How would you describe your attitude to life? Attitudes matter because they shape our thoughts, feelings, and behaviour. Life is not always easy, and we may be tempted to develop a negative or jaded attitude towards it. But the Bible teaches a different perspective to that of disillusionment, discouragement, or resigned acceptance. For example, in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 there is an injunction to: “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” However challenging our life may have been, or may currently be, God calls us to approach it with an attitude of thanksgiving. What does this look like in practice? It means giving thanks as we wake and rise each morning; it means giving thanks as the day’s events unfold; it means giving thanks as we lie down to sleep; and finally, it means an altogether happier life! Notice that we are not asked to give thanks for everything. This is important because not everything that happens on earth is good or worthy of thanks. The works of sin and death surround us, works that God opposes, for they are authored by Satan, whom we are called to oppose and certainly not to thank. But when in trouble and in trial, we thank God for His grace, for He leads us in victory today, tomorrow, and always.