Being Grateful for...My Challenges?

Do you ever struggle to feel grateful? I remember one morning not long ago waking up in a “mood.” Maybe it was the stress of having too much on my plate as I pondered my numerous family and work commitments.?Perhaps it was the anxiety around growing my business in a difficult economy.?It may have been the stress around giving my young adult sons all they need from me as a father in these critical years of their lives. It could have been my frustration with the state of political discourse and divisiveness in our country.?It’s quite possible I just needed a break and some alone time in prayer.

I drove to our parish chapel with the hope of finding peace, quiet, and my lost gratitude. Instead, all I could do was dwell on my challenges and how frustrated I was with my inability to calm my mind. I struggled to feel grateful for my blessings. Finally, I prayed an Our Father and left . . . feeling worse than when I entered the chapel.

As I drove away, it hit me: I was expressing gratitude for the wrong things. I was trying to be grateful for all of my blessings, but I felt nothing. I decided to instead be grateful for my challenges. That’s right . . . my challenges. If I was not having a good day, maybe God was trying to teach me something and I needed to be attentive to the lesson. As I prayed about each of my challenges, I began to see what I was supposed to learn—and a genuine feeling of gratitude began to creep into my heart.

My overflowing plate was a reminder to be thankful for meaningful work which I love and to be a better steward of my time. My oldest son has special needs, but I am most grateful that he is my special child and a blessing in our lives. My younger son, newly married and making his way in the world, needs me to be a better listener and a candid guide in this stage of his life. My wonderful wife needs me to be more present and go all the way each day, not just meet her halfway. Finally, I began to see my busy calendar as numerous opportunities to help and serve the wonderful people I encounter each day and to be more grateful for this privilege.

It's easy to focus only on the good and the easy blessings when expressing gratitude. It’s also easy to allow ourselves to gripe when things are not going well. For me, this epiphany was a profound lesson on the need to be grateful for my challenges and the lessons they contain. Our journey in this world will not always be an easy one, and there will be difficulties and even suffering. Our response to these challenges...and perhaps the gratitude we should feel for them...makes all the difference.

Do you ever struggle with gratitude? How might you express gratitude for the difficult things in your life? What lessons and blessings could they contain? Pause for a minute right now and think of two challenges in your life. Think, discern, and pray about the lessons and the good these struggles may contain. Think about expressing gratitude for them.

*This post is adapted from Chapter 6 of Being Fully Present: True Stories of Epiphanies and Powerful Lessons from Everyday Life

Learn more about my brand new book, Being Fully Present: True Stories of Epiphanies and Powerful Lessons from Everyday Life

*Learn more about Randy's recent leadership books here.

Randy Hain is the president of Serviam Partners, the award-winning author of 10 books, an executive coach, leadership consultant and thought leader on candor, clarity, time management, accountability and business relationships. He is also the co-founder of The Leadership Foundry.