It’s that time of year again where I am reminded of gratitude as Thanksgiving approaches. We’ve often been told that if we just focus every day on what we are grateful for, it can turn around quickly our focus from “not enough” to “there’s an abundance or plenty”. I do believe gratitude can be a powerful exercise to turn around those negative thoughts that tend to go to what’s lacking. How many of you tend to look at the glass half empty?  Do you naturally gravitate to what’s missing in a situation rather than see the good.

I know I do many times, but am learning to train my mind to see how every situation that God brings our way can bring something good into our life. It may not be neatly wrapped in the package that you expected, but down the road you can see the beauty of the package. It may have showed up with dingy wrapping paper, but later the wrapping started glistening with a whole new look. When we can see that good that usually comes later, we can really be in gratitude about what has happened to us.

I’ve heard many people describe the tragedies they have been through as the best thing that happened to them. That always surprises me as when you’re going through it, you don’t necessarily see the fruition or the value that’s there. But many times our control and ways of comfort have been disrupted so it can be extremely difficult to see the good. I read a book recently that was titled “Heart Made Whole: Turning Your Unhealed Pain into Your Greatest Strength. ” by Christa Black Gifford. The author was not only a brilliant writer, but she had a lot of depth in being able to see the value of going through the pain—going to the inner depths of your heart wounds to only come out to the other side strengthened.  I would highly recommend her book.

Where does the strength come from? Is it the fortitude you had to muster up to get you through it.  I don’t believe that’s it.  I believe its entering into a space where there is darkness and seeing that by going through it, we can come out to the other side and see the light.  The light is there I believe from a God who loves us regardless, who takes us by your right hand and walks us through the difficulties, and loves us in the midst of our pain. As we come out of the world of darkness into the light, we can begin to see what growth has come through and be so grateful that we were not alone.  There was a guiding light taking us through the journey.

That I believe speaks to the real gratitude. It’s not just empty words recited each day out of obligation. Its more about receiving the value that is in all situations. A coach friend of mine once said “there is a gift in everything.”  I believe that is so true, but we need to see it.  Many times it has come disguised in that dingy paper and ropey ribbon.  We can choose to let it bind us up and stay in resentments or allow the good to be revealed.

Make this Thanksgiving truly a time of shifting your perspective to what’s missing in your difficulties, to seeing there is something glistening behind the horizon. We just need to be open to waiting, trusting, and knowing that it will come as we trust in the process.