Editor’s note: “The Spoken Word” is shared by Derrick Porter each Sunday during the weekly Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square broadcast. This will be given Sunday, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024.
Blessings come in numerous ways. Many are recognized immediately, while others seem to unfold slowly over time. Anything that contributes to our true happiness, well-being or prosperity is a blessing, and these blessings come from God. (See Guide to the Scriptures, “Bless, Blessed, Blessing,” Gospel Library.)
Some of God’s blessings feel extraordinary, leaving little doubt that we are the recipient of divine favor. Yet others seem, well, ordinary. But gratitude for the ordinary blessings of life can give us extraordinary power to transform our lives.
Melody Beattie shared: “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. ... It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.” (See “The Language of Letting Go: A Meditation Book and Journal for Daily Reflections,” by Melody Beattie, Aug. 1 entry.) In a way, gratitude can grow our blessings. It’s not that the blessing itself changes, but gratitude expressed for the root blessing causes our perspective to grow and expand, leading to an increased appreciation for our blessings.
Jennifer Sabin and her dad, Gary, are good examples of this. The night before Jennifer would have a double-lung transplant at age 16, she leaned over to her dad and said, “Don’t worry! Tomorrow I will wake up with new lungs, or I will wake up in a better place. Either way will be great.” After the surgery and upon taking her first breath unaided by a breathing tube and ventilator, Jennifer began to cry. Seeing the concern on her family’s face, Jennifer quickly exclaimed, “It’s just so good to breathe.”
Witnessing this, Gary himself found new appreciation for the ordinary blessing of breath. He said: “Ever since that day, I have thanked [God] morning and night for my ability to breathe. We are surrounded by innumerable blessings that we can easily take for granted if we are not mindful. Conversely, when nothing is expected and everything is appreciated, life becomes magical.” (see “Hallmarks of Happiness,” by Elder Gary B. Sabin, then a General Authority Seventy, Liahona, November 2023.) He continued, “[I have determined that we] will never be happier than [we] are grateful.”
For Jennifer and Gary, the ordinary blessing of breath became extraordinary. May we all develop what some call an attitude of gratitude, not only for the extraordinary but also the seemingly ordinary blessings of our lives.
Tuning in …
The “Music & the Spoken Word” broadcast is available on KSL-TV, KSL News Radio 1160AM/102.7FM, KSL.com, BYUtv, BYUradio, Dish and DirecTV, SiriusXM (Ch. 143), tabernaclechoir.org, youtube.com/TheTabernacleChoir and Amazon Alexa (must enable skill). The program is aired live on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. Mountain Time on these outlets. Look up broadcast information by state and city at musicandthespokenword.com/viewers-listeners/airing-schedules.
