Adversity Can Create Gratitude

When I share my story at conferences and events, I always talk about how adversity created gratitude in my life. After I speak, people often come up to me and ask, “David, how in the world can you say you’re grateful for such a horrible history?”

The short and simple answer is that because of all that adversity, I grew from a boy into a man who, still today, is grateful for the basics, like a good meal and access to clean water. Because of my childhood, no matter how many blessings God gives me, I remain thankful for the little things, the simple things in life.

Whatever has happened to you in your own life can create the choice and the opportunity for a new and fresh perspective for which to be thankful. While adversity can make any of us bitter and cynical, turning the tables on our perception can lead us to be grateful for any good that comes into our lives. This is exactly why a very common response for someone who has been brought back from death’s door is to be so grateful for life like never before and to have a brand-new appreciation for living. Most become grateful for their next breath when they realize they almost breathed their last.

The way I see it, my adversity led to a different perspective, that new perspective led to gratitude, gratitude led to service, service led to opportunities, and opportunities led to growth. Don’t we tend to mature the most in the battle in the valley than in the celebration on the mountaintop? So much of how we change is because we realize we have to before we will choose to.

As both a maturity test and a reality check, ask yourself the following:

• Do I celebrate when everything is going great but complain with every crisis or downturn?
• Is my attitude fully dependent on my circumstances in the moment?
• Am I good with God when he blesses, but do I doubt him when he seems to be silent?
• Do I view my current status in life as his blessing or curse, reward or punishment?

If you focus on what you are grateful for in your life and what you can give others, you’ll find purpose, passion, and a fresh perspective for life and work.

God, help me to see your many blessings in my life and express my gratitude always.