Welcome to my Thankful Thursday blog post! The LORD was impressing on my heart to carve out a section on my blog to share what I am thankful for. I am calling this my Thankful Thursday blog posts. I think it is fitting, since here in the USA we celebrate Thanksgiving this month. I will continue to share what I am thankful for, each week, so be sure to come back to my blog and we can count our blessings together.
The Bible says it is a good thing to thank God and to praise Him for all the wonderful things He has done for us. He is so loving and kind to us each morning, waking us up, clothing us in our right mind, and keeping His hand of protection on us throughout the day. He provides all of our needs and orders our steps, leads and guides us, gives us ideas and hopes and goals. Each night He is so faithful to send angels to guard us as we sleep and to watch over us as we rest. Has God made you glad through the work He is doing in your life? He sure has made me glad!
PSALM 92:1-4
1 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O Most High:
2 To shew forth Thy lovingkindness in the morning, and Thy faithfulness every night,
3 Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound.
4 For Thou, LORD, hast made me glad through Thy work: I will triumph in the works of Thy hands.
In January this year, God told me in my prayer and fasting time that He was sending my family and me to live in Mobile, Alabama. I did not want to go. I did not want to move to Alabama, a place I had never gone before, where I knew no one, and where I would not even begin to know how to find a job, a place to live, or schools for my children. I was honest with God and I told Him that I wanted to obey Him but my heart was not in it. He did not give up on me. He kept working on my heart and helped me through seven fasts to see that moving was His plan for us.
I had the 2019-2020 school year planned out for my children. We were going to spend the end of July decorating school lockers, teaching Javan his locker combination, and orienting him to a new school layout. I was so excited for him to start sixth grade in the same junior high school that I went to, and Kadesia went to. I was excited to see if he would be interested in band or maybe sports. He was hoping to try out for the basketball team and he loved playing baseball in the summer. None of that happened. My plans, hopes, and dreams were shattered and I truly mourned this. Javan was excited about starting a new adventure in Alabama. He said he would miss his friends and grandparents but he was excited to be near the ocean.
My baby girl, Kadesia Shae, would be a senior. We have had a graduation party Pinterest board for years! We had great plans for senior photo opportunities, college ideas, and just all the fun milestones that are so bittersweet. She was class president in her junior year. She had lots of friends. She was a leader in Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She was active in her school throughout various clubs and organizations and after school events. She was liked by her teachers and the faculty at her school. I could not wait to see what the year held for us, but as the months went by, and with the prayers and fasting my heart softened and I was able to say yes to the Lord and goodbye to the hopes and dreams I had for my baby girl's last year of high school. I truly mourned this. Kadesia was excited for a fresh start, a chance to make new friends, and the chance to finally have a birthday where it wouldn't be a winter wonderland. She was excited for the future God was waving in front of her and though she knew she would miss her friends and family, our church family, and the teachers she had grown to admire and respect, she was excited about the future.
I knew what I would be missing. I would miss my Moms In Prayer friends. I would miss my children that I taught in Children's Church. I would miss my friends at church who prayed with me and cried with me when they learned that we were moving. I knew I would miss my mom and my family that lives in Indiana. I knew I would miss my job, the fall weather, and the things that I had in my head could be possible.
You know what I miss? I miss my prayer circle, but God gave me a church full of praying people who love me and lift me up. I miss my friends from Moms In Prayer, but God gave me a wonderful friend, Fran, who is over the Mobile area MIP group. I miss my mom, but we talk several times a week, share pictures and texts, and she sends us letters often. I missed the fall weather, but we had some nice fall temperature days here in Mobile and I was content. I miss my job, but God showed me I can still care for people right where I am and my biggest priority in this moment is caring for my husband and our children.
You want to know what I gained? I gained a wonderful home that we can spend time as a family in. No rushing out the door and living in our cars more than at home. No being too busy for conversation and checking in. I gained a new understanding of His plan for my life and the life of my family. I gained more empathy for the homeless population and the troubled youth. I gained a new church family with children I love and adore, who sit in my lap, play with my hair, write me little notes, and rummage through my things. I gained new friends in different races than me and it is a beautiful thing. I am richer for these friendships. I have gained more trust and faith as I walk this journey NOT by sight, but definitely by faith. Sometimes I have to crawl, but He is increasing my faith. I gained more time one-on-one with my husband, sharing in conversation, sight-seeing, exploring, and just hanging out. We still like each other after all these years!!! I have gained more table time with the family as we cook at home and not eat in restaurants. We sit and have a meal together and share where we have seen God that day. I have gained more knowledge of God as I blog more now than I ever have. I gained an opportunity to speak at a Breakthrough service, which I had not done in Indiana in years!
I miss a few things about Indiana, but I never want to go back to live there. I truly cannot imagine living anywhere else on earth. I love the ocean. I love the weather. I love the people. I love how big it is and how small it can be at times. I love how people are so friendly and quick to share. I love that I can ask questions and folks are eager to teach me about their life, their culture, and their way of doing things so I can better understand them. I love that even though I am different on the outside than most people around me, it does not stop some of them from being helpful and loving.
I am thankful for so many things. I thank God that He is continuing to meet our needs even though we have not had jobs since we moved here. I thank God for all the job opportunities that are coming at me this week. I thank God to be licensed as a nurse in Indiana and Alabama. I thank God for being with us, helping us, providing, protecting, promising, hearing and answer our prayers, and never leaving us on our own.
What about you? What are you thankful for?
~Bridgett Owens
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