Gratitude in the In-Between

I sat in silence, unsure how to respond—unsure, even, if I should speak at all.

Lately, I’ve been caught in the rhythm of routine: work, homework, dinner, repeat. You know the pattern. Life hasn’t been particularly dramatic or eventful—it’s just been moving along, quietly and consistently. So when I was asked at a women’s ministry meeting what praises I had to offer God, I found myself frozen, listening to others speak while mentally flipping through my own life, trying to pinpoint something “praiseworthy.”

The issue, I remembered later, wasn’t that God hadn’t moved in my life—it was that I was only looking for the big moments. In that moment, I felt praise needed to be attached to something grand: a breakthrough, a healing, a miracle. But nothing like that had happened recently. Life, frankly, had felt ordinary and rushed.

The next day, that silence started to weigh on me. And then I was reminded: the ordinary is something to praise Him for, too.

• Praise God for the quiet days free of crisis.

• Praise God for the health of my family and the absence of overwhelming stress.

• Praise God for time shared with my adult children, home from college and work, as they sort out their futures—and for the unexpected gift of that extra time with them.

• Praise God for the food on our table, for the roof over our heads, for a loving and faithful husband who returns home each evening. 

• Praise God for so many small, seemingly insignificant, moments to glorify Him!

What I had forgotten that night—and many nights before—is to praise Him in everything, not just the mountaintop moments.

Psalm 34:1 reminds us: "I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth."

So here’s my gentle challenge to you: Don’t forget, as I did, what God has done—even in the quiet seasons. Praise Him for the seen and the unseen, the big and the small. I also encourage you to take a moment to read Martha’s post on thankfulness (linked here)—it’s a beautiful reminder to stay rooted in gratitude.

And remember what Scripture says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18: 

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

-Angie Waldron