Gratitude, Faith and Talents

 Since it is Thanksgiving week, today in church the speakers were talking about gratitude.  One of the speakers brought up the miracle of Jesus feeding 5000 people who were gathered to hear his word, with only a few loaves and fishes.  He talked about how Jesus, after he asked the disciples to gather whatever food they could find from the multitude, first prayed and gave thanks to God for the little that they had.  He pointed out that Jesus saw and was grateful for what was there, while his apostles could only see the lack of what was there. After he prayed Jesus began breaking the loaves and fishes up for the multitude, and the food multiplied, so that there were seven baskets leftover after all of the people had been fed.  

The speaker cited this as a formula that we should follow for using our faith and exercising gratitude, and I found it very interesting.  I believe this could apply to using and growing our talents, as well.  We are each given talents, and though we may see them as small and insufficient, we should always thank God for them and then begin working to expand them and put them to use helping others in any way that we can. If we do this, I believe our talents will be multiplied to fill the needs of both ourselves and the people that we serve. 

 I love this scripture from the Book of Mormon:

 Alma 32:40-43
..If ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life.
And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.
Then, my brethren, ye shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you.


I know that in this scripture Alma is talking about faith in Christ and living the commandments of God, but I often think of these scriptures as well as I am trying to work on and develop my musical talents.  Sometimes it seems like everything I am working for is taking much to long to come to fruition, but I believe that if we keep nourishing the gifts we have been given with "faith...great diligence, and with patience, then by and by we shall pluck the fruit thereof, and we shall reap the rewards of our faith, and our diligence, and our patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto us, even until we are filled, and we hunger not, neither shall we thirst."