How To Be Thankful Even When Life is Hard

Have you ever felt unsettled? Things just weren’t going right or your world turned upside down? Maybe you’ve lost your job or maybe can’t find a job. Maybe you’re facing foreclosure or bankruptcy. Maybe you’ve lost someone very dear to you either suddenly or through a long illness, or maybe a loved one is suffering with an illness. Maybe you have children who have lost their way and you’re not sure where they are. Maybe a good friend has betrayed you. Maybe your health is not what it used to be. Maybe you’re experiencing depression or fear. The “maybe” list can go on and on.

Life can be hard!  During this week of Thanksgiving, how can someone be thankful when life is hard? How do you do hard and be thankful at the same time?

Being thankful is a choice and is mentioned many times in the Bible. When it says to come before the LORD with thanksgiving (Psalms 95 & 100, etc.), it doesn’t give any stipulations like “when everything is going right” or “when we ‘feel’ like we have something to be thankful for.” There is always something to be thankful for, and we might have to ask God to open our eyes to see the many blessings around us.

  • Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with  thanksgiving,  present your requests to God.   Philippians 4:6

In every situation..  Not just certain situations.  And thanksgiving goes right along with prayer.  While we are in prayer,  we can give all the hard things in life over to God and give Him our worries.  When we stop feeling like we are in control and realize that God is in ultimate control, then and only then can we stop being anxious.  Somehow that opens our hearts and eyes to see all the things we do have to be thankful for.

The Bible also tells us that we need to come before God like little children.  He is our heavenly Father, our Creator, the God who knows us.

  • He (Jesus) called a little child to him, and placed the child among them.  And he said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.   Matthew 18:2

Have you listened to the prayer of a child recently?  Have you noticed that sometimes they pray for everything, simple things, things that adults often take for granted?  God is the Creator of everything.  They are coming before God with thanksgiving for everything, no matter how simple.

Maybe these two Bible verses can help us to open our eyes, come before God as children, give Him all our worries, and truly come before Him with thanksgiving…in every situation!  When we focus on being thankful to God, our eyes are opened to the abundance of blessings we have to be thankful for… no matter how hard our life is at the time.

Healthy Home Blog’s New Look

Hi! I haven’t posted in a long time and hardly anything since September 2013.  Sometimes our lives are turned completely upside down and our hearts are completely broken.  But after the healing, we can look back with hearts full of sweet memories and get on with our life.

Just want you to know that I’m back again and Healthy Home Blog will hopefully have a new look this month.  My blog is about home, happiness in life, and healthy habits for body, mind, and spirit.  I’d love to share my experiences with you in this journey we’re all making together.  I’d love for you to share your experiences with me, too.

I would be honored if you would subscribe to my blog so we can share the journey!  The Subscribe box is on my home page.  Also, check out my updated About page.  Thanks!

Hope you have a day that is blessed with sweet memories in the making.

Get Out Your Coats!

It’s going to get really cold here in the Metroplex tonight, so get out your coats if you live in the area. We’ll definitely need more than a lightweight jacket. I do know someone who will think it feels great and will probably have on a lightweight jacket, but I know someone else who will probably have on long johns under her clothes. I’ve learned from experience and am planning on wearing several layers because it’s supposed to warm up in the afternoon.  You gotta love Texas weather!  It’s no surprise to have multiple seasons in one week!

Popular Musicians & Grocery Shopping?

There’s a really popular grocery store here called Central Market that not only carries foods from all over the world, but they also have live music out under a nice, large covered patio area on the weekends.  They have various singers and musicians perform from week to week.  You can hear them all over the parking lot and it’s kinda cool.  It’s popular to buy food from the store’s deli and then sit outside to eat and listen to the music. It’s fun to eat outside even when the musicians aren’t there.  Even though the parking lot is very big, it’s hard to find a parking space on the weekend because so many people enjoy listening to the music.  They make going grocery shopping fun!

P.S.  Update fall 2014.  I only ate there a couple of times and then my husband died suddenly and I’ve moved away so I don’t shop there anymore.  So many times, we’d think about how we should eat there but it was always “we’ll eat there later.”  I’ve learned to make the most of every opportunity because you may not have it again.  And remember that people are way more important than things you have on your to-do list.  You’ll still have your list, but you may not always have them.

Catching Up

We’ve been so busy this summer with getting ready for our son’s wedding and other things that I haven’t kept up with the news, and I have some catching up to do.  I couldn’t tell you what the headlines have been.  I’m not even sure how the economy is doing in our area.  I do see new houses being built so that’s a good sign.  But then I see several businesses closing down so that’s not good.  I don’t like seeing big empty buildings where grocery stores used to be.  Then it seems several of the little stores around them go out of business, too.  There are two different places where I see that happening, and it looks so deserted.

Right now, I’m recuperating from the stressful months at school doing state testing for three and a half months and then all the fun things of graduation and wedding.  Those last two are enjoyable things but still a different type of stress.   If you’re a teacher, then you probably understand what I’m talking about.

Starting a Business

Have you ever started a business and had to get everything from industrial signs to fire extinguishers to cash registers?  As I’ve written before, we did back in the eighties.  There are so many things on a shopping list for a new business.  Back then, though, we didn’t have the convenience of shopping online.  Nowadays, people are able to get nearly everything they need and find the best prices by searching on the Internet and then having the items delivered to their doorstep.   That’s a good way to start a new business.

Computers

Sometimes computers can be so frustrating.  Every once in a while, my computer at school or at home will freeze up or run slowly for a little bit.  That makes me want to speed my computer up so I can get my work done.  But for the most part, both of the computers work great, and I’m very thankful to have them to make my work easier.

Starting a Business

Have you ever owned a business?  We have!  There are so many details to see about such as where to print business cards, how to advertise, paying for utilities and insurance, and the list goes on and on.  If you’re just starting out, talk to others who have started their own business, plan carefully, and find the best deals on things.  Make a list of everything you will need in order to run your business efficiently.

Online Ordering

Do you order vitamins online?  We do, and it’s so easy to order, we get a good price that’s better than the sale days at our health food store, and I can order them while drinking tea at home.  When they come, they’re well packed.  I just need some type of utility knife or large scissors to cut open the box.  We’ve never had a problem with our shipments, and it’s so much easier than going to the store to buy them.

Mechanical Issues

Do you know much about mechanical things?  I surely don’t!  I wouldn’t know if something needed a hydraulic hose, for example, or not.  Now I do know a little about cars, not much, but a little bit.  If my husband is talking to me about something on our van, I would probably know what he was talking about.  I probably wouldn’t know how to fix it, though, because that’s his department!  But at least I’d have an idea what he was talking about.

Time is Flying By!

Can you believe Christmas has come and gone? Time is flying and it seems like the holiday season flew by in a flash.  Before we know it, it’ll be Valentine’s Day and then Easter.  Income taxes will be due after that and people will be looking at carsonthorncpa.com and other places for help with their taxes.  After that, it won’t be long until school is out and summer is here.  Hmmm, things are going too fast now, so let’s just go back to it being right after Christmas!

Bye, Bye Summer!

School has officially started!  I love my students and am so thankful to be in the school district that I am in and also to be at the school where I’m at.  But I must say that I, along with nearly all the teachers that I teach with, are exhausted after one week of professional development and one week of teaching.  Hmmm…florida beach house rentals sound good right now.

It’s hard for some people who have never taught school to understand how tiring the beginning of school can be.  Add in countless hours working on scheduling, getting the classroom ready, meeting after meeting, and trying to get everything done on a long “to do list” only to have things added as soon as you mark off completed things, and that gives those people a glimpse into the life of a school teacher.  Many hours are put in after school and on the weekends!

But the students make it all worth it, and those “light bulb” moments when students learn how to do something, or when they accomplish something that has been hard for them, makes it all worth it!