It is always amazing to me that when things are going well for us we tend to pride ourselves in our accomplishments and then when things go wrong, we ask why and proclaim to the world that we don’t deserve it. During this season and beyond I would like to suggest a different approach that is somewhat counter intuitive. What would your life be like if you were grateful for every experience that you lived? I am referring to the “good” and the “bad” experiences. Now, this is obviously easier said than done, yet it can be done. Imagine for a minute that you are in the worst financial position of your life. Is it possible to love and be grateful for the hardship? Looking back on your life at all the so called horrible experiences, I could guess that if you made it through them you have become a stronger person. You now understand and have more empathy for those who experience the same. You are able to relate and offer assistance where, had you not lived through it yourself, you would have been completely unable to relate and assist in a positive manner.
I would suggest that we make every situation, one where we learn and show gratitude. I had the opportunity to live in Germany for a couple years when I was in my late teens and early twenties. There I met many people who lived through what we would all agree where horrible circumstances, and there were always two outcomes. Either the person or family grew to love each other more and they would reach out and help others, or the person would become embittered and angry always blaming this situation or that for where they were today.
So from this one example we see that there is a choice. We can choose to show gratitude and be happy even in the worst of situations, or we can choose to be defeated and become angry.
I suggest choosing gratitude. 
