Thanks and Giving

Once again, I find myself writing about Thanksgiving after the holiday has already passed. Last time, I did so on purpose, to prove a point. Not so this year; I intended to get this post done before the holiday, but things got busy and so I find myself typing this up the weekend after. If I may say so, though, I think it's still just as relevant now as it would have been then.

Earlier this month, I was reading a commencement address by David McCullough entitled "You Are Not Special" (which you can read for yourself here). The address contained a lot of sound advice, but one line stood out to me in particular. It wasn't by any means the most important point of the speech; it came in the middle of a paragraph, one element of a list of similar sentiments. Still, it struck a chord:

Be Worthy of Your Advantages

It stood out to me, but what exactly does it mean? I wasn't sure at first, but I think I have an idea now:

Let's go to the Book of Mormon, to Mosiah chapter 4. Here, King Benjamin has just delivered his final sermon to his subjects, and he takes a moment to gauge their response:

And now, it came to pass that when king Benjamin had made an end of speaking the words which had been delivered unto him by the angel of the Lord, that he cast his eyes round about on the multitude, and behold they had fallen to the earth, for the fear of the Lord had come upon them. (Mosiah 4:1)

It seems that King Benjamin's words, which discussed the coming of Christ and the suffering associated with His future Atonement, had deeply affected the people. Feeling immense spiritual pain, they collectively cried out for relief:

And they had viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth. And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men. (Mosiah 4:2)

Since they prayed with faith, with sincerity of heart, they received the relief they sought:

And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come, according to the words which king Benjamin had spoken unto them. (Mosiah 4:3)

The joy and peace described here are real; they're the blessings that come when we repent. I've felt them, at least partially, and to me they are among the sweetest emotions I've ever experienced. They're something to be valued, to be treasured.

King Benjamin recognized what was happening among his people, and so he continued his address. He told his people that if they wanted to keep feeling the things they were feeling, there were three things they should do:

1) They should continue living the process that had brought them such joy in the first place: they should have faith in Jesus Christ and strive to repent of their sins (Mosiah 4:5-13).

2) They should strive to share the blessings they received with their family members, teaching and serving one another and helping each other to live righteously (Mosiah 4:14-15).

3) They should seek to share their blessings with their fellow men (Mosiah 4:16-26). King Benjamin spends a great deal of time here outlining who is deserving of our aid (spoiler alert: it's everyone), but I think his overall message is summed up nicely in verse 26:

And now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto you—that is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants. (Mosiah 4:26)

In summary: when we receive a blessing (or, say, an advantage) from God, our charge is to cultivate it and then use it to bless the lives of others.

This is what I've come to understand as the meaning of the phrase "Be Worthy of Your Advantages." In many ways, I am more privileged than those around me. Some of these privileges or advantages have come through hard work and effort, but others have been given to me freely. That thought used to bother me, as it seemed inherently unfair, but in this new light, things seem more justified. If there is something unfair about my status in this world, I can make it fair by using that status to help elevate others.

I really think this is how God intends for such things to work. Take Doctrine and Covenants 46:11-12:

For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God. 

To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby.

It would seem unfair for God to give some gifts to some of His children and not to others, but the disparity is made right when we use all of our gifts to bless our fellows as they use their gifts to bless us. It brings us closer together and forms strong bonds between us (which I think I'll talk about more in a future post).

Getting back to Thanksgiving, I think our first instinct when it comes to thinking about gratitude is to think of saying "Thank You." We think of all of the good in our lives and seek to thank whoever is responsible, be they our friends, our families, or even God. And, as far as first instincts go, I believe it's a pretty good one: it helps us fulfill the first step in King Benjamin's advice. More and more, though, I believe that that's not all we're supposed to do. It seems to me that we can take our gratitude a step further by sharing our blessings, after rendering due thanks.

And that's why I think this post fits right where it does in terms of the time of the year. We've just passed Thanksgiving, where, presumably, we've spent a lot of time thinking about what we're grateful for and expressing that gratitude to others. Having done so, we now turn toward Christmas, with a heavy focus on giving things to others. With what I've discussed in mind, to me it doesn't seem like there could be a more perfect way to play things out.

So that is what I am going to try and do my best to do this season: to think of what I have and then pray to see how I can share it. I invite you all to do so as well, as I believe it will help all of us feel more fully the peace and joy that the Savior wants us to have.

To close, I leave the words of one of my favorite hymns:

Because I have been given much, I too must give;
Because of Thy great bounty, Lord, each day I live
I shall divide my gifts from Thee
With every brother that I see
Who has the need of help from me. 

Because I have been sheltered, fed by thy good care,
I cannot see another's lack, and I not share
My glowing fire, my loaf of bread,
My roof's safe shelter overhead,
That he too may be comforted. 

Because I have been blessed by Thy great love, dear Lord,
I'll share Thy love again, according to Thy word.
I shall give love to those in need;
I'll show that love by word and deed:
Thus shall my thanks be thanks indeed.

-Jesse