3 Ways to Cultivate Gratitude When Life is Hard

The habit of cultivating gratitude in our lives can often sustain us when life is hard. No matter how hard life gets, we can always thank God for who He is as we focus on what we have as well as the good things God is doing in the life of others.

1. Thank God for who He is rather than what He gives.

Even when we don’t feel God’s presence, we can always be thankful for the fact that He is present in our lives. Facts always triumph over feelings because facts are always true, but feelings can sometimes lead us away from truths we don’t like. Feelings are real and powerful and can often be a greater motivation for us than facts. 

It is a historical fact that Jesus died, rose again and gave us the Holy Spirit to dwell within us. Whether or not we feel like God is near, we can always thank God for being near to us because the fact is, He is. When times are hard, we can hold onto the fact that God is on the throne, Jesus is Lord and He is near us, no matter what circumstances come our way. 

2. Thank God for what you have, instead of focusing on what you don’t have.

God has given us so much that we simply take for granted — from our ability to get from here to there, to even wiggling our toes. We can always thank God for the breath that fills our lungs. Even if we are breathing with an iron lung, the breath is still a gift from God. If we add up all the little things we can be thankful for, it can become a pretty big list. When we focus on the things we have to be thankful for, rather than the things we lack, we can choose to cultivate gratitude. 

We will always lack something, even the best teacher will lack at being the best athlete, and the best preacher won’t be the best choir director. We will always find lack when we try to be someone else, but we can always be the best us that God made us to be. It’s all a matter of focus; we can focus on what we have, which will lead us to thankfulness or we can focus on what we lack, which will lead us to grumble.

3. Thank God for others, not just for yourself.

We don’t want our thankfulness to turn into selfishness like the Pharisee who prayed, “I thank You that I am not like other men — extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.” Luke 18:11b (NKJV) A thankful heart can thank God for doing the good things He does in other people’s lives. Sometimes when we get sucked into our own struggles, thinking about others can lift us up out of our situation. Thanking God for all He is doing in our friends’ lives can help us focus on God’s goodness. As important as we feel we are, life is not all about us. Life is about God first, then our neighbor, and then us.