“Part of our challenge is, I think, that we imagine that God has all of His blessings locked in a huge cloud up in heaven, refusing to give them to us unless we comply with some strict, paternalistic requirements He has set up. But the commandments aren’t like that at all. In reality, Heavenly Father is constantly raining blessings upon us. It is our fear, doubt, and sin that, like an umbrella, block these blessings from reaching us.” (Dieter F. Uchtdorf). Elder Uchtdorf teaches us that our Heavenly Father is constantly pouring blessings like rain down upon us. And like individual rain drops, it can be hard to keep track of all of the blessings that our Heavenly Father is showering down on us. But if we make a habit of always counting our blessings, then not only will we appreciate more deeply the love and goodness that Heavenly Father shows us, but we will also be able to take better advantage of these blessings to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. Jesus Christ saw the real value of the blessings of five loaves and two fishes and He was able to take full advantage of those five loaves and two fishes and feed five thousand. In the parable of the talents, the servant with the five talents and the servant with the two talents took a full accounting of the blessings they had been given and thus they were able to channel their blessings appropriately to double their talents. The servant who had been given one talent did not see the value of the blessing he had been given and so he did not take full advantage of it. By cultivating an attitude of gratitude and taking the time to consistently count our blessings, we make sure that we are gathering and collecting every last rain drop of blessings so that we can fully make every blessing count. Gratitude can be our own rain harvesting system of gutters, drains and barrels so that our cup always floweth over.
