The Thanksgiving season is upon us and I wondered if you are giving thanks through your struggle and pain?

Maybe you are struggling to find things to be thankful for. Are you feeling like your life isn’t going the way you had planned? Maybe you feel like your body has betrayed you and isn’t cooperating.

Struggling with Being Thankful

Pain can sometimes be too much to bear! It’s not uncommon for those with chronic illness to find their bills piling high and to wonder where they’ll get the money to pay them much less how they will buy a turkey with all the trimmings.

I am not a naturally thankful person! I have to work at it and I definitely have a hard time being thankful when I’m in pain.

Changes and Healing

Since my family and I have healed from our illnesses I find it’s much easier to be thankful for the blessing of healing. I’m thankful for the positive changes that have taken place for us physically, financially, and relationally.

It’s as if the dark cloud that was hovering down over us has finally lifted.

Chronic Illness and Thoughts

If you’re struggling with chronic Lyme disease or any chronic illness, I don’t have to tell you how hard it is to keep your spirits up.

It can seem almost impossible to find things to be thankful for.

As you read this you might be grumbling under your breath thinking, “it takes every bit of energy just to do the necessary things each day but to purposefully stop and think about things to be thankful for, we’ll that’s just one more thing to do!”

Why Being Thankful Is Important

Did you know that being thankful is the most important, necessary thing you should be doing?

Benefits of Thankfulness

Studies have shown that being thankful is good for you. Having a thankful mindset:

• helps you to heal much faster from illnesses
• helps with pain.
• helps you accomplish more
• have more friends
• and helps you to be more likely to succeed.

If this is true, shouldn’t we make every effort to be thankful?

What the Bible Says

The Bible references the phrase “give thanks” at least 73 times. Some of these verses are examples of giving thanks and other times it’s a direct command for us to give thanks.

We’re told to give thanks no matter our circumstances. God knows how beneficial it is for us to be thankful because He created us.

Pain is Real

I would never minimize the struggles or the pain you are suffering. I know all too well how terrible chronic pain is, I was very sick for over ten years.

It’s mentally and physically exhausting, and I know what it feels like to think you’re never going to get better or be able to have any kind of normalcy in your life.

God’s not giving up on you even though you may think He has or that He’s not listening to your heartfelt cries for healing and change!

In 2001 I began having unexplained symptoms and difficulty with my health. By 2006 I became even sicker and suffered chronic pain. I discovered a few years later that I was living with chronic Lyme disease, confections, viral infections, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue.

My children also became very sick and one of my children suffered from PANS and was completely controlled by anxiety, OCD, and rage from her Lyme infection.

I know the financial hardship when your medical bills are not covered by insurance and doctors don’t recognize your illnesses as a being valid. Marriage takes a huge hit when there’s a chronic illness in the family but we had a family where all of us were sick.

I’m just saying that I know! I understand and I would never throw platitudes your way, they would only serve to minimize the struggle.

God Does Care

“Above all of the pain and struggle, I know the God of the universe. I know that by trusting Him for everything, praising Him through the storm, the struggle, the pain and seeking His provision and healing that He does take care of His children. What a wonderful reason to be thankful.”

No matter what you’re dealing with right now, take some time to really reflect on what you have to be thankful for.

Look deep and hard, you just might find a handful of things you can praise God for. You might only find one and that’s ok, for now!

If you are hard pressed to find anything to be thankful for or if you just don’t want to be thankful, I’m going to be bold and tell you to be thankful for the pain and the difficult things anyway!

[bctt tweet=”No matter what you’re dealing with right now, take some time to really reflect on what you have to be thankful for. #thankful #gratitude #blessed” username=”aboundinginhope”]

Ask God to show you how to glorify Him in the struggle. Make thankfulness a habit and once you have, look again, I promise you that even if your circumstances haven’t changed you will have changed.

I hope you have a very thankful Thanksgiving.

Would you like to read more about the benefits of being thankful? Check out these links.

10 Reasons Why Gratitude Is Healthy
7 Scientifically Proven Benefits of Gratitude That Will Motivate You To Give Thanks Year Round
Why Giving Thanks To God Is Important