As I've grown older, I always had a picture in my mind of what I would be when I was 'grown up'. I would be married, of course, I'd have several children or I'd be working a great job and driving a nice car. My mother was married when she was 22, so I figured I'd probably follow along those lines. God had a different idea. I know it must've been His, because I know it wasn't mine. :)
• It wasn't my idea to be single at the age of 30.
• It wasn't my idea to be stuck in dead-end jobs leading no where.
• It wasn't my idea to still be in school at the age of 30.
• It wasn't my idea to drive a demon-possessed car that hates me (although I am still hoping for a Damascas Road experience, so Damian's name can be changed to Damon. We'll see.)
• It wasn't my idea for my dad to be diagnosed with Prostate Cancer and then Diabetes and then Parkinson's Disease.
I could go on and on, but the truth is, even though these things were not what I wanted, it was what God saw fit to give me. He knows what I need much better than I do and He knows what's coming for me down the road and what I need to be ready for it. I don't want you to think that I'm complaining either. The fact is that a lot of the things that I have gone through were not pleasant, but God has used them to shape me into the person that I am. Love me or leave me, but that's why I am the way I am. :)
On the flip side of the above list, I will say this:
• I might be single, but I have a God who loves me more than any man ever could. He knows how many hairs are on my head. That's how much He cares about me. Besides that I have a multitude of friends, some who are just like family to me. They tell me they love me on a regular basis. I am loved. :)
• I may have worked some dead-end jobs, but those jobs have also provided me with some of the skills that I use in the jobs I have now. Working at McDonalds wasn't pleasant, but it gave me a great ability to interact with the public. Working at the cleaners wasn't always fun but it taught me about responsibility and working with others. Working at the Wilds Christian Camp . . . well, that was fun! haha
• I might be in school still at the age of 30, but guess what! I'll graduate when I'm 31 and I couldn't be more excited! The end is in sight! I have worked hard and I'm ready to put myself out there. Not to mention, I'll be doing something that I have trained for and that I am somewhat good at! This is exciting to me!!
• I was in a serious car accident last winter, so even though the car I have is not awesome, I am so thankful just to have a car (still waiting . . . ) :) and also to be alive!
• As for my dad, it's so hard to say, I'm thankful that my dad is sick. But throughout all of this, we have seen God meet some mighty important needs in our family. When my dad needed surgery to remove his cancer, we thought 'How in the world are we ever going to come up with 80,000 dollars??' Well, the fact is we couldn't. But God could! He is amazing like that. he provided the money necessary. As for my dad's illnesses. His cancer is gone. His Diabetes is under control. But his Parkinson's will never get any better and God knows that. He will give us the grace we need, as we need it. I can be thankful for God's grace and that same grace will help me to be thankful for his sickness.
God has used all of these things to shape me into the person that I am and because of that, I would not change what has taken place. I can only go on from here and aspire to be a better person with God's help.
I just thought with it being November and all and Thanksgiving creeping up on us, that it would do to state some things that I am, indeed, thankful for.
No comments:
Post a Comment