How To Be Grateful When You Aren’t Feeling It

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It’s November. For those of us in the USA, that means Thanksgiving.

Facebook is flooded right now with people listing things they are thankful for each day. I even wrote 9 reasons I’m thankful for my chronic illness.

But when we’re chronically ill can we really be thankful? And what do we do on days that we want to be grateful but we just aren’t feeling it?

I Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

This is where we need to take note of the first part of that verse. In everything GIVE THANKS. It doesn’t say BE THANKFUL FOR EVERYTHING.

That’s where we need to maintain our focus.

We can be thankful for something no matter where we are or what we’re going through. Exercising gratitude allows you to see your life from a larger perspective – outside of your immediate circumstances and physical ailments.

Have you heard of Pastor Saeed Abedini? He happens to be an American that was held in an Iranian prison for being a Christian. He was in Iran in the summer of 2012 when he traveled to there to help build an orphanage and visit his family. You can read more about his story here. The point I want to make about Pastor Saeed is that despite his vicious beatings, lack of medical care, and inhumane mental abuse, he still gave thanks. He wrote how he was thankful for other’s that came to know Christ while he was in prison. Wow. I don’t know about you, but I’d find it extremely hard to offer thanks from a brutal prison cell.

But can’t our bodies feel like a brutal prison cell at times too?

In her book A Place of Healing: Wrestling with the Mysteries of Suffering, Pain, and God’s Sovereignty, Joni Eareckson writes:

As a matter of fact, God isn’t asking you to be thankful. He’s asking you to give thanks. There’s a big difference. One response involves emotions, the other your choices, your decisions about a situation, your intent, your “step of faith”.

 

So it all comes down to choice, huh? Sometimes that’s easier said than done.

Here are 5 things you can do that will help you make the choice to be grateful when you aren’t feeling it:

1. Look for something you can be grateful for because you’ve developed a chronic illness. As an example, in a previous post I mentioned, I’m thankful for the compassion that has grown in myself and my family as a result.
2. Look outside yourself. Take a moment to think of others that are less fortunate and focus on something you may have that they don’t, and be thankful for that. Maybe even go a step further and do something about it. Helping someone else can strengthen our feelings of gratitude for the things in our lives.
3. Keep a gratitude journal. On days when you think there isn’t one thing, you can possibly be thankful for, read over the past entries in your gratitude journal to remind yourself of the blessings in your life.
4. Think through your day and look for one thing that happened, or something you have, that you can be thankful for. When our kids were little, as we tucked them in bed, we asked them what their favorite part of the day was. It’s a great way to connect with your kids, but it’s also a great way for you to find the bright spot in any day.
5. Think of someone who has helped you or brightened your day somehow. Be thankful for them. Again, take this a step further. Think of someone else that might need a sunny spot in their day and try to encourage them.

Now it’s your turn. Share in the comments below one way you’ve found to exercise gratitude in your life.

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