Hannah Woolley discovered the power of gratitude during one of the most uncertain seasons of her family’s life. Now, through a simple daily practice – and the messages she receives from listeners – she’s discovering how choosing thankfulness can shift our perspective and help us notice God’s goodness.
A few years ago, my husband and I found ourselves in a season of real uncertainty. We had two young children, had just bought a new house – one that needed a lot of work – and then my husband lost his job.
Life suddenly felt overwhelming. We were juggling financial worries, endless decisions about the house and trying to keep life as normal as possible for our children. It felt as though everything was crumbling around us.
One day, as we were sitting together talking and praying, I remembered something our vicar had shared in a sermon. He spoke about a particularly difficult period in his own life when someone had encouraged him to write down everything he was thankful for. Not just the obvious things, but absolutely everything he could think of, until there was nothing left to write. He said it had transformed his perspective. So we decided to try it ourselves.
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We wrote down everything, from our health and our family to the socks we were wearing! As the list grew longer and longer, we were amazed by how many blessings God had poured out on us, even in the middle of such a trying season.
Our circumstances hadn’t changed overnight, but our perspective had. Instead of focusing only on what we lacked, we began to see just how much we had. Within a few days, we were making different decisions about the house and the future, and we found ourselves feeling genuinely grateful for the home God had given us.
That experience has stayed with me ever since.
During Lent this year, I decided to write down three things I was thankful for every day. It became one of the most encouraging parts of my day. Some entries were significant moments; others were wonderfully ordinary. But each day reminded me that God’s goodness is present in both the extraordinary and the everyday.
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A few months ago, I introduced a thankfulness feature in my show on Premier Praise
A few months ago, I introduced a thankfulness feature in my show on Premier Praise, encouraging listeners to think about, write down or message in what they’re thankful for. Sometimes it’s one thing; sometimes it’s a whole list.
Of course, it’s important to acknowledge that gratitude isn’t always easy. There are days when life feels really heavy and finding something to be thankful for can seem almost impossible. In those moments, I’m always drawn back to Psalm 136:1: “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.” And also to the challenge in 1 Thessalonians 5:18: “Give thanks in all circumstances.”
That doesn’t mean being thankful for every circumstance, but choosing to recognise God’s faithfulness within every circumstance.
READ MORE: Gratitude is difficult but it can completely shift your perspective
The messages I receive from listeners are so encouraging. From giving thanks for their morning coffee, sunshine and quality time with family, to answers to prayer and remarkable breakthroughs. Just the other day, one wonderful lady messaged to say she was thankful that her blood cancer is now in remission.
One theme appears time and again: gratitude for Jesus and the freedom we have through him. Those messages always remind me of Paul’s triumphant words in 1 Corinthians 15:55, 57: “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?… Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Some of my favourite messages come as voice notes. One that has stayed with me was from a lovely ten-year-old girl who shared that she and her mum tell each other what they’re thankful for every night before bed.
Some of my favourite messages come as voice notes. One that has stayed with me was from a lovely ten-year-old girl who shared that she and her mum tell each other what they’re thankful for every night before bed. It made me smile because it’s something we’ve started doing in our own home too. We have a thankfulness wall where we stick little Post-it notes with something we’re grateful for each day. We don’t manage it every single day, but each night before bed we try to name at least one thing we’re thankful for. I love hearing what our children come up with. Sometimes it’s something deeply thoughtful; other times it’s something totally unexpected that makes us all laugh.
Gratitude doesn’t remove our struggles, but it does remind us that they are not the whole story. When we intentionally stop to notice God’s goodness, our eyes are lifted from our problems to his faithfulness. And I’ve found that there is always something to be thankful for.
LIsten to Hannah Woolley on Premier Plus here.
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