THE POWER OF CHOOSING THANKFULNESSIn marriage counselling, one simple practice I encourage couples to embrace is this: write down fifteen things you love, appreciate, respect, are thankful for in the other person. Then keep adding to the list. Why? Because every relationship will have difficult days. There will be seasons when frustration gets under your …
THE POWER OF CHOOSING THANKFULNESS
In marriage counselling, one simple practice I encourage couples to embrace is this: write down fifteen things you love, appreciate, respect, are thankful for in the other person. Then keep adding to the list. Why? Because every relationship will have difficult days. There will be seasons when frustration gets under your skin, disappointment rises, and the mind focuses on what is wrong. In those moments, a written record of gratitude can recenter the heart. It does not deny the hard things but reminds us they are not the whole story.
The same is true in our walk with God. Thankfulness is not just a seasonal attitude or polite spiritual habit. It is a powerful choice that anchors our souls in the goodness and faithfulness of the Lord. Scripture tells us,
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18
Notice that God does not say to give thanks for every circumstance, as though every pain or loss is good in itself. He calls us to give thanks in every circumstance, because even there He is present, faithful, and praiseworthy.
Hebrews 13:15 says, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise.”
Sometimes praise is a sacrifice because it costs us something: the right to be ruled by our mood, the comfort of complaint, and the habit of focusing only on what is missing in my life. But when we offer praise through Jesus, even when life is heavy, we declare that our circumstances do not get the final word—God does.
There is an old saying: garbage in, garbage out. The same principle applies to the soul: Negativity in, negativity out; Thankfulness in, thankfulness out. What we focus upon shapes our perspective on life and impacts our interactions with one another.
Thankfulness changes what we notice. Anxiety trains the mind to search for the negative in life, to rehearse fears, and imagine worst-case outcomes. But Philippians 4 teaches us a better way:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
The promise that follows is peace—God’s peace guarding our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Thanksgiving does not mean we stop bringing our needs to God. It means we bring those needs while remembering who God has already proven Himself to be.
So let me encourage you: begin your own list pf things for which you are thankful. Write down the evidence of God’s goodness in your life. Name the prayers He has answered. Remember the doors He has opened, the strength He supplied, the forgiveness He gave, the people He placed around you, and the promises that still stand. Keep adding to it. Then, when the difficult days come, you will have something true to return to.
Choosing thankfulness will not erase every problem, but it will reorient your heart. It will help you see beyond the pressure of the moment to the presence of the Father. It will keep your soul from drifting into bitterness and help your words become a sacrifice of praise. This month, choose thankfulness—not because life is perfect, but because God is good, Christ is near, and His faithfulness is greater than whatever you are facing.
