Here are some of the things I am grateful to the Lord for 2010:
1. Family. I treasure the times I could come home to the Philippines for extended periods so I can spend some quality time with my parents, siblings, nephews, and nieces. The early months, as well as the last two months of 2010 I spent with my parents, sister and her family in Cebu and with my younger brother and his family in Pasig, Manila. It was really, really good bonding time with them as well as an opportunity for me to just be a daughter, sister, and auntie. I have never felt so close to my sister as this time and I find that I am enjoying her company more and more. And I have had some talks with my Mom that made me realize how insensitive I have been to her heart. In the end, one never regrets spending too much time with family. After all the years of wandering... it's always nice to come home.
2. My Nepal and India adventure. Being in Nepal and India was a real blessing for me. I gained so many friends and enjoyed another kind of cross-cultural experience. It was a delight and a time of much needed refreshment for me just to sit at the feet of Jesus and learn to live in community with people from different cultures and of different personalities for five months! In India, I saw through the eyes of Jesus the poor, the sick, and the oppressed and my heart went out to them as I realized that sometimes, all they need is to have someone spend time with them, to listen and to care. I was still, in some ways, "burnt out" when I went on this trip but to find myself surrounded by the wild beauty of magnificent snow peaks, raging rivers, and pine forests stilled my heart and gave me assurance that everything will be alright in Christ!
3. My COOK family. What a blessing to have an extended family who loves me enough to watch my back whether I'm at home in the Philippines or out there somewhere in Asia! Cook loves me just as I am! They know me and I know them and together we are still growing in that knowledge. They pray for me and cheer me on! I am so privileged to have pastors (Thank you, Pastor Jerome and Pastor Doug!) who look out for me and support me and cover me... as a shepherd does for his sheep. They are not afraid to use strong words when needed to show concern over me and to make sure I am on the right path. What an amazing thing the church is! No human could have conceived a temple made up of "living stones" but it was in God's heart all along to show us that we belong to each other and together we make up the whole body with Jesus us our Head!
4. A new season. I am grateful for the fact that God set the sun, moon and the stars in their place to mark the days, months, and years. He made the earth to rotate on its axis (tilting at the perfect angle!) and revolve around the sun to mark the seasons of spring, summer, winter, and fall. To everything there is a beginning and an end and everything that has a beginning has a cause and a purpose. In the same way, we all go through our own "seasons" in life for a purpose-- not just to strengthen us but to move us forward to our destiny. 2010 was for me like the transition period between two seasons. One season came to an end and another is just beginning. Sometimes, it can be difficult to be in transition. I look back and try to hold on to the familiar and I am afraid to move forward into the unknown, unchartered territories. But as in every good story, I am compelled to turn the page and go from one chapter to the next so I can get to the end of the story-- the happy ever after ending!
5. BFFs (Best Friends Forever or low maintenance friends). Everyone needs a BFF, even just one! I am grateful to the Lord for giving me a few from different cultures, not just my own. Every woman needs a support group-- someone to bare your soul to, to laugh with, to cry with, and to ask for godly advice. I will not name them here but you know who you are and I want to thank you for always being "on call" for me and for creating that much needed safe place for me to be myself. You cannot always be physically present but you are always just a phone call or email away!
6. Mentors. In the midst of this fatherless generation, I am grateful to God for providing me with "fathers" (as well as "mothers") who have taken the time to mentor me with their invaluable wisdom that has been gained through years of experience and walking with the Lord. I thank God for my leaders whom I highly respect not only because of their authority over me but because their authority comes from servant leadership. They are the "shepherds after God's own heart" mentioned in Jeremiah 3:15 who guide the people under their care with knowledge and understanding. I also thank God for my now gray-haired parents and the elderly people in my church in whose company I have become wiser. And of course, there are those whom I do not know personally but at whose feet I have sat and "listened" this year: Book authors like John Eldredge, Job, King Solomon, and the Apostle Paul!
7. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Last but certainly not the least because He is way over the top, I thank God for the gift of Himself! He is the giver of every good and perfect gift and the Father of Lights! Isaiah9:6 says it well. This year, He has been my "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace!"
Seven is a perfect number so I'll end at seven although there are still so many things to be thankful for. Now that 2010 has come to an end, I can for a moment look back and say, "Wow!" but I can also embrace the new year 2011 and expect greater things to come. It is all because my God is alive and well and in Him every year can be "The year of the Lord"-- a year of freedom, favor, and fullness!
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