Thank You, Anyway

Claire Black: Welcome to True Girl, a podcast for girls and their moms. I’m Claire Black! Together, we’ll explore God’s truth for us, one drive at a time. Buckle up! You’re about to grow closer to each other and closer to Jesus.

Welcome back to Season 21 of the True Girl podcast—”Gates of Gratitude.” Dannah Gresh and Staci Rudolph are unpacking Psalm 100 to help us discover how gratitude changes everything.

So far, we’ve learned that gratitude begins with a joyful noise. But here’s a question—what about when life doesn’t go the way we planned? What if gratitude feels a little forced or maybe even impossible?

Here’s the truth: gratitude isn’t just for the good days. In fact, it’s most powerful on the hard ones. Think of gratitude like a compass. A compass always points north, even when you’re lost, even when the trail twists and turns. Gratitude is the same—it always points us back to God, even when life spins us around.

Today, Dannah and Staci are curled up in the living room at the Gresh farm, listening to rain tap against the windows. It’s not the hike they had planned, but maybe it’s exactly the lesson God wanted them to learn.

[Fireplace crackling, raindrops on the roof, faint wind outside, mugs clinking]

Staci Rudolph: Mmm, this is perfect. A warm fire, cozy chairs, and a hot cup of Earl Grey. Much better than getting caught out in the rain like when we were in Colombia! Remember that?

Dannah Gresh: I do. And you’re right. I’ll take this over being drenched any day. I was wringing out my socks for hours after that storm!

Staci: You’re telling me! At one point I thought my sneakers were going to sprout mushrooms.

Dannah: I wouldn’t put it past them! You know, it is starting to feel like every time you visit, you bring dramatic weather.

Staci: Oh, so I’m the problem? [mock gasp] You’re saying I’m the raincloud that follows you around?

Dannah: Not exactly. But if the farm animals start lining up two by two, I’m going to know who to blame.

Staci: Well, at least I’d get a front row seat to the barnyard ark parade! Although, I’ve got to admit, I’m a little bummed. We were supposed to hike up Mt. Nittany today. I was so excited to see that view!

Dannah: Me too. But you know what? This is actually a great chance to practice gratitude. Plans change, weather disappoints,but being grateful is still important.

Staci: Exactly. Psalm 100:2 says: “Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs.” It doesn’t say, “Give thanks only when everything’s going your way.”

Dannah: That’s right. Gratitude is like the gate into God’s presence. It opens our hearts to see He’s near—especially when things don’t turn out like we hoped. Remember our definition of gratitude? Choosing to recognize God’s goodness and to respond with joy.

Staci: That’s true. Today, there will need to be a lot more intention behind our “choice” than there was last night when things went according to plan. 

Dannah: And there’s a person in the Bible that shows this so clearly.

Staci: Habakkuk, right?

Dannah: Exactly. 

Staci: I knew you were going to say that. I know you love that guy.

Dannah: I really do.

Habakkuk was a prophet who looked around and saw his nation falling apart. He saw so much bad stuff. Violence and destruction. Things were not going the way he wanted. And yet, at the end of his book, he says something incredible. Staci, would you read Habakkuk 3:17–18?

Staci: Sure! Okay here it is. 

Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty—yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!

Dannah: Wow. Isn’t that powerful? Let’s look at this line by line.

Staci: Okay—first line: “Even though the fig trees have no blossoms . . .”

Dannah: Back then, fig trees and grapes were a big part of their food supply. No figs meant no snacks, no sweet treats. No grapes meant no juice, no wine. Basically, it meant hunger.

Staci: So like, their grocery store shelves were empty?

Dannah: Exactly! Their version of “no Chick-fil-A and no school lunches.”

Staci: Oh man, I’d be cranky.

Dannah: And then it gets worse: “even though the flocks die in the fields and the cattle barns are empty . . .” Sheep and cows meant meat, milk, wool, and even money. Without them, you’d lose your livelihood.

Staci: That’s like, no job for your parents, no allowance, no soccer practice, no Wi-Fi— everything gone.

Dannah: Yes. Things were looking pretty bleak for Habakkuk and his people. A lot worse than a rained out hike, I might add! 

Staci: Very true. It makes me feel a little silly for my disappointment. 

Dannah: Well, luckily there’s no competition when it comes to things not turning out the way we’d like them to, and we can learn from his response! Habakkuk lists all those problems before making this bold choice: “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation.”

Staci: That’s wild. He’s literally saying, “Even though everything is falling apart, I’m still thankful.” 

Dannah: He’s choosing to remember all of the ways he’s seen God’s faithfulness in the past. Things were bleak for Habakkuk and his people. God was using the nation of Babylon to punish His people, who were not doing such a good job of obeying God at the time.

But, if those things didn’t happen, we would have missed out on some truly incredible displays of God’s power and provision to His people. 

Staci: Oh right! Like the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego surviving the fiery furnace!

Dannah: Yup. And Daniel and the lion’s den. Both stories and many more took place in the time that Babylon was holding the Israelites captive.

Staci: Wow! So even though things looked bleak, God still had a plan and would still provide for and protect His people. 

Dannah: Exactly! And Habbakuk knew God had a plan. He knew that in the midst of some crazy circumstances, God was still good and He would continue to be good.

Habbakuk’s choice to be grateful was an incredible act of faith. It was an act of turning his gaze off of his circumstances and to look toward something eternally good. 

That’s really the heart of gratitude—it’s not ignoring the pain, but choosing to focus on God’s goodness anyway.

Staci: Wow! And he probably didn’t even get to see a lot of those miracles either. Now that is a man with some seriously unbreakable faith! 

Dannah: That’s true but he probably had a lot of practice in being grateful! Sometimes, when we are looking for it, you can see God at work in the not-so-great circumstances in our lives. And that practice not only makes us more likely to see the blessings in the storms but it also builds up our faith, so maybe one day we will be like Habakkuk.

Staci: That reminds me of when I first moved to Colorado and my car was stolen! I was like “God, I thought You called me here and now You let my car be taken?! I know it’s just a car but how am I even supposed to get to the church You’ve called me to serve?!” I mean I was really shaken by this. But you know what happened?

Dannah: What?

Staci: I ended up being blessed with a new, bigger car that is just perfect for me and Frankie. The car I had before was cool when Frankie was a little puppy but it wouldn’t have been able to fit my girl at the size she is now. And it’s way better for exploring the Rocky Mountains! It was a blessing in disguise!

Dannah: Ah Staci, that’s it. You just did it! That’s practicing gratitude. I mean, I know it was scary when you lost your car. I remember that when it happened. But you kept having gratitude and God gave you this car and you understood why! 

Now, that might not be the biggest problem you’ll ever face, but because you’re grateful for how God worked in it, you’re going to be prepared to be grateful in even harder things. 

Staci: Yeah, and even when I had my time of being disappointed and upset, I had to remind myself to trust God and thank Him for all He was still doing in my life. I was able to look past my disappointment and see the blessing. I was able to see how God encouraged me even in the middle of a hard situation. 

Dannah: See that? You were flexing your “gratitude muscle” and it helped give you eyes for how God was working in your life! 

Gratitude doesn’t make those hard days, like when your car was stolen,disappear, but when you’re looking for ways to be thankful, it has a way of opening our eyes to see God’s goodness more clearly.

Staci: That’s very true. But I will admit, it took a lot of work for me to pull my focus off of my disappointment long enough to look around and see how God was working! 

Dannah: And that’s exactly why we need to practice. We aren’t naturally inclined to it, and so we have to teach ourselves how to be grateful. The more we practice, the easier it gets. But before you know it, Staci, it’s going to be as natural and easy for you as it was for Habakkuk. 

Staci: Phew, that’s an awfully tall order to live up to! 

Dannah: It sure is! Which is why we’re going to take it one step at a time. 

Staci: Here’s an idea: how about this week, the next time something doesn’t go the way we planned—if we’re frustrated, disappointed, or hurt—we try praying one simple prayer of gratitude?

Dannah: Perfect! We can pray one sentence that starts with: “God, thank You even though . . . ”

Staci: Oh, I like that. Let’s practice.

Dannah: Alright. I’ll start. “God, thank You even though our hike got rained out today.”

Staci: Or, “God, thank You even though my shoes are soggy and are gonna take forever to dry out from all this rain.”

Dannah: That’s a good one. Here’s another one: “God, thank You even though my plans didn’t turn out like I wanted.”

Staci: “God, thank You even though I didn’t get invited to that sleepover.”

Dannah: Yes. Or, “God, thank You even though I feel left out.”

Staci: It’s not easy. But I can see how it changes your focus. Instead of spiraling about the problem, it points your eyes back to Jesus.

Dannah: Exactly. That little sentence opens the gate to God’s presence. And opens up your eyes to something more eternal in the midst of a temporary disappointment

Let’s pray together . . . for real!

Lord Jesus, thank You so much, life doesn’t always go how we planned. I can imagine some of my True Girl friends are listening with really deep disappointments on their hearts right now. Will You teach her to see Your goodness in the middle of disappointments? Help her to practice gratitude anyway just like Habakkuk, and to trust that above all, You are good. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Staci: Amen! You know what Dannah? I think I’m grateful we stayed inside! It’s so cozy and warm AND the company has been fabulous! 

[Dog nails skittering on the floor, water shaking off fur]

Oh no—where did Moose come from?!

Dannah: Moose knows how to let himself back in the house. Farmer Bob must have let him out . . . and he’s soaked! 

[Another shake, water spraying]

Staci: Ew! Moose, no! Not over here! He’s shaking soggy dog water all in my tea! 

Dannah: Guess he wanted to warm up by the fire.

Staci: Ick! I think between last night and today, I deserve an “I survived the Gresh Farm” sticker! 

Dannah: Don’t worry. I’ll get you a survival kit for your next visit: umbrella, rain boots, earplugs for Cassie and Napoleon, and a giant dog towel.

Staci: Perfect. But hey—you know what? I’m thankful anyway.

Claire: True Girl, gratitude is a gate into God’s presence—even when life doesn’t go as planned. Don’t forget your challenge: when something goes wrong this week, pause and pray one sentence that begins with, “God, thank You anyway.”

Today’s verse was Psalm 100 verse 2: “Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.”

Speaking of worshiping God, we want to help you do that by sending you the Gratitude Box! When you subscribe, you’ll get a box full of activities, devos, and other things to help you express your gladness to God! Oh, and this one includes our most beloved plush in the history of True Girl—Stanley the Acorn. This week is your last chance to get the Gratitude Box when you subscribe. Go to MyTrueGirl.com to learn more!

And, come back for episode 3, when Dannah and Staci meet you in the pasture and talk about how gratitude grows when we remember we’re God’s sheep, the people of His pasture.

The True Girl Podcast is produced by Revive Our Hearts, calling women of all ages to freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ.

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