Basketball legend Dawn Staley is a woman who doesn’t shy away from giving glory to Jesus and acknowledging His blessing in her life. He led her through her humble beginnings in the Philadelphia projects to her fabulous career as a WNBA player, coach, and even as a three-time gold medal winner in the Olympics.

She doesn’t nebulously thank God like many athletes and actors do. She clearly calls out the name of Jesus and publicly acknowledges Him as the resurrected Savior. Late this spring, she released a book about her life called Uncommon Favor. I guess she could have named her book something like Overcoming the Odds. But instead of focusing on her struggles, she chose a title that puts the spotlight on the good that God has brought into her life. 

Most of us have grateful days, but we also have days when we feel envious of others or maybe overlooked by God —days when we don’t exactly feel uncommonly favored. Because we are a culture of constant comparison, it’s easy —at least on occasion — to forget how God has already demonstrated his immense love and care for us. “I may have X, Y and Z,” we might think, “but look at her! She has A, B and C! Why is she so blessed?”

I don’t know Dawn Staley personally, but the title of her book is very telling of who she is and how she views life. It shows that she doesn’t just recognize God’s goodness. She sees herself as overflowing with it. She believes she is blessed beyond what is typical or even reasonable. I’m not famous or athletically gifted like Dawn Staley, but hearing about her book made me reflect on the blessings God has decided are appropriate for me. I, too, am unreasonably blessed. I, too, have uncommon favor. Wouldn’t it be a healthy spiritual habit to take a closer look at the scope of my life and write down some of the ways God has shown His favor toward me?

So, I started a list. The first item I included was that I know how to read. As you have your eyes on this article, I assume that the same can be said of you. While the literacy rates around the world are improving, more than 781 million adults remain illiterate –two-thirds of them are women. If God has blessed you with enough education to know how to read, be grateful. Imagine how complicated your life would be if you couldn’t.

Of course, there are the typical things that one might put on a list of blessings: health, home, family. All of these things are extensions of God’s hand to our lives. There are more subtle things, too. Perhaps you had a difficult childhood. You can look back with bitterness, or you can recognize how God wrapped his protection and mercy around you, saving you and keeping you despite the foolishness of people around you. Maybe even despite your own foolishness!

The list of God’s favor in my life may look different from yours, but we each receive what is right for us. God created us, and He knows our needs better than we do. He is not depriving us. How much fuller our lives are when we embrace that truth! Philippians 4:19 says, “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.” There is no shortage with God. 

Of course, “uncommon favor” is a slightly misleading phrase. God’s favor is lavishly distributed to all who follow him. So, it’s not uncommon because we all receive it. It is uncommon in the sense that His love and grace are so deep, His favor is so strong, no entity in heaven or on earth could ever equal it. God is uncommon, so the favor He bestows is uncommon. 

If you are feeling well blessed today, why not start a list of favor and give praise to God? And if you are feeling overlooked, why not start a list and be reminded of God’s goodness in your life? I will never forget a YouTube video I saw not long after the invasion of Ukraine. A group of Ukrainian Christians, their lives in imminent danger, sang these words: “All my life you have been faithful. All my life, you have been so, so good … Your goodness is running after me.” In the midst of their greatest nightmare, they sang of God’s favor. Surely, we can do the same.

Rudzhan Nagiev via Getty Images | This article was originally titled “The List of Favor” in the August 2025 issue of The War Cry.