How to Be Thankful to God Even When Life Is Hard
It’s a quiet Wednesday evening, and I return home with a truckload of groceries to find an empty house. I have no idea that the evening is about to be a lesson on how to be thankful to God even when life is challenging.
After stowing the food in the cupboards, I slip to the deck and discover my family playing in the backyard. They are laughing, wrestling, and chasing the beagles across the wilted wildflower fields. Standing on the deck unnoticed feels like a rare invitation to step back and truly see the big picture of my life from afar.
I’m sure other moms can relate: Somehow, the kids are surprisingly cuter when you watch them from afar, removed from disciplinarian responsibilities, and momentarily free from the demands of meeting everyone’s needs.
This moment on the deck feels like an incitement to see the big picture of my life from outside the canvas of our everyday moments. It also feels like a reminder of how to be thankful to God no matter what is happening around me.
How to Be Thankful to God in All Circumstances
As I stand on the deck, I notice the unique characteristics of each child. They are beautiful, and they are mine, and how is this my actual life?
Maybe I need this more often: Moments to step back and see the big picture of my actual life.
Maybe I need this more often: Moments to step back and see the big picture of my actual life. #gratitude #parenting #perspective Share on XWhen I step back to see the big picture, I can’t help but marvel at where I’ve been and how in the world God brought me up from where I was at 22 to where I am now as we inch closer to 40 with each passing day.
Stepping back to see the big picture shapes my soul in ways I need to be shaped. It reminds me of how to be thankful to God no matter what’s happening around me.
Perhaps you need this, too. Let’s look at three practical ways to be more thankful to God:
How to Be More Thankful to God
1. Regularly pause to look around at the bigger picture surrounding you.
Stepping back gives us space to notice God’s gifts.
Often, while we are living in the middle of our hurried moments, we overlook these blessings.
Step back to look at your life and notice God’s fingerprints. Your life probably isn’t perfect. However, there is beauty threaded through it. Look for the beauty.
2. Regularly create space to step back and assess your priorities.
When I step away from my everyday moments long enough to breathe, rest, and give my soul space to stretch, I create space to look at the way I’m doing life.
I find space to assess whether I’m living out the priorities I claim to hold.
If not there is space to rearrange my life in a way that honors those priorities. I need moments to step back and take a hard look at the bigger picture, to ascertain whether I’m living the life I want to live. When I do this, God prompts me to give thanks for his blessings as I cultivate a spirit of gratitude.
3. As much as possible, slow down.
We also create space for gratitude by slowing down. When we’re constantly multitasking and living in stress and hurry, we overlook God’s gifts surrounding us.
Slow down to notice the sparkling eyes of the children in your life, the way the sun sinks beneath the horizon in the evening, the taste of a steaming cup of coffee, or the scent of blueberry muffins wafting through the kitchen.
When we slow down, we remind ourselves of how to be more thankful to God for his gifts.
~~~
Caleb spots me first from my perch on the deck. “Mommy’s home!” he shouts, and in no time, his six-year-old hand is pulling me to the yard. I’d been thinking of going inside to clean up dinner dishes, but this is better. This is by far better.
A Free Devotional to Help You Relearn How to Be Thankful to God:
Does the idea of slipping away to a beautiful place to recharge and refresh sound inviting? Space for Your Soul to Stretch is your invitation to create space to rest in God’s presence. Each day invites you to encounter God’s created world and spend time in his written Word. You will walk away from this journey replenished and refreshed each day. It is my free gift to you by clicking here.
These books are free on Kindle Unlimited or available to purchase in print:
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here. (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
Calling all moms and daughters!
Additionally, my teen daughter, Bekah, and I are passionate about helping moms and daughters grow closer while connecting with God. We have written two mother-daughter devotionals together. Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section after each devotion.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, purity, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. We will help you!
Multitudes of mothers, daughters, mentors, and younger women are being transformed by these books! You can buy them as paperbacks or get your free Kindle Unlimited eBooks on Amazon right here.
