This day makes me reminisce a lot.
I am completely amazed at all God has brought me through in my short lifetime. It's insane. I could not even begin to write about it.
I can, however, write about a few of the people/places/things that God has used in my life. The blessings in my life that He has given me to get me through.
In honor of the fact that I am 20 today, perhaps I shall write 20 blessings.
These are in no specific order.
1. My Mommy - The biggest blessing of my life has been my mom. She has always taken care of me and had my back. Even when she couldn't fix everything, she did what she could. Her kids have always been her priority. She has always tried so hard and has been so strong. Now, sometimes all I want is to take care of her.
2.
Andrew, Alyssa and Abigail - Andrew has been a really great brother. He has always tried to be a positive male figure in the lives of us girls. He takes good care of his family and will make a great dad and husband someday. Alyssa has been my best friend since I was 2. :) She knows me better than anyone in the world I'm pretty sure. I trust her more than anyone. Abigail is my girl. I love her to death. She is the strongest person I have ever met. She has had to be. She is amazing. She is growing up to be an incredible woman of God.
3.
Mrs. Paul and the boys - Mrs. Paul was my children's pastor back in the day. She has always been around, and always known everything going on in my life. She is my 2nd mom. I can come to her with anything and everything. She has been the one I want to go to for as long as I can remember. If someone was to ask me who my mentor was/is, I'd definitely say her. Her boys (Wa
lter, Tommy, Jacob, Caleb, and Isaiah) have a very very special place in my heart. When I was ready to kill myself and felt that I had nothing to live for, it was honestly them that kept me going. God placed them in my life for that reason if nothing else. They are some extremely special boys. Back in the day, I would spend the majority of my time at their house. Now, I rarely see them and miss them all the time. They are growing up so quickly!
4.
Nanette and Patrick - They were my youth pastors. They have always been there for me, and I have learned so much from both of them. Nanette is a huge part of my testimony. God has used her so much in my life and I am so thankful for both them. On the lowest night of my life, I stayed at their house. They are incredible people.
5.
Pastor Michael, Coach Cleveland, Mr. Carraway, and others - These were all Godly male influences in my life. They will never know how much that was needed and how thankful I am for each of them.
6.
Allie - I should just suffice to say that she has been there through so much. She got way more than she bargained for with this friendship, but she stuck it out through it all. I am so thankful that she continued to stick by me through all my junk. I couldn't ask for a better friend.
7.
The family - I am so blessed to have a group of friends from high school that I can consider family. They have always been there, and I know if I ever needed any of them, they always would be. I had very few real friends before k
nowing these guys, and now I know I am one of the most blessed people in the world as far as friends goes. They are pretty cool.
8.
The Great Adventure Camp - I spent 4 summers at this small children's camp. I learned so much there. It has always been a safe place for me, and I have such great memories from that place. I grew so much from working there.
9. Impact - Impact has been such a blessing these last few years. I have learned and grown so much from being involved with it, not to mention I've met some of my best friends through it. God is working through that organization and it is incredible to be able to be a part of it.
10. Houston First Baptist - I had pretty much lost all faith in churches until I went to work for this church. I am so thankful for a big church in the middle of a big city looking to do church in a way that truly glorifies God and does what He desires. They have incredible community, they have incredible service to those around them and their own body, and the worship and teaching is amazing.
11. Central - The community I have found at Central is incredible. It have learned so much from the friends I have made there. I am constantly being spurred on and encouraged by those around me at the church.
12. Theatre - A huge constant blessing in my life (specifically throughout high school, but at times still now) is theatre. I love it. It brings me so much joy. It isn't as intense for me as basketball since my life was never really devoted to it, but it is something that is just chill, relaxing, and brings me joy. The people I have gotten to know through my love of theatre have also been a huge blessing.
13. Basketball - Basketball was my life for...well most of my life, or at least 8 years or so. It more or less consumed my life. Believe it or not, that was a huge blessing. First of all, basketball is just a source of joy for me. I love it. It is a passion. Second, because I focused my life around basketball, and basketball was my escape/get away, I didn't get into anything stupid. I truly believe God protected me through my love of basketball. Third, I know that God is going to continue to use my love of basketball in my life and I am excited to see that play out.
14.
Kareliz - Ok, so I have this friend. She's from Puerto Rico. Silly Boricua. Basically, we grew up together, we learned and grew together. Even our testimonies are similar. When we d
idn't love Jesus (back in our heathen days), we hung out all the time. Now that we love Jesus (keepin it church), we still hang out all the time. It's beautiful. It's pretty much one of the greatest friendships I could ever ask for. We have known each other, and known each other well since the fourth grade. I can't imagine a time when we won't be friends.
15. Shalom Shack and Foster House - So both of these places are just pretty baller. I guess the reason I feel like they need to be included in this list is because of how life-giving they are to me. I can often just go chill at one of these houses for like 30 minutes and feel refreshed. The people who live there are wonderful ladies who are seeking after God and I am thankful for all of them. The last two semesters would have been extremely different without the people in these houses, and I am so glad I have them in my life. Sarah, you have been a huge part of my life since the beginning of freshman year and I am thankful for how much God has used you in my life. I'm excited to see how He uses you in the future, especially in Russia.
16. Encourager Church - I am so thankful to have grown up in the church I did. That church was like a security blanket for me until I was at least 15. It is where I always felt safe. I learned a lot and had some amazing people pour into me in that church. Eventually, it was not where I was supposed to be anymore, but I am thankful for the impact it and the people in it had on my life.
17. Truth spoken into my life - Ok, so I know that isn't really a thing or a person or a place, but it is a blessing that has helped me through life, spurred me on, and encouraged me. It is always much needed. I am so incredibly thankful for the truth I have had spoken into my life, and for the people in my life who continually speak truth. It is such a huge blessing.
18. Cypress Christian - 9th grade year at Cypress was a turning point for me. I had just realized my need for God and had turned back to Him. Because of His directing me and my parents that I should go to Cypress, I met people that encouraged me and taught me what it is to follow Him. His plan in me going to that school was perfect, and I can't imagine graduating from a better place. I am incredibly thankful that that is where He put me.
19. Houses - Another huge blessing in my life has always been my home away from home. It doesn't matter where that may be at the time, it's just always a huge blessing. Especially in high school when being home was miserable. Being able to stay at Aubrey's whenever was one of the biggest blessings I had. I loved that I basically lived at her house along with the rest of the girls. I still love it every time we spend time at that house. Abby's house freshman year, obviously was an incredible blessing. I mean, by the end of the year, it wasn't my home away from home...it just was my home. I just am so grateful that I go to live on Abby and Nick's futon. That Abby saw what I needed and was so there for me. She's kinda wonderful. :) Also, I love my house this year. It's a huge blessing. It is so sweet to live somewhere where there is peace and not tension and encouragement rather than discouragement. It's so incredible and I just like it a lot.
20. The incredible friends in my life - So basically I have incredible amazing brilliant friends in my life. Just because I didn't mention someone doesn't mean I don't realize how incredible they are and how much I need them in my life. I have been so blessed by friends who are real, honest, and uplifting to me. I don't know how I got so lucky. Jesus must love me a whole lot. :) I am consistently amazed by how blessed I am by the people in my life and the people that love me and care about me. It's truly incredible.
It amazes me how Father knows exactly what we need when we need it. These are just a few of the blessings He has given me to teach me, grow me, and help me get through life thus far. I truly needed each and every one of these and can't imagine my life without them.
