“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.” Ephesians 1:3-5

These were the verses our discipleship group pondered on last week. Third, our dgroup leader, asked each member to recount and share the blessings that God has given throughout our lives. As I sat listening in my chair, I can’t help but marvel at how wonderfully God has been moving in each of our lives - causing some of us to go through certain difficulties so He could show us His faithfulness, and granting a worry-free mindset to some, which in this maze of a life is a great blessing in itself.

When it was my turn to share, I realized that my greatest blessing is this: knowing that I have a Father in heaven even if I didn’t have one on this earth. You see, my mother was a single parent, and early on in childhood I consider it such a blessing that I didn’t feel like I was missing out on something. My Lolo and Lola took us under their care, another show of grace that I am very grateful for, and they made sure we were fed, clothed, sent to school and had a house to call home. God placed me in a family with a lot of father figures, too, which was also probably why I never felt lacking. “The Lord is a father to the fatherless”, Psalms 68:5 sings, and in my young life I knew this to be true, with all my heart.

But I did have an earthly father, and God in His infinite wisdom, caused us to see each other for the  first time in April 2011 (I was 26). My mom, my Kuya, my cousin, and two close friends accompanied me to Zamboanga then Tawi-Tawi to meet him, and I knew too, upon seeing him, that I loved him. That no matter what happened in the past, there was no pain nor bitterness in me, only joy and understanding. Thankful I am, that in my lifetime I got to spend two days with my father, got to see his face, hear his voice, and know how it is to have a Papa, even for just a short time.

It was this incident that taught me a priceless lesson, too: that God will not plant a desire in your heart if He has no plans of fulfilling it. Because for twenty-six years I knew my father was alive and was somewhere out there, but never did I feel the need to see him until that one day in December 2010 when from out of the blue, I just did. I had no idea that the two days in April 2011 were my only time with him, because on that same year, three days before my birthday, he passed. Kaya pala pinagkita na kami ni Lord. Kaya pala.

My husband is, of course, another of life’s great blessings. He came at a time when I have almost given up on romantic love, and now, one year and three months after we got married, I still greatly delight in being his wife. Through my marriage to him, God continues to show His faithfulness unto me in so many ways. Allow me to recount two.

I’ve been supporting my family through my singing since I was 16. The bulk of household and educational expenses fell on my lap, and there were moments in the past when I wished for someone to help me, to share the burden of responsibility. You know the kind of man the Lord chose for me? Someone who fully embraced my situation, and not just that, someone who set his company up in such a way that the shareholders (in this case, his whole immediate family) would have their living expenses taken cared of. We wouldn’t have to worry about the grocery and utility bills anymore, at least for our household. And for someone who almost always worried about these things, this situation is such a big help. Thank You po talaga, Lord.  

The Lord knows how much I love to travel, too. And so he marries me off to someone who does a lot of it for business and sports! Hehe! I got to see Europe because of Joey, and New Zealand and Bangkok and locally, El Nido and Balesin! Next month, we’re off to Spain! Hay, salamat po talaga, Panginoon. To get to see You and Your creations in different parts of the world is a treasure trove of memories I hold dearly in my heart.

I guess you are wondering when singing would come up in this list. But of course! I wouldn’t be where I am right now if it weren’t for the gift of music that the Lord has blessed me with. It has allowed me and my family to live, it has brought me to so many places, it has led me to meet people with beautiful hearts and amazing talent. And unbelievably, there are people who say they are fans of my music and my voice. I have fans! Imagine that. Work is play, and singing in itself is its own great reward. And what’s amazing is that I didn’t intentionally set out to sing professionally; it was the Lord who orchestrated for all of it to happen, in a series of fortuitous events.

For all of these, and more, I bring back all praise and glory to our dear Heavenly Father, who loves us beyond measure, who knows the deepest desires of our hearts, and who sets out to fulfil each and every one of them, in His perfect time, in His perfect will. But among all these blessings, what I have recently come to truly realise is how life on this earth and all the blessings that we enjoy are all bonuses compared to the ultimate gift - that of salvation. Eternal life with God - where there is no more pain nor mourning nor sadness.. what could possibly top that? I am so thankful to God for impressing this upon me, for there were moments in the past when I have sinned and forgotten that He is faithful. But now, with this - I can only look forward in expectation of all the things yet to happen. My heart, which for a time was searching for things lacking, is now content. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Everything is a bonus.

Being human and a sinner, I do not deserve anything, but let me give You thanks and praise for all that You allow to happen in my life, oh Lord, both the good and the bad. Thank You, very very much.

What about you? How has God blessed you? :)

Thanks for reading! Have a wonderful Sunday :) <3

Bossa love,

Sitti