Gratitude When Life Is Hard
Pain and suffering are a fact of life. There isn’t a person walking the face of the earth who, if honest, can say they’ve never experienced any kind of hardship in their life. It varies from person to person, but it still exists. There are those who genuinely seem to have everything they need, perfect health, great relationships, and that all is right with the world. But I wonder, is that truth?
LIFE IS HARD, BUT I’M GETTING BY
There are others, somewhere in the middle of this conversation who admit to having issues in some sense, whether it’s financial, emotional, or relational. Some may be experiencing the loss of someone they care about, been in a failed relationship, or finances have left them strapped and working two jobs just to get through. Still, they’d likely say, life’s hard, but I’m managing!
WHEN GRATITUDE IS NOT EASY
Other times you may meet someone who feels down on his luck, homeless, health quickly fading, or in some cases a person who is disabled, and consumed by their disability and feel life just handed them a bad call, and having gratitude feels hollow when the body (or mind) refuses to cooperate!
Even recognizing they have the right people in their lives who want to help, and glad to have what they do have, they question if being grateful is a good thing. They wonder if the attitude of being grateful is unhelpful in their own circumstance. It can ultimately make them feel angry because they feel overqualified or deprived of the opportunity to use their talents in a more positive manner. Some call this ‘toxic positivity".
GRATITUDE IS A GOOD THING!
Most of the time, that isn’t the case, however. Most of those with a disability fight hard to make their life as ‘normal’ as possible in spite of their disability. They hold jobs, have families, and are even involved in their communities, often admittedly, with the help of friends and family. They have accepted their life with a degree of thankfulness that helps them face day to day experiences, even when life is hard. But in the face of physical pain or lack of ability they recognize it isn’t pretending the pain is gone, but trusting that God is good —even when life hurts.
HELPING OTHERS
Or, there are those who have found a way to live a life of incredible positivity by helping someone else. They use their own story to change the lives of others and are thankful for the opportunity to do so.
Those you may immediately recognize are Helen Keller who lost her sight but was hugely impacted the world around her. Or Stephen Hawking from the Science world, and there are plenty more. Michael J. Fox has made a huge impact in the world of Parkinson’s Disease. Bethany Hamilton survived a shark attack but lost her arm. As an avid surfer competitor, she was back in the water and training in about a month and still competes! Additionally, she leads motivation courses based on her own incredible story! Again, there are many more who use their circumstance to brighten the world around them.
JUST WANTING TO BE HEARD
We all have days of asking ‘why me’? We wonder what we’ve done to earn such a life of non-ease, and fierce challenges. Mostly what we want isn’t to drag ourselves down or those around us. Usually we just want to be heard saying that life is hard….but know that we’re going to get through it, because we have a piece of our heart, that doesn’t want to give up!
We want to face the challenges head on, and sometimes they just beat us up! With inspirational stories like those mentioned, we can recognize we all have immense potential, regardless of our abilities or lack of! With all the technology and information available, if it’s searched for credibly, provides resources to build stamina, grow ideas, educational options, and people in the know who are ‘all in’ to help if (or when) help is asked for.
ALWAYS A REASON TO BE THANKFUL
Gratitude when life is hard can be challenging, there’s no doubt about that. Sometimes life feels unfair, isolating or even endless. Feeling thankful seems out of the question!
Even knowing that, when you can dig deep down into your soul and see the greatness you possess, the talents God has given you, there is reason to be thankful, even when life is throwing curve balls!