From Mouth and Lips to Heart and Soul

After writing so many posts on gratitude it can be easy to think that gratitude is an action of the mouth or the pen, but Christ wants more from his children than one who can speak well of him, for who can deny God’s goodness? What he seeks is those who in their hearts seek to do that which he commands and love him with more than words alone but with every intention of their soul.

Forasmuch as this people draw near unto me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their hearts far from me, and their fear towards me is taught by the precepts of men—” - 2 Nephi 27:25

We attempt to speak well of Christ and then turn and do wrongly on our neighbor, speak well of him in public and do evil in private. We try to hide from our creator by evading our responsibility toward him but “shall the work say of him that made it, he made me not? Or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, he had no understanding (2 Nephi 27:27)?"

When we attempt to “deny the power of God, the Holy One of Israel (2 Nephi 28:5) and seek to do wickedly denying his commandments and his miracles (2 Nephi 28:5-9) it would be well to remember that description God has given to himself:

For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith. - 2 Nephi 27:23

In our quest to move our gratitude from mouth to heart we will need to show gratitude at ever step for the faith and miracles that God gives to us, let us keep the commandments and show the faith necessary to witness the power of God and deny it not.

Come Unto Him and Partake of His Goodness

Why are God and Christ so worthy of our praise and gratitude? The evidence is compiled in scripture and the daily lives of billions of individuals who have or will live on the earth. Some of those scriptural examples include:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. - John 3:16

One of the Book of Mormon scriptures that parallels this one is 2 Nephi 26:24 and gives the same message with more beautiful wording:

He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation.

If these scriptures are true, and I believe they are, they are true for all people:

…he doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth now that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile. - 2 Nephi 26:33

Let us come unto this God and Savior who invite all to come unto him.

What Source They May Look for a Remission of Their Sins

Nephi exclaimed “my soul delighteth to prophesy concerning him, for I have seen his day, and my heart doth magnify his holy name (2 Nephi 25:13).” His joy was not one that he kept to himself, no he was actively in the act of helping his people purify their hearts and clean their hands, looking forward to the Messiah that was destined to come among his people (2 Nephi 25:16). He was able to “labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God (2 Nephi 25:23).

His method that all this might happen was simple “And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins (2 Nephi 25:26).”

In this way Nephi could celebrate and cherish all that Christ had done and would do for him. It was in this way that Nephi could “bow down before him, and worship him with all your might, mind, and strength, and your whole soul (2 Nephi 25:29).

Christ has done everything necessary for us to succeed in this life and enjoy the pleasant gift of eternal life with him. His grace can lead us to do that which would bring us into reconciliation with our God and as we strive to be like him, to trust and rely on him we can take comfort in the the knowledge “that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do (2 Nephi 25:23).

Satan "I Will... I Will... I Will" - Christ "Thy Will"

Never is a virtue disconnected from all other virtues. So it is with gratitude. Gratitude is linked with love, humility, patience, and many others. Satan had a problem linking all the virtues together and anytime we seek after any virtue with such singularity of purpose it can sometimes take a pursuit was moving towards virtue and instead lead us to vice. Power is a great example. Power is a virtue, God is very powerful, but seeking power without connecting that power to love, submission, and humility may prove futile.

“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! — For thou hast said in thy heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High (2 Nephi 24:12-14).”

In the Book of Moses, Satan came before God and said. “Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor (Moses 4:1).”

In contrast, we have the Savior of the world, even Jesus Christ whose power and glory surpass our understanding who accompanies virtue with virtue when he says “Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever (Moses 4:2).”

That was a premortal Christ speaking, but his attitude carried into his earthly ministry when he declared “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me (John 5:30).”

As we seek gratitude, let us also seek compassion, understanding, righteousness, humility, and joy. Without other virtues guiding us, an uncompromising path towards gratitude can lead to a deterministic mindset where we have no control of the events that come upon us, we may extend a smile or a “cheer up” when rather a listening ear and an extended hand may be in order.

Draw Water Out of the Wells of Salvation

Isaiah breaks up his writing about the Millennium to give us a chance to feel what it would be like to be with the Lord as he dwells in Zion.

“And in that day thou shalt say: O Lord, I will praise thee; though thou wast angry with me thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. Behold God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation. Therefore, with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. And in that day ye shall say: Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things; this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion; for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee (2 Nephi 22).”

I tried only making bold the parts that I thought were focused on gratitude and realized quickly it was all bold. 1000 years may just be the time it takes Christ to go around visiting all the people who desire to thank him for what he did, does, and will do.

Shall the Ax Boast Itself Against Him That Heweth Therewith?

Have we ever heard a leader, a player, an artist, a CEO, a parent, or a friend say something like Isaiah predicted we would hear? “For he saith: By the strength of my hand and by my wisdom I have done these things; for I am prudent… And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people; and as one gathereth eggs that are left have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped (2 Nephi 20:13-14).”

When a person attempts to claim ownership of success and even boasts of their strengths and accomplishments they leave out the one being that gave it all to them.

And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments.

Doctrine and Covenants 59:21

It makes little sense to take ownership of what we have done when it is from God’s blessings that we have all that we do. “Shall the ax boast itself against him that heweth therewith? Shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? As if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself as if it were no wood (2 Nephi 20:15)!”

These scriptures and others make it very sensible to chose humility and thankfulness and as an added blessing they help us avoid the day when “the high ones of stature shall be hewn down; and the haughty shall be humbled (2 Nephi 20:33).”

My Soul Delighteth

Nephi makes sure to focus on that which makes his soul delight (2 Nephi 11).

  • “my soul delighteth in his words.” - 2, speaking in reference to the words of Isaiah

  • “my soul delighteth in proving unto my people the truth of the coming of Christ;” - 4

  • “my soul delighteth in the covenants of the Lord which he hath made to our fathers;” - 5

  • “my soul delighteth in his grace, and in his justice, and power, and mercy in the great and eternal plan of deliverance from death.” - 5

  • “my soul delighteth in proving unto my people that save Christ should come all me must perish.” - 6

“And now I write some of the words of Isaiah, that whoso of my people shall see these words may lift up their hearts and rejoice for all men. Now these are the words, and ye may liken them unto you and unto all men (2 Nephi 11:8).”

Ready for the Isaiah chapters?

Cheer Up Your Hearts; Ye Are Free

It is many times difficult to deal with the circumstances of mortality. At these time however, we would be wise to remember the counsel given by the Prophet Russell M. Nelson when he said:

The Joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives. - Joy and Spiritual Survival, Oct. 2016

“Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves—to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life (2 Nephi 10:23).”

Our task is to “Remember, to be carnally-minded is death, and to be spiritually-minded is life eternal (2 Nephi 9:39).” and to “reconcile yourselves to the will of God, and not to the will of the devil and the flesh” and once reconciled to remember “that is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved (2 Nephi 10:24).”

Only God may “raise you from death by the power of the resurrection, and also from everlasting death by the power of the atonement, that ye may be received into the eternal kingdom of God, that ye may praise him through grace divine. Amen (2 Nephi 10:25).

Being Grateful Now, For Zion Later

“For the Lord shall comfort Zion, he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving and the voice of melody (2 Nephi 8:3).”

If the Lord will comfort the waste places, change wilderness to Eden, desert to garden for our joy and gladness, how much more will our joy and gladness by if we are found giving thanks for the waste places, the wilderness, and the desert?

“Therefore, the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy and holiness shall be upon their heads; and they shall obtain gladness and joy; sorrow and mourning shall flee away (2 Nephi 8:11).”

Zion will be amazing, if we can find joy in her prior to her coming might we meet her with greater embrace?

“Come, my brethren, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come buy and eat; yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price…let your soul delight in fatness… remember the words of your God; pray unto him continually by day, and give thanks unto his holy name by night. Let your hearts rejoice (2 Nephi 9:49-52).”

We may yet desire much of the milk and honey that requires no money, but in the waiting let us pray and give thanks to God who seeks to bring forth our Zion.

My Soul Delighteth; Rejoice O My Heart

When the worst of life’s torments come upon us whether externally or internally (i.e. enemies, temptations, the evil one, afflictions, sin) we need a place for our thoughts and actions to go, lest we be consumed by the forces of evil that descend upon us at our weakest moments.

In Nephi’s most vulnerable writing (2 Nephi 4) he shares with us a few of his remedies for when his soul was grieving, his heart was sorrowing (17), and he felt drooped in sin (28).

“For my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them, and writeth them for the learning and the profit of my children. Behold, my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my heart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard (15-16).”

He then goes on to give a summary of the support he has received from God and gives himself a personal charge.

“Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul. Rejoice, O my heart, and cry unto the Lord, and say: O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the rock of my salvation (28;30).”

They Set Him at Naught

The testimony of Jesus Christ that Nephi shares and the testimony that he borrows from Isaiah is some of the most delightful in scripture.

Speaking of the World’s relationship to Christ, Nephi wrote “and the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of naught; wherefore they scourge him, and he suffereth it; and they smite him, and he suffereth it. Yeah, they spit upon him, and he suffereth it, because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men (1 Nephi 19:9).”

To know a person such as Christ would be enough to change for the better. Yet because of the wickedness of the world, they do “set at naught and trample under their feet. Yea, even the very God of Israel do men trample under their feet but I would speak in other words—they set him at naught, and hearken not to the voice of his counsels (1 Nephi 19:7).”

It is a deplorable show of ingratitude to know what Christ did for us and to “turn aside our hearts against the Holy One of Israel (1 Nephi 19:15).”

“Love is the key, when I am not grateful I cannot feel this love, and when I am grateful for the Lord and what he gives me, it opens up a door… then all of a sudden a stream of answers come to me, this is how he speaks to me. - Dieter F. Uchtdorf (How I #HearHim).

Wade Through Much Affliction

Nephi

“And we did travel and wade through much affliction in the wilderness; and our women did bear children in the wilderness. And so great were the blessings of the Lord upon us, that while we did live upon raw meat in the wilderness, our women did give plenty of suck for their children, and were strong yeah, even like unto the men; and they began to bear their journeyings without murmurings (1 Nephi 17:1-2).”

“Notwithstanding we had suffered many afflictions and much difficulty, yea even so much that we cannot write them all, we were exceedingly rejoiced when we came to the seashore; and we called the place Bountiful, because of its much fruit (1 Nephi 17:6).”

Laman and Lemuel

“We have wandered in the wilderness for these many years; and our women have toiled, being big with child; and they have borne children in the wilderness and suffered all things, save it were death; and it would have been better that they had died before they came out of Jerusalem than to have suffered these afflictions.

“Behold, these many years we have suffered in the wilderness, which time we might have enjoyed our possessions and the land of our inheritance; yea, and we might have been happy (1 Nephi 17:20-21).

The Lord

“For, behold, I have refined thee, I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction (1 Nephi 20:10).”

Laman, Lemuel, and Nephi had one thing in common. They all suffered the same things. Yet each saw their afflictions with a different perspective, making life harder or easier for themselves along their journey through the wilderness.

Rejoice and Give Praise Unto Their Everlasting God

Rejoice: Feel or show great delight.

Give Praise: the expression of respect and gratitude as an act of worship.

What was the cause of such an expression? Nephi saw a day in which the following events were set to occur. (1Nephi 15)

  • The fulness of the gospel of the Messiah was going to come unto the Gentiles, and from the Gentiles unto the remnant of his seed (13).

  • The remnant of his seed was to know that they are of the house of Israel (14).

  • They will know and come to the knowledge of their forefathers, and also to the knowledge of the gospel of their Redeemer and the very points of his doctrine, that they may know how to come unto him and be saved (14).

  • They will receive the strength and nourishment from the true vine (15).

  • They will come unto the true fold of God (15).

  • All the kindreds of the earth will be blessed (18).

  • The restoration of the house of Israel in the latter days at which time they will not be confounded nor scattered again (20).

Anyone of these could be written about for pages but my favorite and the one which I rejoice and give praise unto my everlasting God for is that I can receive strength and nourishment from the true vine.

In John 15, Jesus speaks of his relationship with his Father and his relationship with us. He is the vine and we are the branches. My favorite part of this and why I think Nephi rejoiced was this promise in verse 7 “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

If we are asking our vine for the nourishment that he promises in his words it will be given to us, causing Nephi and me to express gratitude and feel great delight.

I Looked, I Saw, I Beheld, and I Bear Record

“I looked… I saw… I beheld… I bear record…” In 1 Nephi 11-14 some variation of these statements appears 180 times. It is Nephi’s vision of the tree of life and other things pertaining to the kingdom of God as he sought out Heavenly Father to unfold his mysteries.

Nephi’s gratitude journal contained everything he saw and some things that he heard and other things of which he was asked to bear record. He saw other things that he was commanded not to write. Why was Nephi allowed this privilege? Nephi after hearing what his father had to say about his vision “desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, as I sat pondering in mine heart I was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord (1 Nephi 11:1).”

He sought after more because he was so enriched and full because of what his father had shared.

Nephi was wise enough to look and he saw marvelous things, even to add on to all that his father had seen. Christ asks us to “Look unto me in every thought” he promises that as we do this we will “doubt not, fear not (Doctrine and Covenants 6:36).” God has done so much for us, he is doing so much for us, and he will yet do so much for us, and if we look, see, behold, and bear record that he is there, he will show us so much more than we now know and understand.

Satan and his followers are seeking to “blind the eyes and harden the hearts of the children of men (1 Nephi 13:27).” Many are in “that awful state of blindness, which thou beholdest they are in, because of the plain and most precious parts of the gospel of the Lamb which have been kept back by that abominable church, whose formation thou hast seen (1 Nephi 13:32).”

It is the privilege of those who look, see, and behold to bear record of it. “And blessed are they who shall seek to bring forth my Zion at that day, for they shall have the gift and the power of the Holy Ghost; and if they endure unto the end they shall be lifted up at the last day, and shall be saved in the everlasting kingdom of the Lamb; and whoso shall publish peace, yea, tidings of great joy, how beautiful upon the mountains shall they be (1 Nephi 13:37).”

The choice is simple “either to the convincing of them unto peace and life eternal, or unto the deliverance of them to the hardness of their hearts and the blindness of their minds unto their being brought down into captivity, and also into destruction, both temporally and spiritually, according to the captivity of the devil (1 Nephi 14:7).”

May we look, see, behold, and bear record so that we are ready when Christ “shall manifest himself unto all nations… in that day that he shall manifest himself unto them in word, and also in power, in very deed, unto the taking away of their stumbling blocks—” (1 Nephi 13:42-14:1).

A Letter to Laman and Lemuel

Dear Brothers,

Your stiffneckedness (1 Nephi 2:11) and your murmuring (1 Nephi 2:11-12), your hard words and your smiting (1 Nephi 3:28), your hardness of hearts and so blind in your minds (1 Nephi 7:8), not hearkening and forgetting (1 Nephi 7:9-12), your anger and plotting to destroy your brother (1 Nephi 7:16).

You saw an angel (1 Nephi 3:29), you had things explained to you because you did not believe the Lord could reveal them to you (1 Nephi 14:9-11), even explained they were too hard for you to bear (1 Nephi 15:1). You repented (1 Nephi 7:20-21), and you were at times humble (1 Nephi 15:5) but continued on plotting to return to Jerusalem and killing your father and brother (1 Nephi 16:35-38), and even with the chastening, you received from the Lord (1 Nephi 16:39) and later the shaking the Lord gave you (1 Nephi 17:54-55) you had your brother bound with cords on the ship sailing towards your promised land (1 Nephi 18:11) with only the threat of destruction by the power of God to soften your hearts (1 Nephi 18:20). You saw a life-threatening storm cease at the prayer of your brother (1 Nephi 18:21) and you made it to the promised land (1 Nephi 18:23-25). Your decisions eventually led to the division of your family (2 Nephi 5:1-8). You are both famous for it. How could you be so ungrateful?

But then I realized, in your Father’s dream with the tree and the fruit, there was an important piece of the story that was missing for me. You would not come and partake of the fruit that brought your dad so much joy (1 Nephi 8:18;35). That tree you both missed out on was the “love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things… Yea, and the most joyous to the soul (1 Nephi 11:22-23).”

You never had that love of God sink into your hearts because they were too hard to receive it.

You did not act in ingratitude, at least not to the degree to be ungrateful after tasting God’s love, because you were never fortunate enough to taste it.

The scripture in 2 Nephi 31:14 scared me for you “After ye have repented of your sins, and witnessed unto the Father that ye are willing to keep my commandments, by the baptism of water, and have received the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost, and can speak with a new tongue, yea, even with the tongue of angels, and after this should deny me, it would have been better for you that ye had not known me.”

I was scared that because you denied the Christ you would be without saving, to be ungrateful to that degree seems to God a most unholy act. But you never partook of the fruit of the tree. You never knew his love. I hope that one day you do and that you embrace it.

Your friend and sibling,

The reader of the Book of Mormon

Choosing to eat of the fruit, and feeling that joy that comes from the love of God, being grateful for the path, the rod, and the tree, and then heeding not the scorners in that foundationless building who call all away to denial of that sweetest experience is the hope for all God’s children.

An Altar of Stones

Lehi is commanded to leave Jerusalem, his house, the land of his inheritance, gold, silver, and his precious things; he took nothing else with him, save his family, provisions, and tents.

Only three days later Lehi built an altar of stones and made an offering unto God “and gave thanks unto the Lord our God.” - 1 Nephi 2:7

What needs to happen in our minds and our hearts in order to give thanks to God when all is lost or taken away?

Building our altar of stones may be a process of one stone at a time, but the quicker we recognize that each stone represents a blessing God has given us, it should not be too long before we have built an alter of a suitable size on which we may give back to God our humble offering and our “thanks unto the Lord our God.”

Two more altars and expressions of gratitude come in 1 Nephi 5:8-9 and 1 Nephi 7:22.

One Pattern of Gratitude

Why at Thanksgiving is it so easy to be grateful? I think it is because we are influenced by the example of others as we each share the things we value and find most precious. The prophet Lehi in the Book of Mormon goes through a similar experience in 1 Nephi 1

First he sees a vision in which “he saw the heavens open, and he thought he saw God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels in the attitude of singing and praising their God. - verse 8

After seeing more in vision (including seeing Jesus Christ and the twelve apostles), Lehi was in an attitude of “praising of his God; for his soul did rejoice, and his whole heart was filled, because of the things which he had seen, yea, which the Lord had shown unto him.” - verse 15

After his heart was full he went and “began to prophesy and to declare unto them concerning the things which he had both seen and heard.” - verse 18

We see gratitude expressed by others, causing us to be grateful, and then we seek for others to feel our same joy. Lehi listened and was grateful he did however, for the Jews who heard him, they chose to “be angry with him… and they sought his life, that they might take it away. - verse 20

How will we react when given the choice between bitterness and gratitude?

For another example look at 1 Nephi 2:16-17 or 1 Nephi 8:11-18

Using the Word "Nevertheless" as a Transition Into Gratitude

To start off the Book of Mormon, the prophet Nephi sets up his parameters for writing by giving us a template for looking at life’s challenges. Although he experienced many afflictions his record contains a more centered focus on all he had to be grateful for during his difficult days.

“I, Nephi having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God, therefore I make a record of my proceedings in my days.” - 1 Nephi 1:1

How can we use that sweetest of all transition words, nevertheless, to bless our lives with a greater focus on the goodness of God?

Gratitude for "the Gift of God"

From our infancy, we are taught that upon receiving a gift from any source we are to respond with gratitude. “What do you say?” is a commonly repeated phrase by parents to elicit a simple “thank you” from a child.

In the introduction of the Book of Mormon, it is made clear that this book is not a work of modern writing, but rather a work of translation of ancient writers done by “the gift of God.”

“The interpretation thereof by the gift of God” - Title Page

“In due course the plates were delivered to Joseph Smith, who translated them by the gift and power of God.” - Introduction

“And we also know that they have been translated by the gift and power of God, for his voice hath declared it unto us; wherefore we know of a surety that the work is true.” - The Testimony of Three Witnesses

“The ancient record thus brought forth from the earth as the voice of a people speaking from the dust, and translated into modern speech by the gift and power of God as attested by Divine affirmation, was first published to the world in the year 1830 as The Book of Mormon.” - The Testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith

We all may be grateful for the gift delivered to Joseph Smith by reading the work he was given.

The Beginning of a Month of Gratitude

Over the next month, I will be reading the Book of Mormon in search of the theme of Gratitude. As I read other words besides gratitude are more likely to be found as the prophets write. And although many of these words certainly are not exclusive to gratitude; they all possess a connection to that good word.

Such words include: Bless, Exalt, Glorify Honor, Humility, Magnify, Praise, Prayer, Rejoice, Remember, Thank, Thankful, Thanks, Thanksgiving.

Antonyms to look out for include: Boasting, Conceit, Covetousness, Envy, Forgetfulness, Hardheartedness, Haughtiness, Greed, Ingratitude, Lust, Pride, Selfishness, Stiffneckedness, and Wickedness.

What Prophets are likely going to be grateful for include: Gifts, Grace, and Afflictions.

How might the Prophets show their gratitude: Good Works, Obedience, and Offering Sacrifice.

As I go through this month I would love to hear what you are grateful for in your testimonies. You can do that by going to strivetoshare.org and filling out the form or sending an email to strivetoshare@gmail.com