BYE 2017 WELCOME 2018

As we are in the final hours of twenty seventeen, reflecting on my year I feel grateful of the year that God blessed me with. There a lot of things that happen during the year which I won’t remember them all and even if I try to it will be too long for this entry.  The year encompassed a lot of events with all types of feelings, from happiness to dejection, derailments to opportunities. But in all this am very grateful on how God gave a me a good comeback.

One of the things that has occupied me during the year was my PhD. Given that this is my final year it feels like a final round of marathon. Where you are exhausted but you need to go to the finish line. A lot of my plans changed due to writing opportunities that emerged. Although these opportunities emerged they were challenge in themselves. For example, failing to attend a conference in Guimarães, Portugal due to limited time and other factors. Furthermore, some of my writings took more than expected and they had given me a low time that I almost gave up. However, am grateful that my supervisors and family encouraged me to go on and am very glad of the outcome. At least it landed me on my first academic publication on a 3-star journal. Reflecting on the whole process of writing and the emotions; I can’t agree more that the finest oil comes from grinding the nuts.

Another, thing that when I look back at twenty seventeen is my family. My family has always given me a lot of support and strength. In the middle of this year my mother felt sick and I was very low, but God full of mercy and grace healed her. The recovery of my mother is one of the things that I am very grateful of what God did to me in 2017.  This brought back energy and joy not only to me but also to my family.

Lastly on reflecting back in my year, I am very grateful in my spiritual wellbeing and support that I receive from church, life group, friends and family.  Though this year I have taken a lot of effort on my physical and mental wellbeing. Spiritual well-being is something that has kept me going on. Today’s sermon was about how God gave Abraham a promise, and in coincidence this week I read in Galatians on the Child of slavery and child of promise (Abraham children). I choose to be a child of promise and I believe twenty eighteen will be a year full of promises that God will bless me with. On my favourite quote from C.S.Lewis that ‘What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing. It also depends on what sort of person you are’. In 2018 my resolution is on reflecting on what sort of person am I and this will also depend on the stand (decision and perspectives) that I will take to capture the promises of 2018. Happy new year to all of you and may God’s grace be upon you.