Reflect
Difficult experiences are the hardest things for which to be thankful. But sometimes, years later, we may see how a gift was hidden there. What did we learn from the trouble? Who helped? How did we grow? In these questions may lie the seeds of blessing unrecognized at the time it happened.
Pray
Jesus who suffered,
teach us
to find meaning
in even the worst times.
Turn this apparent calamity
into a stepping stone
to you.
Amen.
Act
Look back on a negative experience (illness, divorce, job loss). Consider in retrospect, what blessing lurked there? If it’s too soon, or the pain is too raw, don’t force it. That grace may not come until the next life.