I promised myself and to God that I'll cultivate deeper and more meaningful relationships this new year, 2014, starting off with my relationship with the Lord. As such, I am starting this year with my first ever post (thanking the Lord Almighty for all that He has done last year) and praying and hoping and actually committing to be more intentional with this blog. After all, my prayer is that this blog will be an instrument of His love and hope to anyone who stumbles upon this. :)
So, here's my Top 13 for 2013! I started this "attitude of gratitude" last year, as inspired by one of the beautiful Christian women in the blogosphere. I have not met her (nor does she know that I exist) but her blog entries have made so many positive impacts in my life.
Anyway, here goes my Thanksgiving List:
1. Our Godly and evangelistic wedding.
In my last post for 2013, I did verbalize the need to pray that "God's glory and story will be our canopy" in the preparation and in the actual wedding. Well, guess what? HE did just that. And MORE. He used various individuals and groups in our church (family and personal friends as well) to bless us with our needs. My personal prayer really was for the guests to say that our wedding was different from the usual ones they have attended. And yes, somebody said that to me, three months after our wedding! :)
What makes me more amazed by our wedding is the fact that it was scheduled on October 19th, four days after the 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit my province of Bohol, causing severe loss and damage to several towns. But the Lord is just so amazing and so faithful that He won't let any earthquake of any magnitude or any aftershock of any magnitude ruin what He has already ordained! I am just so overwhelmed at how God provided everything--from providing us a new venue to setting the schedules and commitments of our suppliers, and the attendance of our guests (one of the towns most hit was my father's hometown but my aunties, uncles and cousins still graced the affair)!
2. A Christ-centered hubby whose boldness in the Lord inspires me! :)
The first time we met, I knew there was something special about him. I could not just pinpoint at that time. And no, I was not drawn to any of his physical attributes at that time. But the more I think of it now, I very well knew in my heart what it was that drew me to him and what it is that keeps our bond together: it is his inner glow that only a man fully given to Christ can ever have. The more the days I spend with him the more inspired I get to, by God's grace, strive to be like our Master.
3. Obedience to God's will for specific members in our church youth group.
I've had the privilege to go on individual "dates" with the girls to address some concerns on their crushes, boyfriends, and the like. And I praise God for the wisdom in all those times. Though I must emphasize that I am not perfect and I am pretty sure that there were also times that I did not quite know what to say. But God answered my prayers that these young ladies will seek His will and do what He commands in their personal lives. Hoooray for that!
4. The Lord's sustaining grace in my Talibon sojourn.
Talibon is a town opposite of the city where I live and used to work. Three months before the wedding, when wedding preparations were at the busiest, I was asked to transfer to the District Office there and the obedient side of me said "Yes." (See, it was a year of "yes" for me!) I knew no one in there and I definitely had no idea what to expect. But the Lord was just so abundant and amazing with His grace for providing me a safe and clean apartment to stay, patience to deal with the clients (though at times I just felt like giving up), and most of all, the strength to survive land travel of three hours (a total of six hours) per week! To top it all, He even designed that my husband dear was also doing fieldwork in a nearby town for two days a week!
5. Much love and fun with my family and relatives.
Before the year ended, we had a mini-reunion and sportsfest in my father's side. My husband and I are still staying with my parents as we pray for our own space in the city. And I praise God for these opportunities to have fun and show love and be loved by our family and relatives!
6. My cutie-patootie nephew and niece!
Well, children are always blessings! My sister has a son and a daughter and both of them are so sweet and close to me, calling me their Auntita! The older baby boy is running three so he's starting to talk and he's just very witty. And recently, he's been talking a lot of English, thanks to Disney Junior, and we are always awed at how he can use the phrases in context! The younger baby girl is just so adorable with her sweet smile and doe eyes! They take the kapoy out of me!
So there goes six of my thirteen. I will be blogging seven more within this week, Lordwilling! God bless us all!
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