Blessings

3 Nephi 20:26  The Father having raised me up unto you first, and sent me to ^abless you in ^bturning away every one of you from his iniquities;

Sometimes we get pre-conceived notions of what blessings look like.  We visualize STUFF as being what we would like as blessings.  Nice homes, or good food or clothes, cars.  Money would also be acceptable.  Sometimes we remember to notice our good health or happy families and think that they could be blessings.

One of the last things on our list of things we think of to ask for or be grateful for is the blessing of being taught and trained, tutored and instructed, disciplined so that we can become the people God would have us be.  It's obvious when we think as parents that in order for our children to be happy, they must be taught.  We toilet train our children for their good, as well as our convenience.  We discipline them when they have accidents.  We teach our children to get along with those around them.  If they hit and fight, we give them "time out" so that they can learn the lessons we're teaching.  If we fail to teach our children the vital lessons of life, they will lead lives of frustration, pain and unhappiness.

Our Father also has things He would teach us.  So He gives us prophets and scriptures with words of instruction.  Then when we forget His lessons, He gives us uncomfortable experiences to remind us of the lessons.  If we open our hearts to His teachings and bend our will to His, we can have peace and joy in our lives.  But if we insist in doing things our own way, we will suffer heartache, grief and pain.

That the Lord would turn us away from our iniquities is definitely a blessing to be grateful for.