I never thought I'd walk away with so much joy, but so much pain...
Today, as I celebrated Thanksgiving, I couldn't help but feel some bitterness in this otherwise glorious holiday. I spent this beautiful fall day with my former classmates at the gymnasia - the school I dearly love, the place that will always be precious to my heart. Celebrating Thanksgiving has been a tradition for our class for almost five years now. Even when someone simply says Thanksgiving, the word brings back so many memories I will savor forever: watching old American movies together, preparing and enjoying wonderful American food, passing the candle and telling God and each other what we're thankful for, the smiles, the laughs, sometimes the tears. I left this class over a year ago now and if I am one hundred percent honest, there isn't much that connects me with any of them now. But those memories will live in my heart forever and I will always be thankful to our wonderful God for giving me this amazing privilege and blessing of knowing those people once. They all have an amazingly bright future waiting for them outside of high school and I am so excited to see what God does in their lives next.
It was a little bit painful to see these smiling faces and realize I don't belong with these people anymore. I still struggle to realize this is not my place in this life anymore and I am not one of these people. However, what a wonderful promise we have, knowing that 'in all things, God works good for those who love him'! (Romans 8:28). It is such a blessing to finally realize that our God is a God who gives and takes away and does both these things for a reason. It is so wonderful to be free, knowing that nothing that I own and nothing that I can do actually belongs to me. It is all God's, who deserves all glory. I am so humbled and blessed to know that while I can't see or touch it, I am completely assured He is working within me, doing something marvelous with my life, giving or taking away to humble me. I am so thankful that he is teaching me to be faithful with the little I have, preparing to give me something great. And I am so grateful to know that His plans for my life are so much bigger than mine and that his idea of a 'bright future' is a lot different from mine.
As I look back on some heart-warming things and look forward to some more, I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving. I am blessed beyond measure, in the middle of what might seem like a chaous. Turn to God. He is so generous and you are so loved!
Today, as I celebrated Thanksgiving, I couldn't help but feel some bitterness in this otherwise glorious holiday. I spent this beautiful fall day with my former classmates at the gymnasia - the school I dearly love, the place that will always be precious to my heart. Celebrating Thanksgiving has been a tradition for our class for almost five years now. Even when someone simply says Thanksgiving, the word brings back so many memories I will savor forever: watching old American movies together, preparing and enjoying wonderful American food, passing the candle and telling God and each other what we're thankful for, the smiles, the laughs, sometimes the tears. I left this class over a year ago now and if I am one hundred percent honest, there isn't much that connects me with any of them now. But those memories will live in my heart forever and I will always be thankful to our wonderful God for giving me this amazing privilege and blessing of knowing those people once. They all have an amazingly bright future waiting for them outside of high school and I am so excited to see what God does in their lives next.
It was a little bit painful to see these smiling faces and realize I don't belong with these people anymore. I still struggle to realize this is not my place in this life anymore and I am not one of these people. However, what a wonderful promise we have, knowing that 'in all things, God works good for those who love him'! (Romans 8:28). It is such a blessing to finally realize that our God is a God who gives and takes away and does both these things for a reason. It is so wonderful to be free, knowing that nothing that I own and nothing that I can do actually belongs to me. It is all God's, who deserves all glory. I am so humbled and blessed to know that while I can't see or touch it, I am completely assured He is working within me, doing something marvelous with my life, giving or taking away to humble me. I am so thankful that he is teaching me to be faithful with the little I have, preparing to give me something great. And I am so grateful to know that His plans for my life are so much bigger than mine and that his idea of a 'bright future' is a lot different from mine.
As I look back on some heart-warming things and look forward to some more, I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving. I am blessed beyond measure, in the middle of what might seem like a chaous. Turn to God. He is so generous and you are so loved!
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