President Nelson Thanks Participants Of ‘Gratitude’ Invitation
Nov 29, 2020, 11:34 AM | Updated: Jan 13, 2023, 4:34 pm
President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints speaks in a video released on Friday, November 20, 2020 issuing an invitation to spend the seven days leading up to Thanksgiving flooding social media with messages of gratitude.
SALT LAKE CITY – President Russell M. Nelson expressed gratitude for the response to his invitation to show gratitude in the seven days leading up to Thanksgiving.
The invitation was extended on Friday, November 20, when the leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released a video about the “healing power of gratitude” amid the months-long coronavirus pandemic.
“I invite you – just for the next seven days – to turn social media into your own personal gratitude journal,” he said. “Post every day about what you are grateful for, whom you are grateful for, and why you are grateful.”
He asked participants to use the hashtag #GiveThanks on their social media posts to flood the platforms with positive messages of gratitude.
On November 20, I offered a message and prayer of gratitude for the world and everyone in it. I am grateful and humbled that you would join in thanking God for His countless blessings to each of us. Thank you for your faith. #GiveThanks
— Russell M. Nelson (@NelsonRussellM) November 29, 2020
For seven days, church members and friends around the world were asked to focus on the good, and whether or not at the end of the week they felt happier and more at peace.
“Working together, we can flood social media with a wave of gratitude that reaches the four corners of the earth,” he said.
Thanksgiving was the last day of the invitation. While holiday celebrations may have been unusual because of the coronavirus pandemic, many were filled with gratitude.
#GiveThanks was trending on social media during the week, with several million posts on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. The original video has been viewed by over 12 million people.
In a post on his Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages Sunday morning, President Nelson thanked those who participated.
“On November 20, I offered a message and prayer of gratitude for the world and everyone in it. I am grateful and humbled that you would join in thanking God for His countless blessings to each of us,” he said.
President Nelson asked that people continue their mindset of thankfulness.
“I urge you to make expressing gratitude to God a part of your daily life. An attitude of gratitude gives us better perspective and more peace of mind and heart,” he said.
The Sunday post offered an additional invitation to find opportunities to serve others during the Christmas season.
“As we enter the Christmas season and celebrate the living Christ, one of the most powerful ways we can show our gratitude is by serving His children. Let us follow His example to “Light the World” by loving and serving others, one by one,” he said.
As we enter the Christmas season and celebrate the living Christ, one of the most powerful ways we can show our gratitude is by serving His children. Let us follow His example to “Light the World” by loving and serving others, one by one. #LightTheWorld pic.twitter.com/xY8JyUCTyq
— Russell M. Nelson (@NelsonRussellM) November 29, 2020
