Give Thanks Always

 It's easy to be thankful when we are feeling blessed, when everything is running smoothly and we are in a place of plenty. As we celebrated Thanksgiving last week, maybe we were able to easily tick off our blessings and feel a deep sense of gratitude for food, family, friends and material comfort.

  But life can be something of a roller coaster ride of ups and downs and I'm sure we've all gone through times when it's hard to be in a thankful frame of mind. Times when the going is rough and we're feeling a little less than positive. Maybe we're grieving for a love one lost or a troubled relationship; perhaps we are going through a health crisis or experiencing a period of financial hardship. At times like these we may be tempted to just say , "I can't possibly think of anything to be thankful for right now; maybe next year will be better".

But the bible is pretty clear on this one: "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all  circumstances" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) and "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God (Philippians 4:6) and "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such
things". (vs. 8)

No matter what the situation, we're supposed to be thankful. That can be a tough one to wrap your head around when you're feeling depressed or anxious or overwhelmed by burdens. 

As counterintuitive as it may seem at the time, it can be a blessing in itself to force ourselves to change our thinking and look at the glimmer of positivity in the midst of whatever we're going through. I know from past experience that the promises of God can give us strength and hope that we didn't know we had.

Years ago, I started a gratitude journal to get myself in the habit of thinking of things to be grateful for everyday and I find it to be a really helpful practice. There's always good to be found in any situation if we open ourselves up to the frequency of  blessing.