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!