Be grateful for blessings
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Often one will travel many miles to see the beauty of nature or the wonders of man, yet ignore the beauty in his own backyard, Elder Steven E. Snow of the Seventy observed.
Speaking in the Saturday priesthood session, Elder Snow delivered his first general conference address since being sustained last April.
"It is human nature to seek elsewhere for our happiness," he commented. "Pursuit of career goals, wealth and material rewards can cloud our perspective and often leads to a lack of appreciation for the bounteous blessings of our present circumstances."
Citing scriptures that teach that one should be content and grateful with the blessings one has received, Elder Snow added: "As holders of the priesthood, we should constantly strive to increase our gratitude. Gratitude may be increased by constantly reflecting on our blessings and giving thanks for them in our daily prayers."
A constant expression of gratitude should be included in all prayers, Elder Snow said, adding: "Often prayers are given for specific blessings which we, in our incomplete understanding, believe we need. While the Lord does answer prayers according to His will, He certainly must be pleased when we offer humble prayers of gratitude. Brethren, the next time we pray, instead of presenting the Lord petition after petition for some action in our behalf, give Him thoughtful thanks for all with which He has blessed us."
"Brethren," he said, "I pray that we might keep our hearts full of thanks and appreciation for what we have and not dwell on what is not ours. As holders of the priesthood, let us adopt an attitude of gratitude in all we do."
