Read: 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Hello Friend!
How often should we give thanks? Only
when good things happen?
A young woman had always had the
dream to advance her career in the medical field. She learned that there were
many shortcuts to climbing to the top, but she would never do them because they
were against her faith. Se believed in God and promised herself not to do
anything contrary to the will of God. She wrote a professional exam and was
hopeful she would do well. Most of her colleagues told her it was impossible to
pass the exam if she did not get involved in certain things, which were against
her faith. She refused to be discouraged and trusted God and prayed that she
passed the examination.
When the results were out, she
went to the notice board to check her results. When she got there, she saw some
of her colleagues giggling, looking at her, and talking in hushed tones. She
wondered what was wrong, but ignored their reactions anyway. On getting to the
notice board, she searched the list containing the names of successful people
and couldn’t find her name. “Oh, there must have been a mistake somewhere. Let
me use my glasses.” She said to herself.
She checked again, more carefully
this time and still did not find her name among the names of successful people.
She did not start to cry; she maintained her composure and went over to the
names of the unsuccessful people. There on top, her name was number one. She
was surprised because she knew she put in her best for the exam. The people who
warned her to take shortcuts were waiting for her reaction. They murmured
amongst themselves, “I hope she has realized that her faith won’t take her
anywhere.”
She put herself together, took a
bold step away from the notice board and said loudly, “Thank You, God, thank
You because I know that You still got me, and this is not the end.” Everyone
around was surprised at her reaction, that one of them even had to walk up to
her, in curiosity. “Are you not sad or are you not feeling regrets that you
failed when you could have easily passed like us?” She replied and said, “I may
be pressed, but I’m not crushed. Failing this exam means a lot to me, but it
does not mean that my God doesn’t care or that He is no longer faithful. Everything
will work for my good.”
She went home and thanked God,
nevertheless and began to pray for the Holy Spirit to show her the next step.
In the middle of her prayers, she got a call. She heard in her heart, “Pick the
call”, and she did. The number was international, and with shaky hands, she
said, “Hello…”
That call was a life-changing
experience. She got a call from one of the best international medical schools,
asking her to join their next cohort of female medical researchers. It was a full-time
scholarship and an all-expense paid trip. They also told her that if she
performed excellently, she could get a permanent residence permit to work full-time
in their country.
As she dropped the call, she
began to cry. “God, is this how You work? God, you are good!” It was just a
simple article she wrote a year ago and submitted to the institute that paved
the way for her. When God wants to bless you, He can use sources that you least
expected from and that one door closed does not mean other doors are not open
for you.
We shouldn’t underestimate the
power of gratitude to God. When 1 Thessalonians 5:18 said, “Give thanks in
everything”, it was on a serious note. My prayer is for God to help us
cultivate a thankful heart no matter what it is that we are going through. As
we continue to live a life of gratitude, may we keep seeing more reasons to be
thankful. Amen
God bless you; may the month of July be the best so far.
"When we choose thankful prayer over wallowing in anxiety and worry, we are demonstrating an unwavering trust in God.” –Priscilla Shirer
We are grateful for always
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