Have you ever been running late for an appointment only to find yourself even more late because of traffic? Did you thank God for that moment? Most people don’t. We usually consider it a nuisance and instead start trying to find a way to make the day go smoother. Consider this, though. Perhaps your alarm didn’t go off or you couldn’t figure out what to wear because God was protecting you. Perhaps what’s backing up all that traffic is a horrible accident that you could have been in had you been on time.

Here’s another situation that happened to me. I was diagnosed with kidney failure in 2011. My life has been a whirlwind since then, but I thank God for that diagnosis. Why? Because of the things I’ve been able to do since. God let me know right away that my diagnosis is not a punishment, it’s a tool to help others. To be honest, I have no idea who I’ve helped personally, but I know that I’ve been effective. I’ve spoken at events, helped design resources to educate fellow patients, been nominated for a prestigious award, and even managed to get my congressman to join the National Kidney Caucus. Why did I do all of that? Because it was my way of thanking and praising God for this situation that many people feel is a death sentence (it’s not!).

Praise comes in so many forms. It’s a well-known fact that not everyone can sing or dance, but God gives us many other talents that we can use to show praise. For instance, in Psalm 30, David writes about his praise and thanksgiving. Of course, he talks about singing and dancing, also, but had he not decided to write about it, we wouldn’t know about it. Praise is an expression of our love and thankfulness to God for his love and mercy. We may not know what our legacy will be after we’re gone, but we do know that at the very least, we should live in a way that will encourage others to also live with continuous thanksgiving and praise.

I’d like to take this time to thank all of you who have reached out with your stories and prayer requests. It’s really encouraging to know that you’re enjoying this little Bible study guide that I created. As a little token, I’m including a few digital stickers that I had fun making. If you have any suggestions for more Bible Study stickers, please let me know!

With love and thankfulness,
Monica