Diva faces her own challenge.

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A reader reminded me yesterday that not all things to give thanks for are easy. Some may be difficult or painful.

But perhaps they help up grow. Or in some mysterious way work out for the best in ways we couldn’t have foreseen. Or are what’s required to get us from point A to point B.

The apostle Paul encourages us to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thess. 5:18), and so today, let’s reflect on our thanks for the circumstances that are hard: life’s challenges.

When it comes to challenges I’ve faced or am currently facing:

I’m thankful for the way challenges help me think more creatively, seeking out solutions or responses I’d not yet considered.
I’m thankful for the way challenges connect me in relationships, as I seek out the wisdom and discernment of others.
I’m thankful for the way challenges bring me, eventually, to a point of surrender with God, praying, “Thy will be done.”
I’m thankful for the way challenges help me examine myself and my own part to play in making or breaking a situation.
I’m thankful for the way challenges—the kind beyond my control—deepen my dependence on God.
I’m thankful for the way challenges have made me stronger and ultimately refined me.

In what ways can you give thanks for the challenges you’ve faced, or are facing, in life?