“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Whispers of Thankfulness

There are so many lessons I’ve learned on this journey, but thankfulness has to be right close to the top. There is so much power in expressing thankfulness and gratitude. I know I’ve shared about it before, but I keep learning more and more about what a wonderful gift thankfulness is to us.

Sarah Young says in one of her devotionals, “Thankfulness takes the sting out of adversity.” However hard the day—however much “sting” there is in the circumstances—when I turn my heart to thankfulness (which includes worship and praise), it changes the painful situation.

I started making a list of some of the “fruit” of thankfulness, some of the things I’ve learned.

  • Thankfulness releases hope. The gloomiest situation looks different and brighter when we are thankful in the midst of it. And there are always, always, always things to be thankful for! Ask God to help you see them.
  • Thankfulness is not dependent on how I feel or on the circumstances in my life.  Thankfulness is something I can choose to do at my weakest moment, when I’m tired, when I’m discouraged, when I’m overwhelmed. I can choose to be thankful—even for a few things—and suddenly the focus changes.
  • Thankfulness may be hard in some situations, but God helps us because He loves for us to have thankful hearts. When our hearts are filled with gratitude, it opens us to see from His perspective.
  • Thankfulness produces joy! In the midst of some of the hardest days, I have felt deep joy by choosing to thank the Lord for His goodness in the hardness. And the joy of the Lord is our strength to get through the hard days. He never gets tired of our giving thanks. There’s no such thing as “too much” thankfulness. The more we thank Him, the lighter the burdens become.
  • If I focus on thankfulness, my problems look smaller. If I focus on the problems, they grow. When I’m thankful, my focus is on God and His goodness. I can acknowledge who He is in my problems. By being thankful, my eyes are opened to see the good that was right there in front of me.
  • Thankfulness may be a “sacrifice of praise” as it talks about in Hebrews 13:15, but that sacrifice helps us overcome any trial that comes our way. I’ve learned that if I can’t make declarations of thankfulness, I can start with whispers. Thank You for my family. Thank You for my home. Thank You for food to eat. Thank You for the beauty of Your creation that I’m looking at. Thank You for clothes to wear.

Those whispered sacrifices of praise on a hard day begin to build us up and change our perspective. Then we can go on to thank Him for who He is in our hard situation. He’s faithful. He gives us grace to keep going. He’s our Rock. He holds our hand. We’re in His grip. The list is endless!

“Thank You for the “tool” of thankfulness You have given us so we can overcome trials. When the sting of adversity comes, may we learn to focus on You with thankfulness. Amen.”