Gratitude for the Past, Present and Future

Melody Beattie is famous for her quote about gratitude. "Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow". Much of the struggle we have in life is we are stuck in the past or the future and we are not fully in the present. Gratitude is the thread that weaves through our past into our present and celebrates what can be in the future.  

Gratitude is a lifestyle, a way of thinking that helps us refocus on what we have instead of focusing on what we don’t have.  Gratitude allows us to shift the narrative to the positive, to hope and joy.  I say all the time in therapy that depression is a focus on all the bad stuff that has happened and anxiety is a focus on all the bad stuff that could happen. When we live fully in the present, depression and anxiety decrease. When we add in gratitude as the thread throughout the past, present and future we tie in hope.  Bad things are going to happen. It is a part of life.  There is sadness, grief, death, anger, loss, hurt, betrayal, pain.  It is a given.  But when we look back, we can see that even in the pain there is strength, resilience, and a chance to grow stronger.  In the present, if you are going through a struggle what can you be thankful in this moment for?  It is a refocus from what is not going well to what we do have.  It shifts the brain from impossible to possible.  When we have gratitude it gives us hope for the future, that we will know that because of the hard stuff in the past I can have hope that I can get through anything in the future.

There is  a lot we can not control. But what we can control is our gratitude.  I Thessalonians 5:18 says “Be thankful in all circumstances.” Catch that, be thankful in all situations. It is easy to be thankful for the blessings and successes. It is just as important to be thankful in the failures and struggles. One of my most poignant moments as a mom was when my son was reflecting on his journey one night. He was laying in bed and we were chatting. He was looking at his cross country medals and looked up at me and said, “Mom I am so glad I got cut from the soccer team.”  I responded wondering what he meant by that. Then he said, “If I had not gotten cut, I would never have found my love for running and won all those medals.” I am not sure that in 6th grade he was thankful for getting cut from a sports team.  But he was able to grow into gratitude for the hardship. He saw how God had woven the losses into a greater purpose and platform for his life.  He was able to see the thread of gratitude in the losses.

When we really reflect on our lives, it is often the failures and struggles in life that cause the most growth. Gratitude in all circumstances grows our faith, our joy, our love and our minds. It is a cognitive re-wiring that starts with a choice to be grateful for the past, the present and the future. 

What are you grateful for?  Take a moment to reflect on the past.  Make a list of what you are grateful for.  Then reflect on the present.  What are you grateful for at this moment, in this season?  Then dream for the future.  Write out what you will be grateful for moving forward.  

Gratitude is a choice. It benefits the body, soul and spirit. Choose to weave the thread of gratitude into your past, present and future.