Sunday Reflections | Today, I Just Want to Say: Thank You, Lord! 🙏🏾❤️
As one week comes to an end and another begins, I find myself reflecting on the journey of being a graduate student. We often begin each week with plans, goals, and expectations. But life doesn't always unfold the way we anticipate. Sometimes, academic responsibilities require us to adjust our priorities, postpone certain commitments, or simply acknowledge that we cannot do everything at once.
I had made a commitment to myself to share my Sunday Reflections regularly. However, as I focused on preparing for my dissertation proposal defense, I had to step back and put some of those plans on hold. And that's part of the journey, too. Being a graduate student is not only about research, deadlines, presentations, and academic achievements. It is also about navigating life, making choices, finding balance, and learning to appreciate the journey, even when things don't go according to plan. So, as I reflect on another week and prepare for the one ahead, I don't want to focus on what I didn't accomplish.
Today, I simply want to be grateful.
Today is a day of gratitude. Today, I simply want to say: Thank You, Lord!
Thank You for everything You have done in my life. For the good things, the bad things, the challenges, the people You have placed along my path, and those You have removed. For the opportunities You have given me and those You have also taken away. For the connections, for the people I have met throughout my journey, and, above all, for the gift of life.Â
Thank You for my family. Thank You for the parents You gave me. Because without them, I would not even be the Vanessa I am today. Perhaps I would not even be called Vanessa. I would not have this DNA. I would not be here today, writing these words.
Thank You for my friends. Thank You for allowing me to breathe. Thank You for allowing me to be part of a community. Thank You for allowing me to think, dream, and believe that I can achieve things that, many times, I cannot even imagine myself achieving.
Thank You for everything You have given me.
Sometimes, I look back at my journey and simply marvel at the way God has been working in my life. I have lost count of how many scholarships I have had the opportunity to receive over the years. And when I think about it, all I can say is: My God, how good You have been to me! You have opened doors that I never imagined could one day open for me. You have performed miracles by day and by night, night after night and day after day. You have brought people into my life whom I can call, talk to, share my worries with, and simply be myself around.
You gave me one of the greatest gifts of my life: my children. ❤️
You gave me a family that is not perfect, but that is the best family I could ever have. A family that is there when I need them most. A family where I find perfection in imperfection. You gave me a world to conquer. You gave me the possibility to dream.
And today, Lord, I simply want to thank You.
Wherever You are, wherever You may be watching over me from, you know who I am. You know that sometimes I make mistakes. You know that sometimes I fail. You know that sometimes I sin. But You also know that today I am here, with all my heart, simply to say: Thank You! Even in the most difficult moments of my life, when You allowed me to lose people I loved so deeply, when I watched what was so precious to me slip away, even without understanding why there had to be so much pain, still, Lord, I say: thank You.
Even when I do not understand the way You do things. Even when I do not understand why certain doors close, why certain people leave, or why certain situations happen. I continue to believe that You know what You are doing. And I truly believe that, on the other side, one day, we will understand what Your purpose was. But for now, I do not want to ask for anything.
Today, I simply want to give thanks.
Thank You for all the blessings. Thank You for all the incredible surprises You continue to bring into my life. Thank You for the opportunities I can see and those I cannot yet see. Thank You for what You have given me. Thank You for what You have taken away. Thank You for what You have allowed to happen and even for what You have not allowed.
Thank You for life. For my parents. For my family. For my children. For my friends. For the people who walk beside me. For the people who have passed through my life and for those who are yet to come.
Thank You, Lord. Thank You. Thank You. Thank You! 🙏🏾❤️
And you? As one week comes to an end and another begins, what are you grateful for? What are you looking forward to in the week ahead?
Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead! ❤️
I Believe. 🦋
Comments