Thankfulness.
It’s something we often talk about but it doesn’t come naturally for us as humans. For some people being thankful is easier than for others just based on what kind of personality you have. Some people see the glass as half full while others see it as half empty. But no matter who you are, there are times in life when it is hard to be thankful. When things aren’t going the way you want them to, or you get so focused on other people’s lives and comparing your life to theirs, it is often hard to be thankful. Especially in our culture where everyone posts the best of their lives on social media, we see the part that they want us to see. We see who is getting married, who is having a baby, who is traveling where, what amazing jobs some people have, and we compare it to our lives and think about how far ahead everyone else is than us. It’s so easy to compare and think everyone else has it better than we do. I can often find that I feel so thankful or grateful for something in my life but then after looking at some of my friend’s lives, I wonder why I don’t have what they have.
This is why I think that it’s so important to practice an attitude of gratitude everyday, sometimes multiple times a day. Yes, there are always people who have more than us, but there are also always people who have less. I think being thankful is so crucial for everyone but especially for people who struggle with mental illness. It’s so easy to wake up and feel awful and just have one of those all around bad days, whether it be from anxiety, depression, or regular life circumstances. However, I find when I’m having days like this, it’s so helpful to think of things that I’m thankful for and it often lifts my mood. You may be having the worst day ever, but there is always something to be thankful for. This isn’t to minimize how you are feeling or to say that nothing bad ever happens. But even in the midst of the darkness and awful times, there is ALWAYS a sliver of light and hope.
For me, I have a personal relationship with Christ, and I know that He is good no matter what is happening. I believe He has a purpose for all that happens in my life, good and bad. I have had some pretty trying things happen in my life and have experienced real loss and pain, and I can honestly say that even in those times, there were always things that I could find to be thankful for. God has always provided for me in so many ways.
I remember when I was challenged to work on the area of thankfulness in my life and I decided to try to think of five things I was thankful for each day. At first, it was hard and some days I really struggled to see what was good in the day. However, the more that I did this, the more good I saw. I was able to see little things throughout the day that lifted my spirits and that I could be thankful for. For example, on days when I felt so sick and down and felt like I couldn’t bear any more, I was thankful for friends who were lifting me up in prayer. I was thankful that for many years, I knew what health was and I often took it for granted. I was thankful for the sun that shone that day. I was thankful that I had food in the house to eat. These are just a few examples, but as bad as things are, there are always rays of hope. I promise you that. And if you can’t see them at first, ask someone to help you see them. We often are so blinded by our own pain and struggles that we need those around us who love and care for us to show them to us when we just can’t see them.
I’ve consistently done this practice of thankfulness for several years now and I can say that it has changed me. God has used it to make me more aware of how much I have to be thankful for and how much He has blessed me with. His hope is there and He has always cared for me and has always been faithful. This attitude of thankfulness has tuned my heart more to His grace and care and has become a form of worship where I thank Him for every good and perfect gift, because it all comes from Him.
So my encouragement to you is to try to see the positive and to try to think of five or even three things to be thankful for each day. Keep at it even when it is difficult. I truly believe it will change your attitude and your mood. I know it has for me. And if you can’t think of anything to be thankful for, ask me and I will help you to think of something! I promise you there is something there. Keep hoping and be thankful, it will change you!
"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17
