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TheDiscipleMD

“All of the good things, Every one of the better things, The best, best things in life, They’re free!” So sang Sam Cooke. I think if we examine his words, we will find them to ring true for our lives. He named the stars and the moon, flowers, and robins and the sunbeams above,  but most of all he named love.

This life presents challenges for most of us when it comes to measuring our level of happiness. If your family is like mine, the wants are endless, the needs are overwhelming, and the financial resources to fulfill them always seem to come up short.  And while we instinctively know that the best things in life really are free, we can often be overwhelmed by the daily demands of this earthly life.  If we are not careful, we can equate happiness with material gain and our personal wealth measured by the financial ledgers of our lives.  Indeed, it is easy to fall into the trap that material things bring about a blissful existence. And surely we do need to earn a certain amount in order to feed and cloth ourselves, yet, often it is far less than what we think.

We live in a time were we hear the constant shouts of the ‘money changers’ of the world telling us of the wonderful wares that can be bought if we have the coinage to do so.  Often the still small voice of the spirit of God and the beauty of the sounds of His creations are drowned out by such noise. It is becoming very easy to fall prey to worshipping the  images and idols that come from the hands of man while ignoring the beauty of God’s creations which He gave freely to all men.

“For the beauty of the earth” reads the hymn of the same name, “for the beauty of the skies, for the love which from our birth, over and around us lies…for the joy of human love, brother, sister, parent, child, friends on earth, and friends above…Lord of all, to thee we raise, this our hymn of grateful praise.”

Mr. Pierpoint, who wrote the lyrics to the above hymn, had the proper perspective on this life. While Pierpoint’s  words were put to music, the words spoken recently by Dieter F. Utchdorf in his masterful address on living a life of thanksgiving, are truly worthy of  an angelic madrigal song unto God. He said:

“…have we not reason to be filled with gratitude, regardless of the circumstances in which we find ourselves?…How blessed we are if we recognize God’s handiwork in the marvelous tapestry of life. Gratitude to our Father in Heaven broadens our perception and clears our vision. It inspires humility and fosters empathy toward our fellowmen and all of God’s creation. Gratitude is a catalyst to all Christlike attributes! A thankful heart is the parent of all virtues. The Lord has given us His promise that those “who [receive] all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto [them], even a hundred fold, yea, more.” May we “live in thanksgiving daily”… May we allow our souls to expand in thankfulness toward our merciful Heavenly Father. (“Grateful In Any Circumstances, April GC, 2014)

May we always remember that the best things in life are free. Let us enjoy what the Lord has freely given to all men. Let us savor the song of the Robin more often, and enjoy the majestic view of the stars in their heavenly abode. May we hold tight to the love that we  so deeply share, and may we never forget from whence we came. Let  us never forget that we come from noble heritage,  and that our lives can still be full of the beauty of this world, even when our pockets are empty.

This beautiful world, our lives, our loves,  and our existence,  has been freely given to us by a loving Father. Again quoting Dieter Utchdorf:

“May we ever and constantly raise our voices and show by word and deed our gratitude to our Father in Heaven and to His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ.”