2022: Be Present, Be Faithful, Be Generous: December Edition

“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14) (NIV)

First, butterflies, I am sorry that I did not blog consistently this year. Life changed since I got married. Life has gotten busier, and it has changed for the better. My hope is for me to be more consistent with my blogging next year. Now on to this last entry for 2022.

During this year, I learned how to be present. My husband, Matt, is totally blind and I am visually impaired so going out is quite an adventure to us. Because we don’t drive, we use Uber, the mobility bus, or friends and family help us. We love using our alternative transportation to go out on dates to restaurants, to the movies and trips to the mall. We also went to the Sight and Sound Theater in Pennsylvania to see the play, David. A good friend of ours also drove us to two of my husband’s book signings this year at His Way Christian Bookstore. We had a lot of interesting conversations and was blessed by the experience.

One of the most influential people that I got to talk to this year was my father-in-law, Jack. He showed me how to exercise one’s faith in Christ while dying. Jack knew he was going to die soon and that we die because of sin. But he also knew and believed the gospel, that Jesus died on the cross to forgive the sins of the world and that God his father raised him from the dead.  As a result, Jack knew he had a place in heaven. This knowledge also brought comfort for his family after Jack passed away on May 20^th, 2022.

Eternal life is God’s free gift to the world, and all we need to do is receive it. I received mine 20 years ago as a teenager. If you would like to receive yours today, then please pray with me now and mean it in your heart:

“Dear Jesus, I know I’m a sinner, and because of that I would be lost in hell without you. Please forgive me and come into my life and save me. I believe that you died on the cross for my sins and that God, your father, raised you from the dead. Thank you, Jesus, for loving me and for giving me your gift of eternal life. Amen!”

If you accepted Christ today Happy Birthday! You are now part of God’s family.

This year I learned how to be faithful. I would usually let fear overtake me because of my past. However, I’m not scared of life anymore. I’m enjoying it. I am working on letting go of my past, and that is okay. The key is I am enjoying life. Before I moved to Maryland from Florida, I didn’t have a zest for life. I mainly tried to keep other people in my life happy by applying for jobs to chase the American Dream. Because the transportation in Florida for the disabled was inadequate, I basically stayed home in my room wasting my life away. I had bouts of anxiety and depression. Since I moved to Maryland, I have accessible transportation, and I can be faithful to my “Yes” to life instead of running from it. My battles with anxiety and depression have decreased.

 God loves a cheerful giver! During the year, Matt and I have faithfully given out complimentary copies of Seeing Through Blindness, a book my husband wrote about his struggles with visual impairment, drugs and God as a teenager and young adult.  In short, it is a book about his journey to Jesus. My hope is that anyone who receives a book finds hope and encouragement.

I am excited to see what 2023 holds for me!