21 Yea, and in the valley of Alma they poured out their thanks to God because he had been merciful unto them, and eased their burdens, and had delivered them out of bondage; for they were in bondage, and none could deliver them except it were the Lord their God.
22 And they gave thanks to God, yea, all their men and all their women and all their children that could speak lifted their voices in the praises of their God.
When we receive blessings from the Lord, we ought to express our gratitude to Him. This is a recurring theme in the Book of Mormon. Nephi, who was so careful with what he chose to include in his small plates (1 Nephi 6:3-6), repeatedly tells us that his family gave thanks to God when they were blessed (1 Nephi 2:7, 1 Nephi 5:9, 1 Nephi 7:22). Mormon follows this tradition, telling us that the people of Alma “poured out their thanks to God” when they were delivered from bondage.
Joseph F. Smith taught us that gratitude is a key to happiness:
Joseph F. Smith taught us that gratitude is a key to happiness:
The grateful man sees so much in the world to be thankful for, and with him the good outweighs the evil. Love overpowers jealousy, and light drives darkness out of his life…. Pride destroys our gratitude and sets up selfishness in its place. How much happier we are in the presence of a grateful and loving soul, and how careful we should be to cultivate, through the medium of a prayerful life, a thankful attitude toward God and man! (Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed. (1939), 263, quoted by Thomas S. Monson in “The Divine Gift of Gratitude,” General Conference, October 2010).
Today I will notice the good things in my life, and I will “pour out [my] thanks to God” in prayer for the blessings I enjoy. I will remember that I am both happier and more pleasant to be with when I cultivate an attitude of gratitude.
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