Gratitude Through Challenge

Life is filled with challenge.? Challenges are actually an important part of life. No one is exempt from the fear, anxiety, and real pain they can bring.? You can’t have growth and be stress-free.? I love the poem from Priscilla Leonard:

“No man can choose what coming hours may bring

To him of need, of joy, of suffering;

But what his soul shall bring unto each hour

To meet its challenge – this is in his power”

We all know that life’s challenges are ever present and will arrive sooner or later-- some in passing, some so demanding as to break us.? In every season of life there is a winter. We try to avoid challenges and sometimes even hide from them. When they come at us full force we often try to ignore or deny them.? We want to be exempt from challenges. The key is to face your challenges head on. When life’s challenges are at your doorstep, face them because it is in our power to do so.? Meet every challenge with courage. The best way I have found to meet life’s challenges is to meet them with Gratitude.??

Why is facing our challenges with gratitude so important?? Gratitude allows us to see the world around us. It can help you see the truth of your situation.? Gratitude reinforces the assets you have to overcome obstacles, and it places you in the present moment.?

See the world around you

When faced with challenges we often get lost in thinking about ourselves.? We obsess with how bad the challenge is and what we are losing, or what harm it is causing us. This focus on self hinders us from seeing the world around us and centers all our attention on ourselves. When we take a moment to be grateful for the good people and the good things in our life, we begin to realize that others have larger, and graver struggles to contend with than we do.

I remember going through a tough experience.? I had a challenge that was rocking some of the closest relationships in my world.? It felt like there was no way through it. At that time, I was asked to help two children for the KIND fund that needed clothing. ?Both of the children requested a duffle bag for the few possessions the siblings could call their own. They had recently been placed in child protective services due to abuse from their parents. This opened my eyes to the world around me. Yes, I was going through a tough time, but it paled in comparison to the challenges those two kids faced.? This allowed me to see how grateful I should be for all the supportive relationships I have in my life. These relationships will get me through this challenge and those to come. Gratitude helped me see the world for what it really was. ?My challenge seemed so much smaller suddenly. I knew that even though what I was going through was very tough, I knew I could overcome it.?

See the truth in the situation

Challenges and successes are the great magnifiers.? Both success and challenge magnify your outlook on life.? Often when you have a large success you feel like you are better than you really are.? The same is also true with challenges. When you go through a challenge your mind starts to make up a story that you are worse than you really are.? If you approach a challenge with gratitude--you begin to see that you are not suffering as deeply as you think you are. You realize you are not in as bad of a situation as your mind is making it seem. You begin to see those in your life that can help you. ?You recognize more clearly the abilities you have in place to overcome challenges. Seeing the truth of the situation opens your eyes to the reality of your situation. Facing the truth allows you to see that you have a greater capacity to overcome your current challenge than you think.?

Reinforce the assets or positive things you have in your life

Gratitude allows you to see all the positive things in your life.? Gratitude is the ability to see the people and things that make your life better.? There is an interesting phenomenon when people purchase a car.? As they start driving the vehicle around, they begin to see their exact same car all over the place.? They will often say things like, “I didn’t know you sell so many red jeeps like mine.”? It’s not that there are suddenly more red jeeps out there. It is that the buyer’s ability to see them has increased because they have one of their own.? Having gratitude follows the same principle. When you take stock of the things that make your life better, you begin to notice many more things that make your life better or easier.? This is not because they just started making your life easier but that you now can see these people or things as assets in your life. Assets that improve your life.

Be in the present moment

Gratitude allows you to be in the present moment.? You might be grateful for something someone did in the past, but you are grateful for it in the now.? You see what it did for you and the difference it made for you in the moment, but gratitude for it exists in the present. When you feel gratitude, you feel it in the present moment. It connects past actions to the present and allows you to feel gratitude in the present.? When our family dog passed it was a challenge.? He had been with us for over 14 years and was an incredible source of love in our home.? During that time, I had a good friend reach out in kindness to help me through this challenge.? It wasn’t anything grand, but when I think of the kindness that was shown to me, I still feel connected to him in the present. I am so grateful for my friend.? Though the action was in the past, it resonates today with gratitude for his friendship and support. Being present with gratitude changes your mindset and outlook. It allows you to stop thinking about the future challenges you will face and allows you to be present in the good things in life.?