Our Depth of Gratitude

“Sweet are the uses of adversity,”1 wrote Shakespeare. No life is free from hardship, but blessings can flow from the trials of life. One such blessing is the gift of gratitude.

Gratitude to God is a gift because it is something we feel after a trial has passed. In fact, the depth of our gratitude often reflects the depth of the difficulty preceding it. The greater the adversity, the.more profound the gratitude we may feel when blessings come.2

In July of 1858, the Parker family was trekking west with a pioneer handcart company. One evening, a thunderstorm rolled in, and the family quickly made camp—only then realizing that their six-year-old boy, Arthur, was missing. Robert and Ann, his parents, spread the alarm throughout camp, pleading for help to find him.

For two days, members of the company searched for Arthur, but to no avail. At last, the painful decision was made that the company needed to move on. But Robert wouldn’t give up. Alone, he set out again to continue the search. As he left, Ann pinned a red shawl around his shoulders. She told him that if their son was found dead, to bury him in the shawl. But if he were found alive, Robert should use it as a signal of victory as he rode back to camp.

For three nights Ann and her children watched, waiting for a glimpse of the red shawl. And then, just as the sun began to set, there on the horizon appeared Robert, waving the red shawl. An observer recorded, “The mother’s joy, I cannot describe.”3

Robert and Ann’s great trial brought a profound sense of gratitude. And so, even in the midst of adversity, with faith in God we too can look for our own red shawl of victory, trusting in His perfect timing and eventual deliverance. And when relief comes, our gratitude will be deeper because of the struggle that came before. “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”4

References:1. See “How Many People Have Ever Lived on Earth?,” Population Reference Bureau, Nov. 15, 2022, www.prb.org/articles/how-many-people-have-ever-lived-on-earth/.

2. Neal A. Maxwell, “Encircled in the Arms of His Love,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2002, 17.