Count YOUR Blessings

I loved Elder Hales' talk on staying out of debt and avoiding covetousness. He gave great counsel and really got me thinking about the importance of recognizing the blessings in our own lives.

It often is so much easier to see the blessings that happen in other people's lives when we ourselves are lacking good fortune in a certain area, whether it be a high paying job, children, a testimony, a home, great health, beauty, intellect, various talents, etc. If someone else has a blessing that we want, material or not, we can find ourselves coveting. That only leads to bitter feelings and resentment. We begin to develop pride and, therefore, animosity towards that person, which can ultimately destroy our relationship with them.

Of course, we are all human and it is hard to not want the bigger house, new car, six kids, or trim waist that our neighbor has. Life isn't fair. It's true and sometimes it's just rough, but there is no divine law that says we all should get the same out of life. We all have different blessings and trials. That's just how it works.

When we covet a blessing someone else enjoys, we are selfish and ungrateful to the Lord. Think of it this way. Children are the epitome of honesty. There have been times that I have picked out what I thought to be the "perfect" gift for each child based on their interests only to have said child open the gift, look at it with little reaction, and later exclaim they'd rather have what their sibling received. Ugh. I hate when that happens. After all my excitement and anticipation because I thought I found the perfect gift I get a big deflating punch to the stomach. So much for thinking I know that child well!

I believe that when we covet the blessings of others, we, in effect, do the same to our Father in Heaven. He knows us best and, therefore, knows what blessings and trials will suite best for our personality. When we pine after what someone else has, we are basically saying "Thanks, but I would have rather had the bigger house. You really don't know me as well as you think and your effort was totally wasted." Not the best thing to say to our Father, right? Kind of goes along with that whole scripture about how God gets really mad when we don't show gratitude.

Obviously it's easier to not covet some things than others. I've often looked at my happy husband and thought how amazing it would be to wake up and not have to battle with depression for just one day. What would it be like? Sometimes I get jealous. But then I have to remind myself that I have this trial for whatever reason the Lord deems fit. So what? It's mine for the keeping and I need to get out of it whatever the Lord meant for me to. He knows me better than I do so He must have had something in mind when He gave me this challenge. Wasting my days moping around because I don't have the blessing of happiness like my husband is going to cause me to miss out on some awesome spiritually growing experiences. And by focusing on what I do not have is going to make me neglect what I do have. It's a lose, lose situation.

Think of this blog the next time you find yourself coveting the blessings of others. Remember that the Lord has a personalized plan for each of us. It may be hard and frustrating at times to see others enjoy what for some reason we cannot get, like a depression free life, but the Lord knows what He is doing. We must put our trust in Him, live free of coveting, and learn all we can from our own blessings or lack thereof. Only then will we be able to find peace and true happiness.