I hope this is a day when what’s good about life gets our attention. And yet, as we pause to reflect on our blessings, we may feel some pushback from the problems in the world.

But thankfulness grows within us as we consider the blessing that things are as well as they are.

This reality grabbed me when I read the words of a sign. It leaned against a chorus of other thoughts; but these words stood out to me. “Gratitude turns what we have into enough.”

What a lovely idea. But I realize, it may be a challenging idea. When it feels like there are not enough hours in a day or there is not enough strength for a task, thankfulness is put to the test.

And yet, gratitude is a choice. In a world where there are many reasons to gripe, gratitude gives us a focus on the goodness of God. Scripture often points to this principle. Here are a few examples:

“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus” (‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5:18‬ ‭NLT‬).

When we choose to find something to be grateful for, we’ve also chosen the will of God.

‭ “Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you” (Hebrews‬ ‭13:5‬ ‭NLT‬)

When we choose to be satisfied with what we have, we acknowledge the faithfulness of God.

‭“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done” (Philippians‬ ‭4:6‬ ‭NLT‬).

When we’re thankful for all God has done, we can trust He will continue to do what He does.

His grace — His gift that keeps us in His grip — is always enough. It’s enough for us to keep believing. We can stand on His promises. We can keep receiving His strength for every task and His wisdom for every decision.

And when doing one more task or making one more decision feels like too much, we can be grateful we’re not alone. God sees us. He is with us.

Then our gratitude is a holy signal from our heart to God. Mine says, “Thank you, Lord, for every blessing, big and small. Thank You for being with me through it all.”

Reasons to gripe will always exist, but gratitude turns what we have into enough. This is the beauty and power of a thankful heart. But it’s not just in our having a choice. There is joy in making the choice to be grateful.