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

When things don’t go the way we’re expecting, or circumstances seem to be against us, it’s easy to fall into the trap of complaining. It can temporarily make us feel better. But the cycle goes like this: we have a problem so we complain and stay stuck. We feel bad, so we complain even more and end up with a whole load of stress, rather than a solution. When we get trapped in the cycle of complaining, and we forget what God’s done for us, we lose our joy.

So instead of complaining, we need to be counting our blessings and thanking God. ‘Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus’ (1 Thessalonians 5:18). The word ‘all’ is key. We shouldn’t just be thankful when things go well and turn out how we were expecting, we should be thankful in all situations. It will change our perspective completely.

Isaac Williams
Assistant Chaplain – Wyvern House