Thankfulness Along With Troubles

I had never thought about the connection between getting rid of our anxiety (worries) and being thankful. I am a big believer in using a gratitude journal everyday but it is quite a challenge to thank God for my troubles. I did a brief talk at a women's retreat on the topic of gratitude and did lots of research. I found that even Mayo Clinic and other medical sites have articles on the benefits of being grateful. However, at the retreat, we didn't get into the topic of being grateful for EVERYTHING - even the bad stuff that happens to us!

I recently heard a sermon on today's scripture from Philippians; the way the pastor expressed it was to thank God in all circumstances - for His Presence and Comfort. He added that it is often very challenging at the time of our trials to say "Thank you God, for this horrible disease" or "...this catastrophe in my life," etc. 

Do you give thanks for ALL things? I pray that you will share with me and others how you have responded to this scripture passage.