During our first morning meeting in Malawi, a young, thin African girl with the broadest smile stood and gave her prayer request: “Let us be thankful for this life we live.”

Our Perspective

I felt confused, unsure I had heard her correctly, but soon understood. Every single morning, she stood to make the same request. “Let us be thankful for this life we live.” Her request continuously turned toward praise rather than appeal.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

~Psalm 100:4 NIV

The thankful one’s name, I would later learn, was Zionne. She was eighteen years old and living her best life ever.

Zionne slept in a hot, crowded dorm room with fifteen other girls. She attended college classes in a language not her own and had lots of homework. She washed her one outfit in a shared bucket and herself in a nearby river. All the young adult students who lived and learned at the missionary base camp were treated to three meals daily of a paste-like corn porridge called shema. They were blessed with a bite or two of meat each week. They owned next to nothing. Most were in Bible school and studying the Bible, yet did not own a copy.

Zionne’s life looked nothing like anything that would evoke gratitude. Still, every morning, she stood and requested we all pray thanksgiving for this hard-knock life.

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

~1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV

While some of us held only a shred of gratitude for our brief African life, Zionne’s gratitude seeped into all of us. By day eight or nine of our trip, her daily reminder and perspective helped me and my teammates create a much-needed attitude shift.

God’s Perspective

Every morning, we start anew and can enter our day with joy and thanksgiving. We understand the importance of carrying a constant heart of gratitude, and most of us desire to hang out there more. Then life pummels us, some days more than others. It’s easier to be thankful when we see successes and hear good news than when the waves of life are splashing over our heads. Remaining thankful in all circumstances is the key. Perhaps Zionne’s sweet little request could settle into all of us.

In seasons of plenty and seasons of not-quite-enough, in sickness and health, and especially in our plain, ordinary days, take a moment to praise God and offer a prayer of thankfulness for this life we are living.

Be grateful for each day and the current life you have.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the privilege of this life You’ve given me. May I hold an eternal prayer of gratitude in every circumstance. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Genre: Nonfiction

Copyright 2025: For This Life We Live: Cynthia Mendenhall: All Rights Reserved.