Happy New Year! As this is my first post of the year, it’s sort of the custom to say ‘happy new year’, to almost will the year to be a happy one, even though, if I’m honest, so far, it has felt anything but happy. Be that as it may, having a happy new year isn’t exactly a Biblical promise, is it?

That said, in and amongst the challenges that have led to a rough start for 2026, I have felt prompted over and over to be thankful, and trust me, in the last couple of days, I have not felt like being thankful at all. I thought things were bad towards the end of last year, and that I had hit rockbottom. Alas, who knew that rockbottom has several basement levels! This month alone, I have been hospitalised, gotten a report from the doctors that the brain tumour I was previously diagnosed with, and had surgery and radiotherapy for, had progressed (i.e. gotten bigger and possibly spread to the other side of my brain). I was having multiple seizures a day. I lost my mobility completely (I literally could not even take one step) and had no idea when I would ever regain it, and here’s God prompting me to be thankful. Seriously??? I’ll admit I had a fight with God. Not physically like Jacob did in Genesis 32 though. Even at my fittest, I wouldn’t attempt it, let alone when half of my body is not quite cooperating with my brain and I can barely move. Mentally though, it was a different story, which I won’t bore you with right now.

However, I had to concede that God had a point. Well more than a point to be fair. And so, with all this happening, I am choosing to be thankful to God. The right side of my body may not be operating how it should be at the moment, but the left side is, so I am thanking God for that. (Incidentally, as I was writing this, I felt prompted to reflect on the fact that I had not focused on the side that was actually working. Instead I was grumpy about the side that wasn’t!)

In the past month, I have fallen down more times than I can count. Definitely more than seven times a la Proverbs 24:16, but I have gotten up each time (even if I had to be helped up quite a few times).

This has been one of the most physically awkward posts I have ever written, mainly because I am using my left hand predominantly, as opposed to both hands, but also because my laptop keeps misbehaving. BUT, I can still write! (Maybe not on paper as I’m right-handed, but thank God for technology). Also, if you find some of my posts too long, you’ll probably be pleased to know that for the aforementioned reasons, this will be a short one, so take a moment to pause and be thankful for the length of this blogpost 😊.

I’m incredibly grateful for my son’s birthday this month, for His life, for the man God is moulding him to be, for the joy he has brought and keeps bringing to our lives, for all I’ve learnt from him, and for the fact that I was able to be home to celebrate his birthday with Him and my family! He had been praying every day that I would be home in time for his birthday, and believe you me, getting discharged from the hospital that day was a whole other battle, so I’m truly, truly thankful to God for that.

I’m very grateful to God for my mum, my kids, my wider family, and my church family and friends. I don’t know what I would have done without them. Their help and support during this period has been invaluable, and for this, I am indeed grateful.

Above all, I’m abundantly grateful for God’s presence, the comfort of His Word and His promises, and the fact that I am still able to read my Bible every day! In fact, in the midst of all this, I recently clocked a milestone 1000-Guided Scripture Streak on the Bible App, Yay!

I’m grateful for the grace to be consistent. Even when I’m not exactly happy with God allowing certain things in my life, I still can’t help reading my Bible every day. He has spoken to me so many times through His Word. And while there were times when I did not exactly feel like doing what Scripture said (like being thankful for instance), I knew it was true, it is true, and it will always be true.

And so, I will end with these verses, one of which is my verse for the day:

“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever.” (Psalm 118:1, NLT)

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6, ESV).

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in All circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16 – 18, ESV).

As such, today I choose to remain thankful, irrespective of how I feel, because that is God’s will for me. That said, having counted my blessings and listed all the reasons I have to be thankful, now I really do feel thankful, Praise God!

Image source here.