Living with Gratitude: Cultivating Thankfulness for All Seasons of Life

What does it mean to live with gratitude? Is it simply being thankful for the sunrise, the quarter found, or the parking space near the door? Of course, it includes these moments—but it also runs deeper. 

Can we be grateful when caught in traffic that makes us late, or when we drop a glass that shatters across the floor? What about when rain interrupts our plans for the day? These are small frustrations, yet we can still choose gratitude—simply by shifting our focus from irritation to appreciation. 

But gratitude’s true test comes in life’s hardest moments. How do we give thanks when faced with a terminal diagnosis, a sudden job loss, or a spouse’s betrayal? When life breaks our hearts, gratitude can seem dishonest or impossible. We may hide behind polite phrases like, “He’s in a better place,” or “When God closes a door, He opens a window.” Such words might be true, but they ring hollow when our hearts are aching and all we feel is intense loss, pain and uncertainty. Is there a way to be honest, yet grateful even when we feel like our life is being torn to shreds? 

Authentic gratitude does not deny pain—it holds it in the light of faith. Gratitude in suffering requires deep courage. It means being honest about our grief while refusing to surrender to despair. Victimhood says, “Life has taken everything from me.” Gratitude whispers, “Even now, something remains—you are still breathing.” You may not see a way out, but you can believe that one exists. And that small spark of belief becomes grace, which can grow into gratitude. 

King David understood this paradox. In Psalm 23 he wrote, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me.” Even in fear and darkness, David trusted that God was near. He did not deny the valley—he walked through it, confident that divine presence would guide him to the other side. 

So yes—be thankful for the sunrise, the butterfly and the friendly smile. But also give thanks when you’re delayed, disrupted, or disappointed. Even more, remember when in the furnace of life that God is always for you and with you, that nothing can ever separate you from Gods love, for God is your very life. And for that you can be truly grateful. 

Cultivating gratitude is living in ​AWE​: 

• Aware – Name what’s hardest aspect of your life right now. Be honest. Feel it.
• Wonder – Ask, “Where might there be hope?” “What remains to be thankful for?” 
• Engage – Choose hope. Refuse to be a victim. Live as one who trusts in the possibility of grace. 

“The root of joy is gratefulness… It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful.” — David Steindl-Rast

• St. Augustine: “Let us give thanks to God continually… who gave us power to overcome ourselves.” (Confessions) 
• Henri Nouwen: “Gratitude… transforms the pain of memory into a tranquil joy.” (Life of the Beloved) 
• Thomas Merton: “The root of joy is gratefulness; it is not joy that makes us grateful, but gratitude that makes us joyful.” (Thoughts in Solitude) 
• Rumi: “Thankfulness is the wine of the soul, filling the cup of life with joy.” (The Essential Rumi paraphrased) 
• Tao Te Ching 81: “The wise live in gratitude, finding contentment in what is.” 
• Philippians 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord aways.  I will say it again:  Rejoice.” (NLT)

AWE
Aware.  Which quote speaks to you?
Wonder.  Contemplate what this means to you.
Enjoy/Engage/Experience.  What is your next step?

• St. John of the Cross: “In darkness, the soul finds its greatest gratitude, for it clings to God’s light.” (The Dark Night of the Soul paraphrased) 
• Victor Frankl: “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” (Man’s Search for Meaning) 
• Rumi: “Do not grieve what is lost; give thanks for what remains and what is to come.” (The Essential Rumi paraphrased) 
• Bhagavad Gita 2:48: “Perform your duty without attachment to results, and be grateful for all outcomes.” 
• James 1:2-3: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” (NIV)

AWE
Aware.  Which quote speaks to you?
Wonder.  Contemplate what this means to you.
Enjoy/Engage/Experience.  What is your next step?

• St. Francis of Assisi: “All creatures of our God and King, lift up your voice with us sing.” (Canticle of the Sun) 
• Rabindranath Tagore: “Let me not pray for more, but for a heart filled with gratitude for what I have.” (Gitanjali) 
• Rumi: “Be grateful for the sunrise, for it is the Beloved painting the world anew.” (The Essential Rumi paraphrased) 
• Psalm 104:24: “How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.” (NIV)

AWE
Aware.  Which quote speaks to you?
Wonder.  Contemplate what this means to you.
Enjoy/Engage/Experience.  What is your next step?

• Maya Angelou: “When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.” (Letter to My Daughter) 
• Rumi: “Thank those who challenge you, for they show you the path to patience and grace.” (The Essential Rumi paraphrased) 
• Zend-Avesta, Yasna 43.3: “Gratitude strengthens the bonds between all beings and the Creator.” (Interpretive reading) 
• Philippians 1:3: “I thank my God every time I remember you.” (NIV)

AWE
Aware.  Which quote speaks to you?
Wonder.  Contemplate what this means to you.
Enjoy/Engage/Experience.  What is your next step?

• Thich Nhat Hanh: “The present moment is filled with joy and happiness.  If you are attentive, you will see it.  We need only to be awake to God’s presence in the now.” (Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life) 
• St. Teresa of Ávila: “Let nothing disturb you, nothing frighten you, all things are passing. God never changes. Patience obtains all things. Whoever has God lacks nothing; God alone suffices.” (Poems and Prayers, collected from The Way of Perfection and Interior Castle.) 
• Rabia al-Adawiyya: “I will serve Him simply for the love of Him. And when I remember Him, gratitude fills my soul, for He is nearer to me than my own breath.” (Adapted from Rabia’s poetry and sayings in Sufi Women, by Jamal Elias (2002) 
• Colossians 3:15: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” (NIV)

AWE
Aware.  Which quote speaks to you?
Wonder.  Contemplate what this means to you.
Enjoy/Engage/Experience.  What is your next step?

• Tao Te Ching 81: “The wise live in gratitude, finding contentment in what is.” 
• St. John of the Cross: “In darkness, the soul finds its greatest gratitude, for it clings to God’s light.” (The Dark Night of the Soul paraphrased) 
• Rumi: “Be grateful for the sunrise, for it is the Beloved painting the world anew.” (The Essential Rumi paraphrased) 
• Maya Angelou: “When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.” (Letter to My Daughter) 
• Rabia al-Adawiyya: “I will serve Him simply for the love of Him. And when I remember Him, gratitude fills my soul, for He is nearer to me than my own breath.” (Adapted from Rabia’s poetry and sayings in Sufi Women, by Jamal Elias (2002) 
• Philippians 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord aways.  I will say it again:  Rejoice.” (NLT)

AWE
Aware.  Which quote speaks to you?
Wonder.  Contemplate what this means to you.
Enjoy/Engage/Experience.  What is your next step?