Thankful for It All

"In everything give thanks: for this is the will of Christ Jesus concerning you."
 (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Painted by me! Representing where my life's journey began (New York)
 to one place my journey has take me (Paris)! I am thankful for it all!

Growing up, I remember hearing a gospel song (song by James Cleveland) with these lyrics,
"I've had my share, of life's ups and downs. God's been good to me, and the downs have been few. Well, I guess you can say, God has blessed me. But there's never been a time in my life He didn't bring me through. If anyone should ever write my life story, for whatever reason there might be. You'd be there, between each line of pain and glory.....Jesus is the best thing that ever happened to me!"

At the time, I didn't really understand these lyrics or what he truly meant by them. But today as an adult, with all my life experiences, I can truly relate. Earlier this month I posted a video on instagram about thanking God for EVERYTHING, which includes "life's ups and down" (as the song says).  The word tells us that "...all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28) This is a promise from God! And since He has to keep His promises to us, we have this assurance. Of course, Thanksgiving is usually a time when the world is reflecting on giving thanks. It's easy to give thanks for the good or the blessings we receive, but sometimes it's harder to be thankful for the other stuff that we would prefer not to have to experience, whatever that might be or have been. As I reflect on my life, and the people and things that God has allowed to be a part of it, I can truly say I am thankful for it all. It was all for my good!

As some of you know, my friend Fay, who I talked about on my last blog post, recently lost her 22 year old sister. We were in Dubai for the weekend when she received the news. It was a total shock to her and her family. Her sister had suffered with asthma, but they never expected it to lead to her sudden death. It was devastating for them. As her friend and sister in Christ, my heart shares her pain. Being in the hotel room with her that morning when she got the call, it was painful watching her mourn. There were no words I could say to take away the pain. I knew this. But then God began to remind us of how He had already prepared us for this moment. Although we didn't know something like this was going to happen, we knew He was preparing us for something.

Leading up to this day, we had experienced several things that left us in "awe" and wondering what God was up to. The day before while taking a nap in the hotel room, I woke up out of my sleep in tears. I didn't tell Fay, who was also sleeping. I just went into the bathroom and prayed. I wasn't sure why, but I knew God was preparing us for something. I did tell her that part, because of other things we had already experienced had also led us to believe He this. Later that night, we attended a concert by gospel artist Israel Houghton. It was his first time coming to the UAE, and we were excited to be there! Fay and I had actually prayed for God to send someone here in concert that we could go worship with! And He did! Originally, the concert was suppose to be in April of this year, but it had to be cancelled. When we heard it was rescheduled, we immediately made plans to be in Dubai for the weekend. And although we had no idea what was to come at the end of the weekend, we know God knew! He knew and He prepared us for it! And for that we are thankful! Of course, Fay was mourning the death of her sister, but we were able to also rejoice in how God had prepared us for it all!

My life here in Abu Dhabi is definitely preparing me for what is to come! I don't know exactly what it is, but I'm excited and thankful to God for the preparation period. I don't know how much longer I will be here, but I know when I leave God has something greater for me! In the meantime, I am enjoying finding the joy in my JOurneY!

Here's a few pics of some of my recent JOYs here!

My Thanksgiving dinner (chicken enchilada pasta), courtesy of Chili's carry-out.
 My sunset view, courtesy of the 2 hour ferry ride
back to Delma Island after a day of doctors visits in the city.
I'm thankful for it all!

 Represent Your Nationality Day at school. 

Me with a few of my "JOYs"! 

(My student in the picture with the flag is actually from Egypt.)

Fay and I the weekend in Dubai before the news of her sister. We went to this restaurant, 
Miss Lily's, which is the name of my mom who I miss dearly! Thankful!

For those who are not on instagram, here's the video I posted earlier this month.

Everyday I am learning more of what it means to "in everything give thanks" and to really be thankful to God for it all! Learning this has made life so much sweeter! And like James Cleveland said, "Jesus is the best thing that ever happened to me!"

I am His!

Faith Walker

"...I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10)

Jesus came so that we could live life to the full! That means He wants us to enjoy life as we obey Him!

Enjoying Life
Recently I celebrated my 48th birthday (June 19th). Twenty years ago...at age 28...my life changed forever when I came to know Jesus intimately and personally as my Lord and Savior. It was at this time that I made the decision to seek Christ for my destiny. Now here I am twenty years later and while many things have happened and changed in my life, one thing that has remained the same is my faith in God. I know that no matter what happens, God still has a purpose and plan for my life! So I will continue walking by faith and trusting in Him to keep His promises to me. In the meantime, I will continue to enjoy my life to the FULL!

Here are a few pics from me celebrating  life with a few of my sister/friends in Abu Dhabi!

Obeying God
When I moved to Abu Dhabi, I knew God had a greater purpose for sending me here (besides to teach). And while teaching is my reason for being here, obedience was and is my purpose for being here. Most of you know that when God tells me to do something, I do it with no hesitation. That is because I believe God and the promises He has made to me!

Abraham is known as a "friend of God" because He believed God. Whatever God told him to do, he did it without hesitating; even offering up his son for a sacrifice. His obedience to God led to him receiving the promises of God. I desire ALL the promises God has for me! This is why I obey what God tells me to do...even when it might sound or look crazy to others. I too just want to please God with my obedience!

Testimony
A couple of years ago, before moving to Abu Dhabi, the holy spirit told me to change my name to Faith Walker on facebook. Now I know some people might think God didn't or wouldn't tell me that or that I thought of that on my own. But I know I heard from God to do it, and in OBEDIENCE to God I made the change. I even wondered if I was suppose to use this name when meeting people after I moved. However, I was only led to change it on my facebook page only (which I usually keep deactivated while I'm in Abu Dhabi). 

Since I kept this page deactivated, none of the new friends/connections I made my first year in Abu Dhabi knew my name was Faith Walker on facebook. Even my friend (Shina) who I was the closest to at the beginning of my time here in Abu Dhabi. Some of you may remember her from earlier post. She and I connected when we were sent to Dalma Island together. She had to return home in December of 2016 due to serious medical issues that her daughter was having. After she left, I was on my own. Some of my family and friends said "God will send you someone else." To be honest, I wasn't looking for Him to. I was fine being by myself, or so I thought. But God had other plans! He knew I needed a "Faith Walker" (like myself) as I continued my journey here! So that's exactly what/who He sent me! Actually she was already here. She had came here the year before me, but it wasn't until the end of my first school year that God really connected us!

Long story short...after returning home last summer (and activating my fb page), I added her as a friend. When she saw my facebook name was "Faith Walker", she immediately texted me to tell me that was her "pen name" (the name she uses when she writes or journals)!!! We both were in AWEEEEE!!!!! The fact that God sent both of us to this country...put both of us on this island...at the same time!!! We both knew this was no coincidence, but a divine connection! We immediately knew God had a greater purpose!! Since connecting us, God has been fulfilling His purpose! As we obey what He tells us to do, He keeps us amazed with what He is doing and the things He is revealing to us! We are excited about the plans He has for each of our lives!! I'm sure I will be sharing more in later posts!

Meet the Faith Walkers

Her birth name is actually Fayshawn "aka Fay" Walker. 

Another kingdom connection!

This is why I obey God!! All to bring Him glory! Also, I don't want to miss out on the plans and promises He has for me!

I am His,
Faith Walker

A moment of truth

"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you FREE." (John 8:32)

Some of you know that I recently visited Jordan during my spring break. During my visit I went to Mt. Nebo, which is the location where Moses stood when God showed Him the promise land. And although it was a hazy day on the horizon and the view was filled with desert sand, it was an amazing view. Here are a few pics from that moment.

As I stood on the mountain gazing and being in awe of God, I couldn't help but think of God and His promises... specifically His promises to me personally! The message I received was that..."Even when you cannot see the promises clearly, God ALWAYS keeps His promises!" Years ago God spoke those same words to me at the latter part of that message that I have held onto throughout my journey to my own personal "promise land". While I trust God to keep His promises to me, I know that He also wants me to be FREE to receive ALL of His promises! Being set FREE has led me to this point of  my walk by faith.

For those of you who have been a part of my journey, you know a little about my life's events. "The good, the bad, and the ugly!" Some of you have shared in my joy and my pains. Your prayers, love, and support have been an important part of my journey! I am thankful to God for each of you! In sharing my journey with you, my only desire is to bring God glory! Even when it requires me to be vulnerable and transparent (as this blogpost will be). I've always known that my journey here in Abu Dhabi was for a greater purpose. And little by little, God is revealing to me His greater purposes. I'm in awe of how He continues to orchestrate the events of my life to line up with His purpose and plans!

Most recently, my journey has led me to seek wholeness "again". I say "again" because this is something I believe I experienced in my latter 20's when I first fell in love with Jesus! I used to say I was "single, saved, and satisfied"! 😄  I had developed an intimate and personal relationship with Christ for the first time and He had filled any voids and cracks that I had previously. I was whole and complete in Him! And while my relationship with Christ and my faith in God has continued to grow over the years, the truth is, the "wholeness" I once experienced is something I've been missing over the latter years of my life.

I recently read that, "Deep down, we all want to be made whole, but we won't reveal our brokenness to people or environments that will abuse our vulnerability. However, if an environment is perceived as safe, our inner person has an opportunity to set aside pride." (Toure Roberts, Wholeness) I don't know if this blog page can be considered a "safe environment" or not, but part of my journey to wholeness again has led me to be vulnerable in sharing a secret that most of you (my family and friends) do not know about me.  I'm sure some of you will be shocked, maybe even disappointed to hear this secret. I know I cannot control the thoughts, actions, or reactions of others; specifically those in response to what I am about to share. I can only pray that my vulnerability in sharing my truth is used for God's glory.

In previous posts, I've shared about the devastation, hurt, and pain I experienced from divorce. Some of you witnessed this up close and personal. Some of you know some of the details and some of you do not. It's not  necessary whether you know or not.  Some of you have been there throughout the years of my healing. And while I have experienced healing over the 10 plus years since, I have not allowed myself to be completely set FREE from the brokenness I experienced after divorce.  This brokenness led me to do something after my divorce that I never thought I would do.  I'm sure most of you wouldn't expect this of me either. But it is something that happened and I can't change it.

So here's my moment of truth...
After my divorce, I committed adultery (with my ex-husband after he had remarried). I can try to justify why I did it, but that would not change the main fact. The fact is I allowed myself to sin against God in this way. Although I went about life as if everything was okay, this was a very dark time in my life.  I knew what I was doing was disappointing God, but I wanted my marriage so bad that  I set aside my morals...multiple times... in hopes of keeping my ex-husband's love. I was desperately trying to hold on, at any cost...including my relationship with God.

While I know God has forgiven me, I have recently come to the realization that I still have not allowed myself to be set completely FREE. This secret sin has had me bound. It has been keeping me from experiencing the wholeness that I so desire! The brokenness that I experienced during that time of my life has lingered in the cracks over the years.  This is why I'm sharing it here and now. I know I could have gone to my grave without many of you ever knowing this, but I now know it is necessary for me to walk in my COMPLETE TRUTH in order to be COMPLETELY FREE and COMPLETELY WHOLE again and to receive the COMPLETE FULLNESS of God's promises to me! No longer am I captive by this sin that once had me bound! Today I declare that I am FREE!

I know I'm not the first or last believer and follower of Christ to commit this sin. Nor am I the first or last to admit it. I'm only sharing this in obedience to what God told ME to do at this time as I continue to seek Him. Regardless of what your thoughts or reactions are to my truth, I know the truth of  what Jesus has done for me. I know the truth of who Christ is and who I am in Him. I know that He has forgiven me and set me FREE from all guilt and shame! My desire to be whole, is greater than my fear of being judged by man.

My hope is that God is glorified through my obedience to Him in sharing my truth. I am so thankful that the truth has set me FREE! I'm so grateful to God for not exposing me and for saving me from condemnation, ridicule, and shame.  I am so grateful He is allowing me to be overcome by the words of my OWN testimony! I am so grateful that He is calling me back to being whole again! I am so grateful that He still loves me...RECKLESSLY and RELENTLESSLY!!  I am so grateful that I AM HIS, FAITH WALKER!!!

P.S. I must admit that this post was more for me than anyone who may be reading it.
(Published April 7, 2018)