As I reflect back on this past year there is so much that I could sit and dwell over, but there is so much goodness from God that I can't sit and dwell. I must and will be thankful!
I am thankful for salvation
Without salvation I don't know where I would be today. Before Christ my life was headed down a path of destruction and He was my only Hope to bring me out of that destruction. Salvation is the best gift I have ever received and something I am eternally grateful for. (Ephesians 2:1-7)
I am thankful for God's will
No matter how many times I don't understand what God is doing, I can always look back and thank Him for the wonderful ways He has orchestrated things. I am thankful that He is in charge of my life and I am not, He will see me through until the last day and may that always be inside of His will. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
I am thankful for my dad's death
This year as many already know my dad died. Well, I could be sad about this, but I'm not. It was the cancer that took over his body, but in the end Christ triumphed over my dad's death and brought him into glory. Before cancer my dad had no knowledge of Christ or the gospel, but on his death bed he proclaimed Christ as his Savior, for this I am deeply and eternally grateful. I know now that my dad is at peace and one day I will get to meet him again in heaven!
I am thankful for my mother
Over the past year my mom has shown great strength in the way she has remained strong throughout my dad's cancer and death. My mom has managed to support me to go back to school and also my brother. She has given me laughter and joy on days when I didn't think they would be possible. She has brightened my days with ability to bless me in many ways. She has been a strong hold for our family and has been able to keep us going, she has never given up!
I am thankful for my friends who have become my family
I am thankful to every single one of you who continued to pull me in the direction of Christ over the past year, even when I was going through a hard time and likely hard to deal with. I am so thankful for every one who stuck by my side through it all and don't know what I would do without all of you!
I am thankful for singleness
This year I am thankful for the gift of singleness. It has been a blessing to spend time with my family and go through everything while living with them over the past couple of years. Without singleness I wouldn't' have been as free to move in with my mom and spend time with her and my dad before he died. God always knows what He is doing!
I am thankful for marriage
Weird you might think, since I'm not married or anywhere near marriage, but alas I am thankful for the covenant of marriage. I have seen a number of friends be given into marriage this year and have been so blessed to watch my friends marry their best friends. As my friends get married I am continually grateful for their spouses and the ways that they lead each other toward Christ.
I am thankful for the chance to be a part of a church plant
This year I have had the opportunity to get to know some wonderful people through the work of Harvest OPC's church plant New City Fellowship OPC. I look forward to diving deeper in community with the many brothers and sisters I have come to know and love. May God be glorified through the work being done on the Northeast side of Grand Rapids.
I am thankful to be graduating
This December I will have completed the first leg of my journey in education and I can't wait to see how God uses it! Being a preschool teacher is one of the biggest blessings and I can't wait to see where God places me next in this journey.
I could continue, I am so thankful this year and could continually point back to the ways God has blessed me over the past year, but these are just a few of the most important blessings that have occurred over the past year. May God create many more things to be thankful for over the next year.
