Theme: Praise for Life
Scripture
“Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.” — Psalm 139:16 (NIV)
Reflection
Why didn’t I die at 4… or at 10… or at 21?
That quiet question has followed me for most of my life.
Growing up with sickle cell disease meant growing up face-to-face with fragility. Painful crises.
Hospital rooms. Moments when tomorrow felt uncertain. There were seasons when surviving
another year felt like a miracle — because it truly was.
Yet here I am.
Fifty years later.
Breathing. Living. Still standing.
Somewhere between childhood hospital beds and adult responsibilities, I came to understand
something profound: my life was never accidental. It was authored.
Every day — including the painful ones — was written before I took my first breath. Before
doctors made diagnoses. Before fear whispered predictions. Before anyone wondered if I would
make it.
God had already decided I would.
That realization shifts everything.
Today, as I begin this 50-Day Praise Challenge, I do not praise God because life has been easy.
I praise Him because it has been intentional.
Every birthday was grace.
Every recovery was mercy.
Every “close call” was divine preservation.
I was written before I breathed.
And so were you.
Praise Declaration
Lord, thank You for the gift of life — intentional, preserved, and sustained by Your hand.
