Living With Gratitude
Over the past several weeks, I have spent time reading and studying St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, and I have found so much depth in this short but powerful letter. The more I read it, the more I see how relevant Paul’s words are to what it means to be a Christian today.
What has especially touched my heart is Paul’s attitude of joy, gratitude, and faith, even while he was experiencing difficult circumstances. Paul reminds us that being a Christian does not mean that we will never struggle. It means that even in the midst of our struggles, we can choose to trust God, remain faithful, and live with gratitude in our hearts.
That has challenged me personally.
It is easy to focus on what is going wrong. We can become consumed by our worries, our disappointments, our unanswered prayers, and the things we wish were different. But as I have been studying Philippians, I have been reminded to stop and ask myself: Am I paying more attention to my struggles than I am to God’s blessings?
Paul encourages us in Philippians 4:6 to bring our requests to God “with thanksgiving.” I find that so meaningful. Paul does not tell us to pretend that our problems don’t exist. He tells us to bring them to God—but to bring them with a thankful heart.
That is something I want to encourage all of us to practice.
Let us not become so focused on what we are waiting for that we forget what God has already done. Let us not become so concerned about tomorrow that we forget to thank God for today.
We have so much to be grateful for.
We have the gift of life. We have people God has placed in our lives. We have opportunities, memories, answered prayers, and countless moments of grace. And above all, we have Jesus and he calls us friend.
Sometimes the greatest blessing is simply knowing that God has been with us every step of the way.
As I have reflected on Paul’s words, I have also been reminded that gratitude is more than simply saying, “Thank you, Lord,” when something good happens. Gratitude is a way of living. It is a choice to recognize God’s goodness even when life isn’t perfect.
I want to encourage all of us—including myself—to live with gratitude in our hearts.
When we face a difficult day, let us remember God’s faithfulness.
When we face uncertainty, let us remember that God is still with us.
When we are waiting for an answer to prayer, let us remember the prayers He has already answered.
And when we find ourselves focusing on what we don’t have, let us pause and look at the blessings that are already before us.
Paul’s letter to the Philippians has reminded me that our circumstances do not have to determine the condition of our hearts. We can have challenges and still have joy. We can have unanswered questions and still have faith. We can walk through difficult seasons and still find reasons to give God thanks.
My prayer for all of us is that we become people who remember.
Remember God’s goodness.
Remember His faithfulness.
Remember His grace.
Remember where He has brought us from.
And remember that no matter what we face, we belong to Him.
I am so blessed to be part of the Praise and Worship. Today I choose gratitude. Let us look beyond our struggles and begin to count our blessings. Let us worship God not only for what He does, but simply for who He is.
Because when we take the time to recognize God’s blessings, our perspective begins to change. Our circumstances may not immediately change, but our hearts can.
And perhaps that is one of the beautiful lessons Paul is teaching us through Philippians: we can learn to have joy, peace, and gratitude—not because life is always easy, but because God is always faithful. Count your blessings and may our hearts always be filled with gratitude.
Thank you!🙏🕊️🌈