Faith & Communion 5 min read

Finding Thankfulness Despite Celiac

Gratitude feels complicated when you've lost so much. Here's how to cultivate it authentically.

By Taylor Clark |

Gratitude is central to Christian life. We’re called to give thanks in all circumstances.

But when you’ve lost the ability to eat freely, when every meal requires vigilance, when social eating is complicated, gratitude can feel forced.

Here’s how to find authentic thankfulness with celiac disease.

What Gratitude Isn’t

Not Toxic Positivity

Gratitude isn’t:

  • Pretending celiac is a gift
  • Forcing yourself to “be thankful for the trial”
  • Denying real grief and frustration
  • Performing happiness you don’t feel

Fake gratitude helps no one.

Not Comparison

Gratitude isn’t:

  • “At least I don’t have cancer”
  • “Others have it worse”
  • Minimizing your own struggles

Your struggle is real. Comparing doesn’t help.

Not a Feeling

Gratitude isn’t:

  • Always feeling grateful
  • Constant positive emotion
  • Absence of frustration

Gratitude is a choice, not a feeling. You can be frustrated and grateful simultaneously.

What Gratitude Can Be

Noticing What Remains

Even with celiac, you have:

  • Food you can eat
  • A body that heals
  • People who care
  • A diagnosis (many suffer undiagnosed)
  • Access to GF food (historical luxury)
  • A manageable condition (with diet alone)

Gratitude notices these realities.

Appreciating Small Things

The GF meal that’s actually delicious. The restaurant that gets it right. The friend who remembers. The day without symptoms.

Small gratitudes add up.

Recognizing Grace

Grace shows up in:

  • The doctor who diagnosed you
  • The GF products that exist now
  • The people who accommodate you
  • The body knowledge you’ve gained
  • The resilience you’ve developed

Can you see grace in your celiac story?

Gratitude Practices

Daily Thanksgiving

Each day, identify:

  • One thing you’re grateful for about your body
  • One thing you’re grateful for about food
  • One thing you’re grateful for about your circumstances

Specific beats vague. “I’m grateful this bread didn’t taste terrible” beats “I’m grateful.”

Mealtime Grace

Before eating:

  • Thank God for the food
  • Thank those who prepared it
  • Thank your body for healing

Let the prayer be authentic, not perfunctory.

Gratitude Journal

Write regularly:

  • What you’re thankful for
  • Good moments in celiac life
  • Grace you’ve received

Looking back, you’ll see a record of goodness alongside the hard parts.

Examen

The Ignatian examen asks: “Where did I encounter God today?”

In celiac life, where was God today?

  • In the safe meal
  • In the kind friend
  • In the symptom-free day
  • In the strength to keep going

Both/And

Authentic gratitude holds tension:

  • I hate having celiac AND I’m grateful for what I’ve learned
  • I wish I could eat normally AND I appreciate good GF food
  • This is hard AND grace is present
  • I’m frustrated AND I’m blessed

Both/and isn’t contradiction. It’s complexity.

What You Can Be Grateful For

  • A treatable condition (diet alone)
  • A body that heals
  • Energy returning
  • Symptoms managed
  • Years of life ahead
  • GF products that exist
  • Restaurants that accommodate
  • Skills you’ve developed
  • Foods you can still enjoy
  • Clean, safe eating
  • Friends who understand
  • Family who supports
  • Community with other celiacs
  • Medical providers who help
  • Spouse who accommodates
  • Resilience you’ve built
  • Empathy you’ve gained
  • Self-advocacy skills
  • Body awareness
  • Intentionality about food

Grateful for Celiac Itself?

This is a hard question.

Some Say Yes

Some celiacs are genuinely grateful for the disease:

  • It forced healthier eating
  • It built character
  • It connected them with community
  • It taught them something valuable

If this is authentically you, embrace it.

Some Say No

Others can’t honestly say they’re grateful for celiac:

  • They would trade it away instantly
  • The “lessons” weren’t worth the cost
  • It’s a burden, full stop

This is also valid. You don’t have to be grateful for suffering itself.

The Middle Ground

Maybe the most authentic position:

  • Not grateful for celiac itself
  • Grateful for how you’ve grown through it
  • Grateful for the life you have despite it
  • Not glad it happened, but finding good within it

A Prayer of Gratitude

Lord, teach me to give thanks.

Not false thanks. Not forced thanks. But real thanks for real gifts.

Thank You for this body, even when it’s difficult. Thank You for food I can eat. Thank You for people who help me.

Help me see grace in the hard places. Help me find You here.

And when gratitude feels impossible, help me trust that You are still good.

Amen.

The Gift of Gratitude

Gratitude isn’t denial. It’s vision. It sees the whole picture, the loss and the grace, the grief and the gift.

You can be honest about what celiac takes. You can also notice what remains and what’s given.

Both are true. Hold both.

That’s authentic gratitude.

gratitude thankfulness spirituality