Dear God, Thank You For These Gifts

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I always wake up in the morning thinking about the life I wanted. Always daydreaming. Always planning. Always setting high expectations for myself. That’s why there are times I get disappointed, hurt, and restless. But then as I woke up today, on my 24th birthday, I feel nothing but contentment in my heart.

Then I realized, it must be God’s work. I always wonder about what I did to deserve such love from the Almighty God. But then I remember, God is good all the time, and all the time, God is good. He blessed me with the peace of mind I’ve been praying for—maybe he does that each day but it’s just me who fail to notice.

With the new day he blessed me, I started to see life with a ray of light. I started appreciating all the gifts he gave me and stopped beating myself up for the things I lack.

I thank God for the gift of life. Somebody told me there’s no pressure in living the life we have, so I should just take it easy. The thing is, we only got one shot at life. Isn’t it our responsibility to make our stay here worthwhile? This is why I tell myself to hustle. Keep doing what you love. You should possess the kind of passion that is capable of catching fire. But everyone hustles thinking that we are running out of time fulfilling our purpose. Truth is, we are not born to die. We were given life to live. I thank God for breathing life into my body and soul. All of us are given bodies to live around but life is empty without your love.

God, I am grateful for my family. Thank you, God, for keeping my family together. You know how much I pray for us and for the love that saves us. There are a mix of ups and downs, misunderstandings, and joyous celebrations but I wouldn’t miss it for the world. If I were to live anew after this lifetime you blessed me with, I’d still choose to stay with them.

I thank God for blessing me with true friends. Ah, my dear friends. If not because of them, I wouldn’t have the courage to venture through the adulting phase. Of course, we’re all in this together. I live for the all-nighters, petty arguments, and laughter with tears. It is such a relief to have such friends who got your back. I just hope that with God’s grace, there will be more of them who will stick around for the long haul than leave without a trace.

Lord, I am thankful for my career. In the past year, I made the biggest leap in my career. From being a corporate woman, I became a teacher. I could say this is the most fulfilling job yet. I turned my back to opportunities of being a journalist or an office worker to become someone more compassionate. It takes guts to be one. But with my desire to make a difference in my own way, I became one. I thank God for my mentors who have inspired me to take this path and of course, for my students who motivates me to keep going each day.

I thank God for the people who come and go. It is true that we get to meet wonderful people along the way. There are some that may not be as pleasing as the others, but I still thank God for them. I wouldn’t grow if it wasn’t for them. I am grateful for experiencing love, tears, and pain because of them.

Lastly, I thank God for the rain. I was born in August. In this part of the world, the weather is always gloomy for this month. Typhoons are coming in one by one. Despite that, I welcome them with open arms. I’ve never experienced a birthday under the scorching heat of the sun. But this birthday weather only taught me one thing. I was born through the storm. God must’ve blessed me with strength to get past any storm in my life. Whenever I think about this, it motivates me to thread life like a strong gust of wind and dream of bigger things that resonate like thunder.

Dear God, thank you for blessing me with these gifts. These things and people alike made me love myself more each day. They are the strongest connection I have with You. I am always grateful for your grace. I hope You don’t get tired loving me and the people I love.