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Awesome Marriage Podcast

When Gratitude is Hard Ep. 705

Awesome Marriage Podcast

Dr. Kim Kimberling

Society & Culture, Religion & Spirituality, Relationships, Christianity

4.9 • 802 Ratings

🗓️ 25 November 2025

⏱️ 12 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Gratitude can feel effortless when life and marriage are smooth—but what about when it's hard? In this episode, we explore how to practice honest gratitude even in seasons of struggle, disappointment, or unmet expectations. From grief and loss to conflict and emotional distance in marriage, we discuss ways couples can rebuild appreciation for each other, lean on God in difficult times, and use gratitude as a tool for hope, healing, and unity. Be encouraged to find thankfulness rooted in faith, not just feelings, even when your heart is hurting.



Main Takeaways:

Gratitude is challenging in seasons of struggle.

 

Honest gratitude is rooted in faith, not feelings.

 

Gratitude strengthens marriage and protects against division.

 

Spiritual rhythms help cultivate thankfulness.



Quotes from this Episode:

Choosing gratitude when you don't feel it isn't fake—it's faith in action. Sometimes, obedience comes before emotion.

 

When disappointment builds, we keep a mental ledger of failures and let resentment choke out gratitude. 

 

Shifting your focus from what's wrong to what remains right isn't denial; it's a courageous act of faith, especially when you're hurting.

 

Gratitude flourishes when you intentionally move from deficit thinking to abundance thinking.

 

Don't compare your spouse to others—celebrate who they are and who they have become.

 

Feelings follow actions. Don't wait to feel grateful—do the grateful thing, and let your heart catch up.

 

Lament is honest, gratitude is hopeful. We need both, because lament without gratitude turns to bitterness, and gratitude without lament turns to denial.

 

Radical gratitude trusts in God's character, not in our circumstances.




Couples Conversation Guide:

"When life or our marriage feels hard, what makes it difficult for you to feel thankful? How can we support each other in those times?"

 

"How can we remind each other to choose gratitude rooted in faith, even when our emotions don't match our circumstances?"

 

"Are there ways we've lost sight of what we appreciate about each other? What's one thing we can start noticing and thanking each other for this week?"

 

"What daily or weekly habits—like prayer, Scripture, or reflection—could help us keep gratitude alive, even when things are tough?"



Mentioned in this Episode:

Mentioned in this Episode:

 

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Your gratitude can feel easy when life and marriage are going smoothly.

0:05.0

But what about when it's not?

0:06.5

What do we do when thankfulness doesn't seem possible?

0:10.0

From unmade expectations in marriage to grief, loss or disappointment, outside the relationship,

0:17.0

today let's look at how to practice honest gratitude, distributed in faith, not feelings,

0:23.6

and find hope, healing, and unity even when your heart is hurting.

0:29.6

Do you ever feel like you're missing the mark with your wife?

0:31.6

You're not alone.

0:32.6

We ask over 600 wives what they really want their husbands to understand.

0:36.6

The results, 10 powerful insights

0:39.4

and 10 simple actions to help you love her better. Stop guessing, start connecting. Join the 10-day

0:45.7

challenge today. Find the link in our show notes. Well, welcome today's awesome marriage podcast

0:50.1

as we dig into your questions on when gratitude is hard.

0:54.8

First question, why do you think gratitude feels especially difficult in seasons of struggle

0:59.9

or disappointment in marriage or in life? Great question. Thanks for sending it in.

1:05.7

Well, because gratitude requires us to shift our focus from what's wrong to what remains right and that

1:13.1

feels like denial when that when we're hurting our brains naturally fixate on

1:18.4

problems it's a survival mechanism in marriage when you're disappointed or

1:23.6

struggling gratitude can feel like you're minimizing real pain. We think, how can it be thankful

1:31.0

when my spouse hurt me? Or how can I praise God when my circumstances are falling apart? Gratitude

1:39.0

challenges our self-protection instincts. All right, question number two. What are some misconceptions Christians might have about gratitude,

1:46.5

especially when it feels forced or fake?

...

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