Comments on: Gratitude—Recognizing God in His Gifts

By: gospelidea

gospelidea — Sat, 30 May 2009 22:28:34 +0000

Kristen–Go a littler easier on yourself. The principle of grace makes up for what you cannot attain. You are only required to give your best effort (but you must give your best effort!) then Christ makes up the difference. We grow by baby steps, not by leaps. Comparing yourself to someone else is a dangerous exercise. The Lord works with you personally. Your path is different than any other, although it ends up in the same place. Comparisons only hold you back, and often they are a Satanic tool used to discourage you. If we hold up examples, they are to be used to rally us around the common principles of the gospel. As Nephi pointed out, we are to personalize the general gospel principles. This speaks to a loving, individual relationship with Heavenly Father. I know that you are discouraged and weary, but nevertheless the promises are true: God hears and answers sincere prayers. The timing is up to him, and most often it extends until the very last minute. That reality provides a vehicle for us to prove our faith in him while we wait. Developing trust is a common denominator for all of us who share this mortal experience. And so we are tried–all of us!–to develop faith, trust and love. If we are honest with ourselves, we have to admit that Jesus never leaves us during the trying. He yokes himself to us and helps to carry the weight. The part that we cannot heft is the part he carries. It is a verifiable gospel truth. Keep moving forward in faith and try to focus on what you have been given rather than what you lack. I think you will find that your inventory includes a lot.

By: Kristen

Kristen — Fri, 29 May 2009 19:58:21 +0000

Although I have experienced many answered prayers and have at special times felt the Lord’s love, it is the “unanswered” prayers, the waiting and pleading for things that seem so very important, that weigh heavier on my mind than what I have to be grateful for.
Even though I know He has heard me in the past, and even though we are counseled in scripture over and over again to “ask and it shall be given” and to go to him with the desires of our hearts, it is those desires that haven’t been granted that hurt so much, especially when I see and hear of others’ similar prayers that have been granted.
When you described your friend as a man who goes “to the Lord with the perfect assurance that he would be heard and answered,” I compared myself to him. I don’t feel I have that perfect assurance that I will be heard and answered, at least on some points. Like your daughter, I have also tried to “ask not amiss.”
My question: how do I place my trust in God when I know that some things haven’t been given that I have plead for so desperately?

By: marian seamons

marian seamons — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 14:02:34 +0000

Thanks for your wonderful article on Sin. I find your article so very full of great ideas we can use in our family home evening.

Do you have a book? I find your other articles something I would like to study.

By: marian seamons

marian seamons — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 14:00:05 +0000

Brother Barkdull,
I am an avid fan of Meridian. It is at times like a source to help me and then a source for my Sunday School lesson. I don’t always click on to stories but this one The Frightening Reality of Sin looked very appealing to me as I have had a struggle a few times in my life with sin. I have felt the misery Satan desires us to feel I have felt the relief of repentance and love the atonement. There was one comment by a mother in this story that she had lost 2 of her 7 children. I don’t think we should ever despair and think we are failures if children turn the other way. We have been counseled to NEVER give up on our children. We had 14 children and many of them have had a problem here and there, some inactive in the church. HOWEVER I don’t think they have been inactive in being Christ like. It will be interesting to see the outcome in the eternal perspective.
I went on to read some of your other articles. You certainly are a down to earth person centering in on very important aspects of Gospel teachings and pertinent information to help us think and live better. I loved your list at the end of the article I have mentioned and have copied this article to review it at length with my husband in our Family Home Evening. We are alone now with all those children reared and will find using this article as our Home Evening lesson. By the way my grandfather Lawrence Larsen had an experience with Satan that has been a part of my knowledge growing up of who satan really is and what he does. Do you have a book?

THANKS Marian Seamons Lake Powell Utah

By: Forrest Phelps-Cook

Forrest Phelps-Cook — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 00:35:28 +0000

The other night I stopped at the store after work. There was the ever faithful Salvation Army bell ringer as I went in. I had a small amount of change in my pocket and dropped it in the bucket feeling happy that at least I had given SOMETHING. When I came out of the store I felt an urge to give more so I “dug” into my purse and came up with another small amount of change. As I was putting my groceries in the car, a “voice” spoke to my heart and reminded me of the five dollar bill I had in my wallet. I knew that voice and so I took that $5.00 and went back to the front of the store and placed it in the bucket. That $5.00 had been my “mad money” for snacks at work but I knew it was doing much more good in that bucket. And I also knew I had listened to my Father’s promptings and obeyed His will.