Gratitude Leads to Trust

Posted on June 23, 2025 by

33 Comments

I often spend an unhealthy amount of time thinking about the future. It’s not that I am planning for goals or future events. Rather, I fret about how life will unfold, or I wish for certain hurdles to be behind me, or I worry about what may come. I can easily obsess over the “if only” and “what if” scenarios.

The Bible tells us to take every thought captive (2 Corinthians 10:5). I have found this can pertain to so many different thought patterns we have, such as worry, negativity, fear, and criticism.

This verse can also pertain to thoughts about obsessing over the future or the past. We should take those thoughts captive. When we constantly wish for better days in the future, or continually hold onto bitterness and regret over the past, we are stealing precious time and energy from the present moment.

When I have found my mind going in this direction, I try to remind myself of the words found in Philippians 4:8. The Amplified Bible says:

“Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart].”

Take a moment to pause and consider – What is something unhealthy that you tend to fret about? Are there certain worries that are often on your mind? Or do your thoughts drift to negativity and complaining?

Next ask yourself:

  • Are these thoughts true?
  • Are these thoughts honorable?
  • Are these thoughts worthy of respect?
  • Are these thoughts right?
  • Are these thoughts confirmed by God’s word?
  • Are these thoughts pure?
  • Are these thoughts wholesome?
  • Are these thoughts lovely?
  • Do these thoughts bring peace?
  • Are these thoughts admirable?
  • Are these thoughts of good repute?
  • Do these thoughts have a quality of excellence?
  • Do these thoughts bring praise?

Wow. That is quite the litmus test.

When I am wasting my thoughts on worries about the future, I can’t even get past the first question on this list. Are these thoughts true? Nope. The things I worry about didn’t actually happen, and I have no way of knowing if they will happen. Only God knows the future.

My one word for this year is trust. The goal is to learn to trust God more. And I know that worrying about the future is the opposite of trust.

It recently dawned on me how gratitude plays a key role in all of this. Gratitude is one way we can take every thought captive. We can answer “Yes” to all the questions above when we focus on gratitude. Gratitude helps us to live in the present moment. Gratitude helps us to focus on truth. Gratitude helps us to stop the spiraling thought patterns. Gratitude highlights the ways God shows up in our lives.

And gratitude leads us to trust. We trust because we remember the ways God has been there for us in the past. We trust because we are living in the present, acknowledging the blessings that come our way, rather than focusing on the problems.

I know choosing gratitude isn’t always easy. Especially when facing difficulties and worries. Yet we still have a choice. We can choose negative energy, as we fret and worry over things we can’t control. Or we can choose to cast our cares on Jesus (1 Peter 5:7) with gratitude that He is working on our behalf. I hope we will choose the latter.

Sunrise on May 7, 2025. Sharing for my dad, because he always enjoyed the skyline photos on my posts. 🤍

© 2018-2025 Bridget A. Thomas. All rights reserved.

Category: Seeking God

33 Comments on “Gratitude Leads to Trust”

  2. It is possible that everyone spends an unhealthy amount of time stressing over life’s problems. Like you, Bridget, I choose to cast my cares on the Lord. Thank you for reminding me that I have a choice.

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  3. Just today, I thought, “I hope Bridget posts again soon. I miss her words of encouragement.”
    Sister, your words are helpful and hopeful, because they come from your living out faith in real life. Gratitude is a great place to start; as you say, “Every day is a gift.”🎁

    Your dad is enjoying sunshine and the “Son” shine in heaven!

    🙏praying on for you as you move forward, processing grief and keeping the faith. ❤️‍🩹

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    • Aw, thank you for your kind words. The Lord heard your thoughts and sent me a nudge. 😁
      Very true – Every day is a gift from God. I hope to remember that each day. Even when we are facing hardships, we still have the gift of His Presence to see us through. 🙌
      Thank you for the words about my dad. Although we miss our loved ones who have gone on to heaven, I can’t even image what joy they have now. ♥️
      Thank you, David. Your prayers and friendship are priceless. God bless you 🙏🏻

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  4. My mind spins the same way. Easy to worry, but we have a great gift in Jesus. 🙌🏻 These questions stemming from scripture is very helpful and really puts our cares into perspective, showing how insignificant they are in the big picture. Thank you!! 🤗❤️

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    • You are so right – we do have a precious gift in Jesus. I’m glad we can always turn to Him with our worries. We have to learn to let go of what we can’t control and allow Him to handle it for us. And I agree. The list of questions really does put things in perspective. Thank you, Summer! ♥️

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  5. Wonderful post to read on this morning in June…or anytime!!! You have highlighted such important truths that God wants us to live by…trusting in His plan for lives, and expressing our gratitude for all that He has done for us. Worry does drain our energy and one worry seems to lead to another. It is a bad spiral that causes us so much grief. When our focus rests on all that is good in our lives and on the present moment, we find more goodness. We appreciate all the little things, and that makes such a profound difference. Thank you for this inspiring post! It is appreciated!

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    • Such a great point, Linda. When we choose to look for the good and stay in the present moment, this does help us to see more goodness around us. We have to make the right choice, and we will see change. Thank you so much for your kind words and inspiring comment.

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  6. Love your post. A much needed reminder for me as I tend to stress too much. Take every thought captive, think about what is good, noble pure… and choose gratitude. I really like it.
    Blessings to you my dear friend. Your words are such an encouragement to me today.

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    • I’m really glad that this was encouraging. To be honest, sometimes I feel that the way the Lord reveals things to me doesn’t always make as much sense when I write it down. 😁 I am so thankful for Jesus and that we can turn to Him with all of our worries. And when me focus on Him He brings us peace. Blessings to you too, my dear friend. ♥️

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  7. Awesome post, Bridget! I love your focus on gratitude and choosing to be thankful. We have to take wrong thoughts captive. I am asking God to help me to speak words that align with His Word because His Words bring the changes and the healing we need. Thank you!

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    • Such a great point about choosing words that align with His Word. Declaring and praying verses from the Bible is so powerful. I have even seen recently how they can make an impact on other people when praying biblical truths over them. Thank you for your words of encouragement, Dawn. And I’m really glad you enjoyed the post. I hope you have a great rest of your week.

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  8. oh this is great! I suffer from “domino thinking” as I call it, where my brain tends to rush ahead and make up too many scenarios unnecessarily – I like the idea of slowing it down and asking it a question before it leaps to conclusions. Thanks, Linda 🙂

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  9. Glad to read a post from you again. The questions you pose are helpful. I’m currently working through stress myself. Thanks for sharing your perspective with us. Welcome back!

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  10. Trusting God is something we grow into each step of the way. New challenges bring new opportunities to learn about God and trusting him but it is not so easy nor part of our nature except our new nature in Christ.

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  11. Gratitude to God does indeed increase our trust in him, as wells as create positivity and shalom in place of negativity and unease. Thank you for the reminder, Bridget, to put this gift to good use–frequently throughout the day!

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  12. My fav verse! Let us be thankful in all and turn our thoughts to whatever is lovely, honorable, pure and the list goes on. Honestly there is a true battlefield in the mind that only thoughts of CHRIST can win!! Thank you for this post. I could so relate!

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  13. Pingback: Week Twenty-Eight Gratitude | The Project: Me by Judy

  14. So relatable, Bridget. I often catch myself spiraling into “what if” thinking too. Gratitude truly helps ground the mind and shift the focus back to God’s truth. Trusting Him with the unknown is a daily choice and your words are a powerful reminder of that.

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© 2018-2025 Bridget A. Thomas. All rights reserved.