Day 20

día veinte: Today I am thankful for being blessed with good general health.

Dear Lord, today I want to thank You particularly for something I take advantage of. You've kept me in good general health my whole life. A cold here, maybe a stomach virus there, but Lord You have kept me away from so many illnesses. Even fairly common illnesses like the flu, pneumonia, and mono have stayed out of my body & out of my brother. Thank You for giving us strong immune systems and knowledge of how to kill & keep away harmful bacteria. Lord, thank You for the creation of immunizations. Vaccines are such clever things - to actually insert a version of the illness in someone to build up their immune system against it. You equip us with the means necessary to make our bodies healthy & strong enough to fight. (Similarly, You are with us as the Holy Spirit inside of us, always prepared for any tough season of our life.) God, we are so fortunate with vaccines and medicine and vitamins... may we use those as we are able and make them available to more people in the world. Thank You for the medical organizations that go out and treat those who have nothing with which to fight. Keep supplying them with materials to help them and materials to leave with them. Work through those caring individuals to teach the sick & those related to people who are sick how to properly care for them. Through those experiences, I pray that Your love can be shared across the nation and across the world. Lord, You are the Almighty Healer. Heal all those who may have little hope. Give them faith and optimism in You, and equip them with the physical and emotional strength to fight. Thank You for Mom's faith and strength as she battled cancer. Lord, thank You that she is healed and comfortable with You now. Although we didn't get the miracle we were praying for, we got a different miracle. Lord, in any bad illness/disease, give people hope. Place people in their lives to support them and love them in every step of the process. Also, don't let those who are sick be defined by their sickness. Thank You for my grandma, who has beaten breast cancer as well as coped with her husband's sudden suicide and her son's death to AIDS. God, despite all she's been through, she is so happy and outgoing. She has a wonderful faith in You, and that is an inspiration. Thank You for blessing her with loving family, friends, & community. Lord, thank You for my health and that of my loved ones. Please keep us all safe & healthy, though we know You're with us no matter what.

Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. -Psalm 103:2-5

Amen.