Some Sunday thoughts

Stake Conference, today, was wonderful and I wanted to share some comments that were made and some thoughts that I had.

Our theme for Stake Conference this year is Rejoice and Give Thanks. What a wonderful theme and message for all of us. The most violated of all the commandments (and I don’t remember who that was quoted from) is “Be of good cheer”. That statement alone has vibrated through my mind all day and I hope for a long, long time. We all have so much to be thankful for and yet we seem often to focus on what isn’t right in our lives instead of what is right. Here are just some:

Air to breath, water to drink, freedom, homes, the beauty around us, indoor plumbing, food, clothes, good health, the blessing of the priesthood, the temple, being able to partake of the sacrament each week, our testimony of this great gospel, knowledge, being able to read and study and the list goes on and on.

There is a scripture in Psalms 118:24 that says, “This is the day the Lord hath made, Rejoice and be glad in it.” The more we study and understand the gospel the more we should come to understand that happiness is the object and the design of our existence. The Lord wants us to be happy and has given us blessings upon blessings to help us understand and realize that. If we dwell on the good things in our lives then our hearts are changed and our lives are strengthened and improved.

How grateful I am for the gospel of Jesus Christ, for my testimony of the truthfulness of His teachings and for my membership in this His church here upon the earth today in it’s fullness. We all have much to be thankful for and should make an effort to spend our time focusing on and looking for all the good things in our lives.