I remember reading this short post on gratitude by Rick Warren about a year ago. He encourages being thankful in every circumstance. RADICAL gratitude. Whoa, right?!?!
He bases it on a verse…
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV
If you’re anything like me, it’s E-A-S-Y to be thankful for the good stuff. You know…your kids, good health, happy relationships, your home, good jobs, great friends, supportive family. I could go on and on. There are SO many things to be thankful for.
But what about the tough stuff? What about when life just doesn’t go as expected? How in the world are we supposed to practice radical gratitude for the radically hard things? Family problems arise, friends let you down, relationships crumble, finances get hairy, people you love get sick and/or die, kids rebel, things don’t go our way, plans fall through, the list could go on forever. And I can’t think of a single time in my life that thankfulness was my first response to one of these issues. Heck, let’s face it, I’m not even close to being there yet. Most of the time, I get all stressed out, go a little crazy, and act like I’ve lost all sense of sanity when the hard stuff blows my way. Sheesh. But given a little time, my mind ALWAYS comes back to what I read that day in Rick Warren’s post…
“You can thank God in every circumstance because God is in control. He can bring good out of evil. He can turn around the stupid mistakes you make. No matter what happens, God isn’t going to stop loving you. There are a hundred things to be thankful for in any circumstance, even when the circumstances stink.”
End of story. Someone is in control, and He has a plan.
I’m working harder to practice radical gratitude. To see good in the bad. To keep my mind focused on the positive when this world throws things that cause pain, grief, sadness, insecurity, depression, and fear. To be thankful in every circumstance. Wanna join me? It’s a battle that we will constantly fight, this I know without a doubt. But taken day-by-day, it can be won. And it’ll only make us better. Better people, better mommas. Radical Gratitude. Let’s do it.
