A Polynesian Cultural Center manager who grew up in Samoa said she thought her early life was heavenly, until she began to notice the things she didn't have.
"Our family didn't own a television set until I was about 8 or 9. We had only one large bedroom in our house and our whole family of seven fit in there quite comfortably for many years. We found our sweets in the yard: in the guava tree, mango tree, vi tree, papaya tree and banana trees," said Delsa Moe, PCC Director of Cultural Presentations, at the November 22 devotional in the Cannon Activities Center.
"Then things began to change as I got older," she continued. " I became increasingly aware of what I didn't have. Unfortunately, I started resenting the simple life in Samoa because my choice of material belongings was so limited and I thought it also limited my happiness. Because of my expectation that I deserved more than what I had, it blinded me to the many treasures that already surrounded me."
"This type of ingratitude, if not curbed, can lead to selfish behavior for anyone," Moe said, comparing this mind set to the children of Israel who, having been liberated from bondage, soon began to long for the "good life" in Egypt over wandering in the wilderness. "They were blinded to the blessings of freedom they were enjoying in the desert -- no whips, no long hours of hard labor. How many times have we fallen prey to this same predicament?"
"Our limited vision affects our attitudes to the point that we focus on a few inconveniences in our life and then fail to realize all the blessings spilling from our cups of plenty. Have you ever been overwhelmed with blessings and joy that it felt as if your cup was overflowing onto your saucer?"
Moe explained we have vast opportunities "to acknowledge and be filled by the ever-flowing abundance of Heavenly Father's love for us. Our imperfections set our own limitations on gratitude. We might be guilty of thanking Him for a limited amount of blessings because we have failed to put a wide-angle lens on our soul to see the vast quantity of blessings around us to really be thankful for."
"Why is it critical for us to recognize the blessings that are overflowing from our personal cups into our saucers?" Moe continued. "In 1st Thessalonians 5:18, we read, 'In every thing give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.' Simply, it is a commandment of God that we acknowledge his hand in all things and we are to offer our thanks to him."
Moe reminded the devotional audience that Amulek taught the Zoramites in Alma 34:38, "that ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you."
"Although the Thanksgiving holiday is an annual celebration, it shouldn't prevent us from developing a thankful heart that compels us to turn our hearts toward the Savior daily for all he has done for us," she added.
Moe also pointed out that D&C 136:28 instructs us, "If thou art merry, praise the Lord with singing, with music, with dancing, and with a prayer of praise and thanksgiving." She compared this with the Polynesian Cultural Center's recent 40th anniversary celebration and the special opportunities to hear from President Gordon B. Hinckley.
"At the conclusion of the special member meeting, I mentioned to some friends that I felt so joyful and uplifted that I had no desire to do any wrong from that time forward. My heart was uttering prayers of thanksgiving on over-time that day. Have you ever been that happy?" Moe asked, noting that Elder Gordon T. Watts of the Seventy has said, "Joy and happiness are born of gratitude."
Moe also said the "real test of our character and attitude" comes "when we're experiencing difficulties and there seems to be little around us to be grateful for? It takes courage to look beyond those trials immediately before us to count the blessings that seem to be disguised."
Citing the proverb, "The greater wealth is contentment with a little," Moe encouraged the students to be thankful for all the small blessings that surround them while they're at BYU-Hawaii. "And if you have trouble identifying your blessings, get on your knees and ask Heavenly to make them more visible to you," she said.