I was sitting on the floor in my closet yesterday (my usual prayer spot) just trying to block out distractions and spend time with God. Worship music was playing from my phone, and the room was dark and quiet.

Then I felt something soft brush up against me. It was our cat, Tobias.

I tend to praise God the most when things are going well. When life feels good, it’s easy to be thankful. But when things are hard? That’s when it gets real.

When Ambrealle Brown found out she needed a kidney transplant, it felt like her whole life got put on hold. She had to quit nursing school and spend hours every day connected to a dialysis machine, just trying to stay alive.

But then her mom, Nija, quietly went and got tested to see if she could be a donor. And without telling Ambrealle, she found out she was a match.

I think a lot of us are like ducks (stay with me here). On the surface, we’re gliding along, looking calm and collected, but underneath, we’re paddling like crazy just to stay afloat.

Some days just hit harder than others. You’re trying to keep it together, but then you have to run an errand, and you’re a complete mess in public – ugly crying in the checkout line or sobbing at a stoplight. Not a great feeling.

That’s where this woman found herself, rolling through a Burger King drive-thru in Stillwater, Oklahoma, having one of the saddest days of her life. When she pulled up to the window, the guy working there did something small but incredibly kind.

I wasn’t part of the popular crowd in high school, but I really wanted to be. I remember watching the cool kids from a distance, wishing I could fit in – even though, if I’m honest, a lot of what they were doing probably wasn’t what God would have wanted for me.

It took me a while to realize that fitting in isn’t always the best thing, especially if it means stepping away from what God has for me.

At 99 years old, Harry Humason probably never expected to be celebrated as a hero again. But that’s exactly what happened when a town in the Czech Republic invited him to their 80th anniversary of liberation – a freedom Harry helped secure as a young soldier in World War II.

I think a lot of us wonder if God can really use someone as imperfect as we are. I know I’ve felt that way.

But then I remember how Jesus worked with what seemed like ordinary, even inadequate, things. He used plain water and turned it into wine. He used a handful of bread and fish to feed thousands. He even used a little bit of dirt to heal a blind man’s eyes.

It’s a reminder that He doesn’t need us to be impressive or flawless – just available and willing.

When Olivia met Bradley, she couldn’t believe his last name was Blizzard. You know, like the Dairy Queen treat. Turns out, that’s his real last name – and a pretty great perk, too.

I love 1 Thessalonians 5:18 – “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus.” But if I’m honest, that’s easier to read than to actually live out sometimes.