I’ve been thinking a lot about gratitude lately. Not just being thankful when things are going well, but being thankful when life is hard—when we’re tired, worried, disappointed, or dealing with circumstances we wish we could change.
Because sometimes life really is hard. And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with admitting that. But I’ve been asking myself: Am I spending more time complaining about my circumstances than thanking God for carrying me through them? Ouch. That one is a little convicting.
❧ He Never Promised There Wouldn’t Be Hard Times ❧
I was reading Isaiah 43:1–5, and it reminded me that God calls His people by name, loves them, and tells them not to fear. Verse 2 especially stood out to me: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you” (NIV).
He doesn’t say the waters won’t come. He promises His presence in the middle of them. I can wish my circumstances were different and still thank Him for walking through them with me.
❧ Gratitude Doesn’t Mean Pretending Everything Is Fine ❧
Being grateful doesn’t mean loving every circumstance. We can be hurt, tired, frustrated, or disappointed. God knows what’s on our hearts anyway. There’s a difference, though, between bringing those feelings to Him and letting them become the way we live.
“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV)
In everything. Not because everything is good, but because God is good even when our circumstances aren’t. I can pray for change while being thankful for the ways He is already sustaining me.
❧ What Is Complaining Doing for My Heart? ❧
Complaining can become a habit before we even realize it. One thing goes wrong, then another, and suddenly we’re noticing every inconvenience and missing the blessings tucked into the same day.
Philippians 2:14 tells us to do all things without grumbling or arguing. That’s not always easy. But I don’t want my frustrations to be louder than my gratitude. Complaining doesn’t make a burden lighter; sometimes it just makes my heart heavier.
❧ Learning to Rely on His Strength ❧
In the margin of my Bible beside Isaiah 43, I wrote a prayer thanking God for being with me through the fire and the flood, and asking Him to help me depend on His presence when I feel like I cannot handle a difficulty.
I tend to want answers and plans. And sometimes I pray about a problem, give it to God, then pick it right back up and worry about it again. Apparently I think He needs help worrying. (He doesn’t.)
Zechariah 4:6 reminds me: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.” (KJV) I can do what is mine to do, and trust God with what isn’t mine to control.
❧ Choosing Hope Instead of a Disgruntled Heart ❧
I don’t want to look back on a hard season and realize I spent every day waiting for it to end. Even here, there are people to love, little reasons to laugh, prayers to pray, and blessings to notice.
Romans 15:13 calls Him the God of hope. My hope doesn’t have to depend on everything changing tomorrow. It rests in the One who will be with me tomorrow, whatever comes.
❧ Even Here, God Is Good ❧
There are things I wish were different, and prayers I’m still waiting to see answered. But I don’t want to spend today being miserable just because it isn’t the day I would have planned.
I want to complain less, pray more, notice His faithfulness, and remember the promise in Isaiah: He will be with me. Not that the waters won’t come—but that I won’t walk through them alone.
Thank You, Lord, for sustaining me. Thank You for loving me. Thank You for walking with me. Life may not always be easy. But God is still good. Even here.
❧ A Little Prayer ❧
Dear Lord, thank You for being with me in the fire and the flood. Thank You for sustaining and protecting me, no matter the hardship and trials I face. Help me live reliant on Your presence and cling to You in confidence when I feel like I cannot handle or walk through a difficulty. Because You promise to be with me, I do not have to fear. Help me depend on You as You lead me through every circumstance. Forgive me for letting worry and complaining overshadow Your goodness. Give me a grateful heart, peace in the waiting, and hope for what lies ahead. In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
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