A New Perspective on Blessings

Lately I have been humbled by all of the blessings in my life- particularly in relation to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In this time of reflection, I often pause to look around me.  Some of the blessings I have been noticing have included:

• The gospel. I look at all the people around me who don't have the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation. They don't understand that this life is a test and we should always strive to be improving. They don't understand that this life is short but the eternities are long. 

• The resurrection. I will get my body back again, in a perfect form, because Christ overcame death. My body can become a Celestial body. I know this because of the accounts in the scriptures. What a blessing those accounts were written and never lost. 

• The scriptures. So many people sacrificed their lives and time and reputations so that we could have sacred scripture to learn about Jesus Christ. What a tender mercy that they were preserved in the condition they were so that we could read truth. 

In some ways, one would say that I am grateful for the same old things everyone else is. But it is different this time. I view these things as tender mercies from our Heavenly Father. Things could have turned out so different: Joseph Smith could have said, "No thanks!" to restoring the gospel, Christ could have been resurrected and never shown himself to anyone, or the account could have been lost. But our Heavenly Father is a merciful God and he wants us to succeed, so He has given us so many tools to help us. And for that, I am grateful! 

--Jashley