For week 5 of the thankfulness series, we’re talking about being thankful in all circumstances. This is a tough one for a lot of us. How can we be thankful regardless of the circumstance? Aren’t there things that happen in our lives that warrant some reactions other than gratitude?

Before we dig into those questions, let’s take a look at today’s Bible verses. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Always, continually, and in all circumstances. Those are three terms that don’t give us a whole lot of wiggle room.

Paul didn’t write, “Rejoice until things get tough.” He didn’t say, “Pray unless you’re too tired.” And he didn’t preach, “Give thanks for the good stuff in life.”

No, God’s will for us in Christ Jesus is thankfulness that knows no end, regardless of the circumstances.

This passage ties in well with a verse from week 1 of this series, Philippians 4:6: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Paul wrote the same idea into the book of Philippians, that every situation, even the most anxiety-inducing moments, should be met with a response of thanksgiving.

But the big question, for me at least, is how? Honestly, I have a hard enough time remembering to give thanks in the good circumstances. How in the world am I supposed to try to give thanks in the bad ones?

Perhaps it comes down to this: making it a habit to exude thankfulness from one breath to the next.

What I mean is, what if we made thankfulness a habit that came as naturally as breathing? What if we trained our brains to echo thankful sentiments on a regular basis, regardless of what’s going on around us?

That thankfulness might not spread to our hearts right away. We might not always feel like breathing thankfulness. But think about other habits in your life. Do you always feel like brushing your teeth before you go to school or work in the morning? Probably not. But do you always do it? Hopefully.

Let’s try it now, together. Take a deep breath in, and whisper words of thankfulness in your mind and heart. “Thank you, God.”

And exhale. “Thank you.”

Inhale. “Thank you, God.”

Exhale. “Thank you.”

Obviously, you can’t do this throughout your entire day, or you’ll never get anything done. But I think we can all spare a few seconds scattered throughout our day to center back on gratitude to our Creator.

Maybe this doesn’t work for you. Maybe there are other words you’d rather whisper to God instead in those moments. And that’s okay, this is only one suggestion.

The point is, even though it’s hard, we are told to be thankful in all circumstances. So let’s put in an effort to do just that.

God, this passage is tough! Giving thanks in all circumstances, good and bad, is a real challenge. But right now, let me just say thank you. Thank you for all you’ve done in my life. Thank you for your presence in this current moment. Please help me to approach you more and more often to lay my gratitude at your feet. I love you, God. Amen.

And friend, never forget, you are onederfully created.

Love,
Becca