Living in Thanksgiving daily

Recently, I have taken up exercising. Camilla encouraged me. And it has been great. All during my youth, it was automatic keeping fit, but in recent years not so. My exercise of choice has been to go walking every morning. Your mother walks and hikes daily with friends and has acclimated to strenuous climbs and lengthy distances. I am now in a small way following her example.

During my early morning walks, I have had time to think and plan for the upcoming day, weeks, and months ahead. Even in the midst of my health goals, I have found many other benefits of walking like vitality, invigoration, and spiritual edification. I learn new things every day. And they have the unique ability to help, prepare, and sustain us. When Alma addressed Korihor, he said “all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it.” Probably the most unexpected benefit of my early morning walking is that for a few minutes each day, I have a chance to reflect on our abundant blessings and contemplate the world and God’s majesty.

One day when I left the house I saw the majestic spire of the Mount Timpanogos temple in the valley. I thought that’s where I’ll walk today. Rhetorically speaking, I have been there a million times, so following the typical route was going to be easy, so I didn’t. I took some less-traveled roads, which were more serene, quieter and not so busy with traffic. But before long, I was on unknown paths that obscured my view of the temple. The trip took much longer than expected because of diversions and obstacles I didn’t anticipate. But the goal was the temple; time didn't really matter anymore. I continued through the dark, across the ice, past the trees, and up the hills. And I made it.

The temple is a beacon in our lives. This ensign can help us through life’s obstacles, motivate us when we are lost, and inspire us when we need help most. I have always known that, but living it one morning helped re-establish this fact in my heart and life.

The Savior Jesus Christ set a perfect example to encourage and motivate us to follow him. His life and Atonement give us hope in whatever circumstance we find ourselves. Sometimes a detour from our typical planned route seems like a setback when in reality we are being prepared for something much greater. I have always loved CS Lewis’ writing in this regard:

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”

I am more in tune with my Father in Heaven. I feel more passionately the hope we all have through Jesus Christ. Walking every day has really turned out to be a blessing.

Living in Thanksgiving daily is an invitation to enjoy the abundance all around us.