Things to be Grateful For

When I need to quickly get an inspirational thought to blog about, I typically look in two places: Facebook, where my mom and sister frequently share inspirational thoughts on pretty photos, and on LDS.org's daily messages, which are usually too long or off-topic from anything I'd like to share. This morning, I was pleased to find a daily message that isn't terribly long and that struck a chord with me.

Do material possessions make us happy and grateful? Perhaps momentarily. However, those things which provide deep and lasting happiness and gratitude are the things which money cannot buy: our families, the gospel, good friends, our health, our abilities, the love we receive from those around us.

-Thomas S. Monson, "The Divine Gift of Gratitude"

 We frequently hear reminders that Christmas isn't about things. It's about spending time with family, expressing love for each other (sometimes through gifts), and remembering Jesus Christ. Of course, we also hear reminders about Black Friday door-busters and last-minute savings on the top gifts for everyone on your list. Many people believe that Christmas has been too commercialized, and they're probably right. Thankfully, it's still possible to keep the true Spirit of Christmas with us, sometimes with the help of occasional reminders like this.

When you really think about it, the best blessings in the universe are things that money can't buy. Without repeating the items on President Monson's list, these blessings include the presence of the Holy Spirit, the feeling of being forgiven, our knowledge of God's plan for us, and the hope and promise of eternal happiness. Or maybe all those things were summed up concisely when President Monson listed "the gospel." When you compare your material blessings to your eternal blessings, you discover that things of this world really don't matter all that much. Sure, they're nice, and they make life more pleasant, but it's often (I would almost say always) true that the pious poor are happier than the irreligious rich. Which group do you think truly has more to be thankful for, the group whose treasures will remain and waste away on earth, or the group who has few earthly treasures, but whose real treasures are eternal?

We have eternal treasures far more valuable than the things we give each other on Christmas. This Thanksgiving/Christmas season, let's give thanks to God for the blessings we have that are worth far more than any material things.