Does anyone else feel like they need that reminder every week or so?! ⁣

We love preaching that righteousness = blessings. ⁣

But then we sometimes get a false sense of what those blessings are. ⁣

If you are righteous, you are not promised freedom from financial issues. ⁣

If you are righteous, your spouse can still make a terrible decision.

If you are righteous, you can still lose your job. ⁣

If you are righteous, you can have a lot of people really angry at you. ⁣

If you are righteous, you can still feel really disappointed by others’ actions. ⁣

If you are righteous, you might not look the way you want to look. ⁣

If you are righteous, you can totally fail a test. ⁣

If you are righteous, you can still be dramatically harmed by other people. ⁣

If you are righteous, you can still be diagnosed with a terrible illness. ⁣

So… why am I choosing to be righteous?!⁣

Because of the real blessings that we are promised. ⁣

Because of the peace. ⁣

The inner joy. ⁣

Because of Jesus Christ. 

The confidence before the Lord. ⁣

And unimaginable and innumerable blessings for the eternities. ⁣

Because I love my Savior and my Heavenly Parents, and I want to keep the commandments that I have been given. ⁣

But sometimes I need to have that reframe. ⁣

I AM grateful for all of my outward blessings.

I am filled with gratitude when I look at my living situation, my loved ones, my health, my opportunities. ⁣

But really, all of those could be taken away. ⁣

I could be living in a cave, completely alone for the rest of my life. ⁣

And I could still give thanks.

“Great and marvelous were the prophecies of Ether; but they esteemed him as naught, and cast him out; and he hid himself in the cavity of a rock by day, and by night he went forth viewing the things which should come upon the people.” (Ether 13:13)

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Could I still give thanks?  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.