Gratitude #6: We Celebrate the Struggles

“I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”

Philippians 4:12-13 NLT

We can cultivate gratitude in seasons of plenty and seasons of want. We all experience both. We can look at other people and think to ourselves they don’t know struggle like we know struggle, or they don’t know the pain that I’ve walked in.

While they might not know your specific struggle or your exact pain, I can guarantee every believer who has walked the face of the planet, including Jesus himself, knows struggle.

The above scripture is a favorite for many to quote, yet it speaks to the most basic battle for all of us as believers; being grateful in the highs and lows. We get to know what it feels like to experience God’s best on the mountain tops and walk through the hard stuff in the valleys. The real struggle is finding Him in the middle of the struggle.

A major part of maturing as a Christian is discovering how to be grateful for the smallest things in the middle of our biggest battle.

Your action steps:

REFLECT: What are the greatest struggles you’re walking in right now? What is God doing in the midst of the struggle? What are you learning about yourself and others?

The abundance and the need are both a part of our journey and the reason why we know we can do all things through Christ!

RESPOND: One of the best ways to respond in the middle of the struggle is to celebrate. You know the drill, grab your journal or notebook and write out five (or more) of your struggles you can celebrate today.