[I]n everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 NKJV

Never allow a circumstance or situation stop you from being grateful. No, you shouldn’t thank God for everything bad that happens, but rather, thank God in everything. Why?  Remember God’s promise to “count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience . . . let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (Jas. 1:2-4). When you’re “perfect and entire”, you have ascended higher in the things of God. It’s your attitude of gratitude that determines your altitude, spiritually speaking.

Evil things like viral pandemics, sickness, and suffering are allowed by God, but they don’t come directly from God; neither do feelings of isolation, loneliness and depression. So why would you thank God for any of it? When evil circumstances rare their ugly heads, you can still be thankful in it for two reasons: (1) you can be grateful for God’s presence (Ps. 16:11); (2) and, be grateful knowing that God will accomplish His good, notwithstanding the circumstance (Rom. 8:28). Bottom line: it is the will of God, according to His pleasure and purpose that you have an attitude of gratitude, so stay submitted and humble to His Word and He will lift you up, higher and higher! (Jas. 4:7, 10).

Gratitude is a force that works much like the Law of Lift. In Physics, the science of matter, motion, energy and force, Lift is the Third Law of Physics that explains how birds and airplanes achieve lift in order to fly. For example, “the wing of the airplane must change something of the air to get lift. To generate lift, the wing must divert lots of air down, then the lift of the wing becomes equal to the change in the momentum of the air it diverts (Newton). You can change the “air of your circumstances” with gratitude, which will divert the “bad air” of your circumstance down; rather than allowing the circumstance to get you down, with gratitude and thanksgiving, the Lord will lift you up!

Social scientists and mental health therapists are now saying that one of the best ways to overcome feelings of isolation, loneliness, and depression is to feel gratitude (Psychology Today). Circumstances and stuff happens in life; they really come with living your life (Phil. 4:11-13). But be grateful. To be grateful is to count your blessings, not your problems; give thanks for the abundance of all of the good things that God has ready blessed you with (Deut. 28:47).