Transcript
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The speaker introduces gratitude as a therapeutic practice and reflects on his life as a doctor, scientist, and person of faith. He contrasts the world’s many troubles with the spiritual remedy of gratitude.
as a doctor i know the value of good therapy so dear friends may i prescribe two activities to help us experience the healing power of gratitude
during my 96 years of life i've seen a great depression a world war the rise of terrorism hunger and poverty throughout the world i have also witnessed the advent of space travel the internet medical advancements galore and countlessother discoveries that delight me prior to my ministry i was a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon and spent many hours in operating rooms as a surgical resident i was one of the research team that developed the first heart lungmachine to be used in a human open heart operation subsequently i had the privilege of helping to save lives of hundreds of patients and sadly i watched other patients die despite my best efforts as a man of scienceand is a man of faith the current worldwide pandemic has been of great concern to me as a man of science i appreciate the critical need to prevent the spread of infection i also honor the devoted service of
health care professionals and grieve for the many whose lives have been upended by covet 19.as a man of faith however i view the current pandemic as only one of many ills that plague our world including hate civil unrest racism violence dishonesty and lack of civility skilled scientists and researchers are laboring diligently todevelop and distribute a vaccine against the coronavirus but there is no medication or operation that can fix the many spiritual woes and maladies that we face there is however a remedy one that may seem surprising because it fliesin the face of our natural intuitions nevertheless its effects have been validated by scientists as well as men and women of faith i'm referring to the healing power of gratitude the book of psalms is filled with admonitions to
He cites examples from the Psalms, Jesus Christ, and Paul to show that gratitude is a recurring spiritual principle. He explains that gratitude does not remove pain, but it changes perspective and brings peace.
express gratitude here are just three of them it is a good thing to give thanks unto the lord oh give thanks unto the lord for he is good come before his presence with thanksgivingjesus christ frequently expressed gratitude before raising lazarus from the dead before miraculously multiplying loaves and fishes and before passing the cup to his disciples at the last supper the savior prayed and gave thanks to god no wonder theapostle paul later declared in everything give thanks over my nine and a half decades of life i have concluded that counting our blessings is far better than recounting our problems no matter our situation showing gratitude for our privilegesis a fast-acting and long-lasting spiritual prescriptiondoes gratitude spare us from sorrow sadness grief and pain no but it does soothe our feelings it provides us with a greater perspective on the very purpose and joy of life
The speaker shares painful experiences, including the loss of his wife and daughters, and describes how gratitude has remained central in his life. He broadens the message by listing many blessings for which people can give thanks.
nearly 16 years ago my wife dancel and i were sitting on the sofa holding hands while we watched television suddenly she collapsed despite being well trained to treat the very thing that ended her life i could not savemy own life
denzel and i were blessed with nine daughters and one son tragically i have lost two of those daughters to cancerno parent is prepared to lose a child and yet despite these and other difficult experiences i am incredibly grateful eternally for so very many things i'm grateful to god for the nearly 60 years dancel and i shared togetherfor a lifetime of love and joy and cherished memories and i thank him for my wife wendy whom i met after dance was passing wendy now fills my life with joy i am grateful to god for the yearsi had with my two departed daughters father's heart melts when i see attributes of those girls in the precious faces of their children and grandchildren we can all give thanks for the beauties of the earth and the majestyof the heavens that give us an inkling of the vastness of eternity we can give thanks for the gift of life for our amazing bodies and minds that allow us to grow and learn we can give thanks for
art literature and music that nurture our souls we can give thanks for the opportunity to repent start over make amends and build character we can give thanks for our families friends and loved ones we can give thanks forthe opportunity to help cherish and serve one another which makes life so much more meaningful we can even give thanks for our trials from which we learn the things we would not know otherwise most of all we cangive thanks unto god the father of our spirits which makes us all brothers and sisters one great global family
He offers two practical ways to cultivate gratitude: using social media as a gratitude journal and praying daily with thanksgiving. He then prepares listeners for a prayer for the world.
as a doctor i know the value of good therapy so dear friends may i prescribe two activities to help us experience the healing power of gratitude first i invite you just for the next seven days to turn socialmedia into your own personal gratitude journal post every day about what you're grateful for who you are grateful for and why you are grateful at the end of seven days see if you feel happier and more at peaceuse the hashtag give thanks working together we can flood social media with a wave of gratitude that reaches the four corners of the earth perhaps this will fulfill in part the promise god gave to father abraham that throughhis descendants all families of the earth shall be blessed second let us unite in thanking god through daily prayer jesus christ taught his disciples to pray by first expressing gratitude to god and then petitioning him for the things
we need prayer brings forth miraclesin that spirit i would now like to offer a prayer for the world and everyone in it as i pray i hope you will feel inspired to do the same pouring out your heart and gratitude for the countlessblessings god has given you and petitioning him to heal our hearts our families our societies and the world at large
The speaker offers a prayer of thanks for life, families, and the world, while asking for help with the pandemic, political strife, and human shortcomings. He closes with a brief farewell and blessing.
our father in heaven as fellow passengers on thy planet earth we humbly pray unto thee we thank thee for life and all that sustains life we thank thee for the beauties of the earth for order in the universethe planets stars and all things of eternal significance we thank thee for thy laws that protect and guide us we thank you for thy mercy and loving watch care we thank thee for our families and loved ones whofill our lives with joy we are grateful for all who are striving to combat the covet pandemic please bless them with protection and inspiration will thou help us end this virus that has plagued so many of thy childrenwe thank thee for the leaders of nations and others who strive to lift us we pray for relief from political strife will thou bless us with a healing spirit that unites us despite our differences will thou also help
us repent from selfishness unkindness pride and prejudice of any kind so that we can better serve and love one another as brothers and sisters and as thy grateful children we love thee our dear father and pray for thyblessings upon us in the name of thy beloved son jesus christ amen
thank you for listening may god bless you one and all
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