Finding Grace in the Negative Space

When I was a child, my grandfather hosted an Easter egg hunt every year. But it wasn’t for the grandkids. It was for his daughters—my mother and aunts. He hid four plastic eggs in the backyard, each filled with money. We didn’t know how much was inside, but judging by their faces when they opened them, it was significant.

Gratitude often begins with a treasure hunt. Some circumstances are so full of pain that we can’t immediately see God’s goodness—but it’s there. His blessings are hidden beneath the thorny bushes of sorrow and behind the concrete birdbaths of difficulty. We may get scratched reaching for them, but the joy we find when we do makes it worth it.

Looking for Treasure in Hard Places

Paul reminds us that “for those who love God all things work together for good” (Rom. 8:28). Notice that—all things. God weaves every thread of our story, both bright and dark, into His purpose. This means that even the most difficult moments of life are not wasted.

That’s why Scripture tells us, “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving” (Col. 4:2). Gratitude requires alertness. It’s the discipline of noticing grace where others only see grief. It’s learning to look for treasure in the negative space.

Artists know that negative space—the area around and between the subject—is what gives depth and definition to the picture. The same is true for life. God often uses what surrounds our pain to reveal His beauty and goodness. When we only stare at the subject of our suffering, we miss the divine artistry in the space around it.

Gratitude doesn’t deny the darkness; it discovers light within it.

God is the master artist. He paints our lives with both light and shadow. The shadows don’t destroy the beauty; they highlight it. In suffering, He invites us to look beyond what hurts and see what helps: the grace that holds us steady.

When Gratitude Feels Impossible

The Thessalonian believers knew what it meant to live in pain. They were young in their faith, yet constantly harassed by hostile mobs. Paul’s words, “give thanks in all circumstances,” weren’t written to people in comfort, but to people under fire (1 Thess. 5:18).

Paul wanted them to see what God was doing in the negative space of persecution. Even in hostility, grace was present. Gratitude was possible.

A small-town pastor once illustrated this beautifully. He had a reputation of giving God thanks before his sermon each Sunday. After a devastating storm had destroyed homes, flooded streets, and left the church without power, the congregation wondered what he would say during Sunday prayer. He simply began, “Lord, I thank You that it’s not always like this.”

That’s the power of seeing grace in the negative space.

Matthew Henry modeled it, too. After being robbed, he wrote in his journal:

“Let me be thankful, first, because I was never robbed before; second, because although they took my purse, they did not take my life; third, because although they took my all, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed.”

Such a perspective doesn’t come naturally. It comes from grace.

Seeing Grace Everywhere

Like the one healed leper who turned back to thank Jesus (Lk. 17:11-19), we too are called to see grace in every space—to look past the pain and find the Giver’s hand. Gratitude doesn’t deny the darkness; it discovers light within it.

When circumstances cloud your vision, ask God for new eyes. Pray that He’ll help you see the treasures He’s hidden in the shadows—the blessings tucked between your trials. Then, fall at His feet in thanksgiving.

Because even in the negative space, grace is always there.

This article was adapted from the book Grateful Again by Jacob Abshire.