Christmas Is The Spirit Of Giving Without

I Counseled Many Returning Missionaries. I Interviewed 1,700 Missionaries All Over The World. My Advice To Them Is That You Should Study And Prepare For Your Life's Work In A Field That You Enjoy.

A Grateful Heart, Then, Comes Through Expressing Gratitude To Our Heavenly Father For His Blessings And To Those Around Us For All That They Bring Into Our Lives. This Requires Conscious Effort-at Least Until We Have Truly Learned And Cultivated An Attitude Of Gratitude. Often We Feel Grateful And Intend To Express Our Thanks But Forget To Do So Or Just Don't Get Around To It. Someone Has Said That "feeling Gratitude And Not Expressing It Is Like Wrapping A Present And Not Giving It."

Our Heavenly Father Can Appreciate Our Love For Him By How Well We Serve Him And How Well We Serve Our Fellowmen.

Clearly, One Primary Purpose Of Our Existence Upon The Earth Is To Obtain A Body Of Flesh And Bones. We Have Also Been Given The Gift Of Agency. In A Thousand Ways We Are Privileged To Choose For Ourselves. Here We Learn From The Hard Taskmaster Of Experience. We Discern Between Good And Evil. We Differentiate As To The Bitter And The Sweet. We Discover That There Are Consequences Attached To Our Actions.

Our Lives Will Depend Upon The Decisions Which We Make, For Decisions Determine Destiny.