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Why I Cried Over a Banana: The Secret to True Gratitude

I stood in the middle of the kitchen, slowly peeling the skin back and taking in the splendor of God's wonderful creation. Before that moment, it had never occurred to me to stop and offer such deep, meaningful gratitude for a simple piece of fruit. For most of us, we give our thanks quickly—we're hungry and we can't wait to eat!

Why was I so thankful now, more than ever before? What makes a person show such deep gratitude for something others see as insignificant?

The answer is hardship.

I had experienced difficulty during my childhood years, but I had never faced this level of lack until that moment, living in Ghana. After or during hardship, we are placed in a humble position. While we may not have lacked humility before, struggling has a way of bringing it out in full force.

Being without food was something I didn't foresee when planning my move to Ghana. I saw a great opportunity to save money, believing the currency exchange would cause my dollar to go a long way. While true, the money depleted faster because I lacked the discipline and wisdom of a good steward to manage it. (That is another story for another time.)

Here I was, with plenty of days when my refrigerator went empty. And this was the moment where I became extremely grateful for the bananas we were able to buy because God sent a little birdie to bless us. I began to pray in that moment as tears rolled down my face, “God, if I ever took advantage of bananas, I am sorry, please forgive me!” As I peeled back the banana, I danced in the middle of that floor, the happiest woman alive in that moment.

Have you ever noticed how beautiful the two shades of yellow are? I mean, when a banana is transitioning from the beginning stages of ripening to fully ripe, the shell is such a pretty color. After peeling back the banana, I just looked at it with admiration. Such a beautiful pale yellow the fruit was, I thought.

Usually, I just eat it quickly. But this time, as I took a bite, I closed my eyes, making sure to enjoy the moment—to actually taste the banana. It was delicious. In fact, it was so delicious, I still don't have the words to describe the taste (probably banana, haha, but to me, better than an ice cream sundae), but it was the best thing I had had in a long time.

The tears I shed were tears of gratitude, happiness, and profound relief. If you have ever gone hungry, you understand this measure of thanksgiving. Dr. Mike Murdock has a saying: “Gratitude is the seed for more.” I believe this is absolutely true: what you are thankful for expands.

When we have an attitude of gratitude, we show appreciation for even what we deem as “a small little thing.” We say things like, "Little blessings, just a little something, it’s not much, but…" We speak as if we are ashamed of how small the blessing is. And sometimes we don't even believe small things are worth sharing or testifying about.

But my hardship showed me that it doesn't matter how small a thing it may be, it is such a BIG BLESSING in the eyes of another. Some people only have bananas to eat for the day. Some can't even afford bananas. So no matter what you have to eat today, be grateful.

Show God that you are thankful and can manage even what you see as small. I may not have had the privilege of indulging in the foods I wanted to eat in that season, but thank God that I was able to eat.

And what God taught me in the hardship was truly shocking. I was complaining one day about a food I didn't want to eat because I didn't enjoy it. He asked me a question: “Are you eating to enjoy right now, or are you eating because you need to survive?” Man, did that shake me up. I shoved that food right into my mouth.

It is not often that we will need to over-indulge or get what we want all the time. We need humbling experiences to shape us into kind, God-fearing human beings. They teach us to be thankful. They give us discipline that we normally would not have had before the hardship.

I welcome the character development before the “MORE THAN ENOUGH” comes. Then I will know that I am truly successful, with CHARACTER.

So, my butterflies. You may not like the season that you are in—no one does. But take joy in your sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Romans 5:3-5).

This season won't be this way forever, but learn all that you can while you are there, and find opportunities to be grateful instead of complaining. That intentionality is what will strengthen you.

-Her Victorious

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