“Give thanks in all circumstances"

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:18 

Gratitude isn’t hard when life is good. Anyone can praise God on the mountaintop.

But when life gets loud… when the news is heavy… when your heart aches… when the bills stack up… when you’re running on fumes—that’s where gratitude becomes holy ground.

And here’s the thing: God never asks us to pretend. He’s not calling us to plaster on a smile or ignore the weight we’re carrying. Instead, He invites us to look for thanksgiving the way wildflowers fight their way through cracked pavement—small, stubborn signs that grace is still growing in places we didn’t expect.

Paul understood that. He didn’t write these words from a porch swing with a glass of sweet tea. He wrote them with scars on his back and chains on his hands. Yet he still found reasons to give thanks—not because life was easy, but because God was faithful.

His gratitude wasn’t rooted in circumstances; it was rooted in Christ.
That’s why it held steady through storms, prisons, disappointments, and long nights.

Today, your thanksgiving might be simple… whispered over burnt toast… muttered through tears… or offered with tired hands. But simple gratitude still shakes heaven. It opens your eyes to see what the enemy hopes you’ll miss: God is working right there in the mess.

Gratitude won’t erase the pain, but it will reorient your heart. It reminds you that God has not stepped off the throne, and He has not taken His hand off your life.

Walk in faith, rest in grace, and trust the One who walks beside you.

In His love and grace,

ray mileur
“Helping believers walk closer to Jesus, one day at a time.”
www.raymileurministries.com