". (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

The Prophet Alma taught: “When thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God”. (Alma 37:37)

I went to Stuart High School in Whyalla. What I tell you now will shock you, but when I was in my high school years, I wasn’t very popular with the girls. I couldn’t explain it, I would look in the mirror and see my middle part, my acne and my acid wash double denim clothing and think, how can the girls resist? In hindsight it was a miracle blessing of the highest order. Heavenly Father had confused their vision throughout high school so that they wouldn’t find me attractive.

In all seriousness, this was a wonderful blessing as it helped me to remain active in the church through my impressionable teen years. I was worthy to go on a mission and I wasn’t distracted by girls.

President Nelson taught "The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives." (Joy and Spiritual Survival, General Conference October 2016)

When I arrived in the mission field, I was supposed to be trained by an Australian missionary who I found out later, was a bit of a slack missionary. At the last minute, President Neilson changed the companionships and I ended up with Elder Swallow who was a missionary machine that never stopped working. I absolutely hated it at first and would pray every night for the strength to go on and endure. It turned into a wonderful blessing for which I’m grateful as it shaped the rest of my mission.

The prophet Joseph Smith was in Liberty Jail for many months as the saints suffered greatly under the persecution of mobs and corrupt government. At one of prophet’s lowest points, he calls out to Lord and asks where art thou? The Lord answers with these words: “know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience and be for thy good.” (D&C 122:7) Later in the same passage of scripture, the Lord tells Joseph to endure well and he will receive eternal life.

In this example, Joseph being stuck in a prison was a blessing and a learning experience for which the Lord asks for his gratitude. This experience of Joseph is also a huge blessing for us in this day as it shows his undying commitment to his testimony and to this world that he is the prophet of the restoration. Brigham Young understood this principle, he said: "There is not a single condition of life [or] one hour’s experience but what is beneficial to all those who make it their study, and aim to improve upon the experience that they gain."

I have many more life experiences which I could share regarding tough times that turned out to be blessings from the Lord. Here is one last experience. A few years ago, I had been pondering what true blessings are and then it happened - for the first time in my life I lost my job.

When this happened, I turned to the Lord like I had never done before and He responded. I can say that since losing my job, I have still had many challenges and it certainly hasn’t been easy sailing. But I have been consistently closer to the Lord during this period than any other period (mission excluded) in my life.

As a family, we had to make huge changes which still continue to be hard to deal with today. But overall, I recognise this as a blessing that helped me to re-evaluate life and have a deeper understanding of the Gospel and develop greater faith in the Lord. My experience may also bring others comfort in the future. Bishop Murphy who wasn't yet the Bishop at the time, reached out to me and comforted me with the words "Don’t worry, I've had heaps of jobs, the Lord is on your side."

In the book of Luke, the Saviour shares the following story:

11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.

12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:

13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.

14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.

15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,

16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

17 And Jesus answering said, were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?

18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.

19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole. (Luke 17:11-19)

The Saviour has healed and continues to heal me. All thanks and gratitude to Jesus Christ the Saviour of the world. Every joy and happiness we experience is because of Him.

May we always be like the Samaritan who showed humility and gratitude by giving thanks to the Master Healer and because of this was told that he had been made whole or worthy. I’m 48 and still coming to church every week, I have experienced much happiness and much pain, but I’m here at church where I should be, due to a life full of experiences and the blessing of endurance no matter what I’m struggling with.

I’m so thankful for the testimony that I have. I’m so thankful for Heavenly Father I’m so thankful for my older brother Jesus Christ and I know one day I will truly realise what’s He’s done for me. I’m so thankful for the Prophet Joseph Smith who was an instrument in the Lord's hands to restore the Gospel in this the last dispensation. I’m so thankful for living prophets and their testimonies and their words of counsel and strength.

In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

From a talk given in Sacrament meeting in Adelaide, South Australia.