CAIN gets Practical with Gratitude
A key to making it through dark seasons
Are you struggling to find joy and contentment in your daily life? Do you find yourself focusing on what you don’t have rather than being thankful for what you do have? The members of CAIN, a contemporary Christian trio, offer some insights into how practicing gratitude can help us on our faith journey.
The Bible is filled with verses that encourage us to be grateful and thankful for the blessings in our lives. In Psalm 106:1, the psalmist writes, “Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever” (NIV). Even when we face difficult circumstances, we can still find reasons to be thankful for the blessings in our lives.
Taylor from CAIN shares how she focuses on being grateful for the opportunities and relationships in her life. “I just did this the other day,” Taylor said. “I would be just walking through my normal life, and it’s like, man, I’m getting to sing songs that I thought nobody would ever hear. I’m getting to meet people that I grew up listening to. Now God somehow made that a part of my story for me. I’m getting to meet all these heroes in music that I look up to.”
She went on to say, “Maybe we’re all a little entitled sometimes as to what we think we were going to do – and that’s what I’m working on today – just to see it all as a gift God gave to me to steward. It could be gone the next day. I’m trying to really be thankful for each relationship that I have in my life currently and not hold on to the things so much.
Taylor recognizes these are gifts from God and that she does not deserve them. Similarly, James 1:17 says “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (NIV).
Taylor says she prays, “God, how can you use me right now?” She admits, “I don’t know if I’m nailing it, but it’s really been on my heart lately to just assess and instead of complaining.”
Madison from CAIN found gratitude during a difficult pregnancy by recognizing that God is present even in the hard times. “I don’t think pregnancy is easy for anybody. It wasn’t like I thought it would be,” Madison said. “I felt like people really didn’t understand how much pain I was in.” Madison said she vented about how awful her pregnancy was but it didn’t make her feel any better. “When you think about how long it takes to grow a baby, or how long it’s taken for us to write these songs and to get to this to this place, it really is okay. The gratitude that I need to be feeling is if something is hard, it doesn’t mean that God isn’t in it, and that He didn’t intend for good things to be hard.”
Philippians 4:6-7 reminds us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (NIV). Prayer and thanksgiving to God can bring peace and comfort from Him, even in difficult times.
Logan from CAIN suggests that we resist the temptation to feel entitled to good things and instead recognize that all good things come from God. “Discontent and ungrateful attitudes are born out of the concept of what do I deserve. And so, if I find myself not being grateful, it’s important for me to be reminded of what I actually deserve. Because when you start thinking about, Do I deserve better? No. I absolutely do not! What I deserve is in 2017, when I was going to have to quit music and not have had a career.” Talking to himself, Logan said, “If I think about what I actually deserve and realize what if I had gotten what I deserved, I wouldn’t be standing here right now.”
Logan reiterated – “It’s so much easier to be grateful when I realized what I deserve is what my will could do, but not my will, but [His] be done.”
Everything we do should be done with gratitude in our hearts, giving thanks to God the Father through Jesus Christ. “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:15-17 NIV).
Practicing gratitude can have a profound impact on our faith journey. So, how can you practice gratitude in your daily life?
- Start by taking a few moments each day to reflect on the blessings in your life.
- Make a list of things you are thankful for, whether it’s your family, friends, a job, a talent or an opportunity to serve others.
- Recognize that these are gifts from God, and that you do not necessarily deserve them.
- Instead of focusing on what you don’t have, focus on what you do have and give thanks to God for these blessings.
- When you face difficult circumstances, remember that God is present even in the hard times.
- Turn to Him in prayer and thanksgiving and ask for His peace and comfort.
- Remember that everything you have is a gift from God, and that He has a plan for your life.
- Practice contentment and trust in God’s plan, even when things don’t go the way you expect.
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