I was complaining to someone about something in my life (the details are vague on purpose). Their response caught me off guard. They said, “I wish I had that to be unhappy about.” Their words hung in the air and fell on my shoulders with a heavy weight. I paused for a moment, and my issue suddenly flipped into a reason to be thankful.

I had never thought about my life from someone else’s perspective, especially that person. Some people would be happy to have some of the struggles in my life. They would love to have a spouse or a house or a job or one of the numerous things that I take for granted.

My challenge lately is to be thankful for the things that I complain about to other people. How would your perspective change if you saw every negative situation as the result of a blessing in your life? Perhaps we would develop an attitude of gratitude and complain less.

Some people would love to have your problems. Take a look around and listen carefully to your conversations this week, and notice all the blessings you might be taking for granted.