Sometimes, the difference between complaining and giving thanks isn’t what happened to us. It’s what we choose to see. A glass can be half empty or half full. The circumstances haven’t changed. Only our perspective has.

Paul tells us in Colossians 2:7 that when our lives are rooted in Christ, we will “overflow with thankfulness.”

Overflow.

That’s an interesting word.

Paul doesn’t say we’ll occasionally find something to be thankful for. He says thankfulness can overflow from our lives, but how do we overflow with thankfulness when life isn’t going the way we hoped?

We learn to look for the blessings.

There was an old Peanuts cartoon in which Charlie Brown feeds Snoopy on Thanksgiving Day. Snoopy looks at his bowl of ordinary dog food and thinks about everyone else enjoying a Thanksgiving feast.

Then he reminds himself, “At least I’m not the turkey.”

Even Snoopy found something to be thankful for!

Sometimes we have to look a little harder to find our reasons for gratitude.

Remember the tree that fell in our neighbor’s yard?

It was certainly unexpected. A large evergreen tree came crashing down during a windy day.

But thankfully, it landed almost perfectly. It fell across our neighbor’s yard and into ours, and the only thing it hit was an old, ugly bush at the corner of our yard.

We had been wanting that bush removed.

The tree took care of it.

One less thing on the to-do list!

The fallen tree didn’t change.

The circumstances didn’t change.

But our perspective changed.

And sometimes that’s what thankfulness does.

It doesn’t necessarily change our circumstances, but it changes the way we see them.

There will be days when the wind is blowing, the plans aren’t working, and life feels more like a storm than a sunny afternoon.

On those days, don’t overlook the blessings because you’re focused on the problems.

Look around…

• Look for God’s goodness.
• Look for his faithfulness.
• Look for the little things that might otherwise go unnoticed.

And then give thanks.

There is always a reason to be thankful.

Today, challenge yourself to find three things—big or small—that you can thank God for.

You might be surprised how quickly your list grows.

And as you look for reasons to be thankful, you may discover that thankfulness isn’t just something you do.

It becomes the way you see.

Thanks for reading.

“The tree fell!”

Those were the words I heard from the next room while I was standing at the kitchen sink.

It was a beautiful, sunny, but windy day. The sun was streaming through the window, and I could hear the wind blowing outside. For a moment, the noise level increased. I assumed it was just another strong gust, so I kept washing dishes.

Then came the announcement: “The tree fell!”

A seemingly healthy evergreen tree in our neighbor’s yard had been toppled by the wind.

The problem wasn’t the wind. The problem was the tree’s roots.

Its root system was too weak to withstand the force of the wind.

Paul gives us a similar picture of our faith in Colossians 2:6-7:

“And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him and let your lives be built on him, then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught and you will overflow with thankfulness.”

Life is going to bring some strong winds. Sometimes they come as unexpected problems. Sometimes they come through disappointment, loss, uncertainty, or change. And sometimes the winds of life seem to come out of nowhere. We can’t always control the wind, but we can decide how deeply we are rooted.

A tree with deep roots is much less likely to be toppled by a strong wind. In the same way, a faith deeply rooted in Christ and grounded in God’s Word gives us something to hold on to when the storms of life arrive.

So how do we strengthen our roots? Here are 4 suggestions.

1. Spend time in God’s Word. Make this a daily practice.
2. Spend time in prayer.
3. Remind ourselves of God’s faithfulness. Make a list of the times God has been faithful in keeping promises to you.
4. Cultivate an attitude of thankfulness. Make a list of the reasons you have to be thankful.

The winds of life will blow. We can’t always prevent the storms or control what happens around us, but we can make sure our roots are growing deep into Christ.

So today, spend some time fertilizing your faith’s root system.

Open God’s Word. Pray. Remember His faithfulness. Look for His blessings.

And give thanks.

Because when the winds blow, deep roots make all the difference.