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Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭18‬

If you are like me and honest with yourself, there are times you’ve read today’s verse and thought ‘Yeah, right. Easy for you to say.’

It’s easy for someone who has no debt to tell you to get out of debt.

It’s easy for someone who has never been cheated on to tell you to trust.

It’s easy for someone who has dealt with their grief to say, ‘things will get better, keep your chin up.’

Reality is, when things are going well for you it’s easy to be thankful. When your kids are responsible, your marriage is sexually and emotionally fulfilling, your team is winning, thankfulness comes naturally. But when things go south it’s hard, but not impossible to show gratitude.

Here are some ways that may make it easier to show gratitude in difficult times, and especially now as we enter a new year.

1. Spend some time in reflection. The fact that you are reading this proves that you’ve made it through the past! It may not have been easy. It may have been painful. There may have been times when you didn’t think you could go on. But you did! What lessons did you learn from your failures? What victories did you celebrate? How did you see God working in your life? Sometimes He shows himself best when we are at our worst.
2. Set some realistic goals for spiritual growth. Start small. Perhaps get one or two close friends who can help keep you accountable. Ask God to help you in setting the goal, pursuing the goal and celebrating the victory.
3. As you look ahead, see possibilities, not problems. Remember that God wants you to succeed and he has given you his Holy Spirit to help you accomplish it. Roadblocks will stop you, obstacles will strengthen you. Make every roadblock an obstacle by His grace.
4. Pursue Praise. I can’t explain it, but in my own life I’ve noticed that the best way to destroy discouragement is to listen to or sing praise music. Why do you think the longest book in the Bible is a book of praise in the midst of adversity? Praise God for who He is, not for what you are going through.
5. Stop listening to the voices. If you have accepted Jesus as Savior, Satan knows he’s lost. But he won’t give up easily. If he can’t get you to follow him, he’ll try to tell you lies. Don’t listen to the negative voices of others, social media or the voices in your head. Stop the negative talk, foster a positive mindset.
6. Spread the Joy. It sounds ironic but it’s true. The best way to defeat discouragement, fear, worry and a host of other negative emotions is to help others. Paul tells us in Corinthians to comfort others with the comfort we’ve received. Helping others can be a great way to lift others up when they are down and it can give you opportunities to show the grace God has given you.

Make this year the year you focus on being thankful for all God has given you and share the lessons you are learning with those who are on this journey of life with you.