Looking back, I cannot help but thank the Lord almighty for His goodness and guidance; He has been faithful and the best words I have to express His greatness are understatements. I am lost for words, as I think and meditate on His wonderful deeds.
I am already 43 years old! Hooray! I am very grateful to God once more, for all of these years. During this time, I went through various phases of life and acquired, to a certain extent, the ability to think more. I am grateful that my thoughts have become better, more positive, constructive, and edifying.
This is not a coincidental achievement, it is the result of God’s mercy and grace on me. It is the result of working on myself. Thanks again, to God’s mercy and grace. I am glad that His grace on me was not in vain, and that by the age of 43, I have learned some important lessons of life, and others are yet to be learned.
Indeed, unless the Lord builds the house, the workers labor in vain; and unless the Lord protects the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.
I thank God for building and protecting me in every year of my life from all evil and unbearable temptations. When storms came upon the boat of my life from all sides, Jesus was with me in the boat and I did not drown!
Have I experienced loss in this life? Yes, I have, but I have the right attitude towards it: God has given and God has taken away, blessed be His name! There were unfulfilled expectations from people and even from God, but what I gained after these experiences became much more valuable than what I had “lost.”
I learned how to lose with honor and to gain with thanksgiving. I realized that after every loss, God’s power was revealed through my losses, through my infirmity. His grace is sufficient for me at all times, and every loss only brings me closer to God. I am increasingly convinced that nothing can happen to me without His knowledge. God had decided and allowed some troubles to come to my environment, and that means that it was meant by Him to be. So, I will not cry over spilled milk, losses, and disappointments! I will not live in the past, and it really makes no sense to do so.
“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” – John F. Kennedy
In my 43 years of life and work, I have been privileged to experience a lot. I have experienced different feelings at different times. I have received blows from different kinds of people, including the most unexpected. Over the years, I have lost friends and disciples, but I have also gained new ones.
I noticed that every time I lost something or someone, after some time, I acquired something new and better.
Over these years, I have seen good days and better days, and I have also seen the evil of human imperfections and weaknesses. I constantly see how both good and evil are working together for the betterment of those who love God.
I have learned to forgive, to trust God, to mind my own business more, to be accountable to God and wait for my rewards in heaven only from Him.
I am alive today thanks to the constant presence of God, fellowship with Him, and thanks to the faithful, good people, who would not let me give up during the dark nights.
I continue to make progress today, thanks to loyal disciples and colleagues who create a great environment for me, and are always with me in all of my life’s processes.
I am not ashamed of my life. I am not ashamed of my lifestyle and I am not ashamed of God’s chosen direction for my life. I am happy and satisfied to know that I love and fear God.
I am happy that I do not retain evil and that heaven beckons and waits for me.
I am determined to continue living effectively, and I will live as long as God allows me. I am determined to continue doing all that I do, and even more than that, but in the best way possible.
“A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” – Jackie Robinson
I am determined to continue honoring God, to always have His fear and to live in such a way for God’s name not to be blasphemed, and for His body, His Church to be united.
I am determined to continue being a faithful wife to my husband. Honoring, supporting, comforting, and inspiring him to do great deeds, accomplish extraordinary feats, and take revenge on the kingdom of darkness, as the Bible commands wives to do. I promise to continue to stand in the gap as much as I can!
I am determined to continue building a trusting relationship with my biological children – Perez, Zoe, and Pearl. And to be an image and example of God for them.
I am determined to continue serving in any ministry, entrusted to me, in the “Embassy of God” church, where I am well planted for over twenty-one years.
I am determined to continue serving humanity through all the platforms and opportunities provided to me, because to live is to serve! And serving is true life!
Everything has its time, but as long as God gives me breath, life, and health, I will serve Him. I will convert my breath, health, and even pain into ministry. I will continue to raise people, disciples, geniuses wherever I can.
In conclusion, I want to thank God and all the people whom God somehow used to form me. Those who put something in my life. I am the fruit of all of you. I am the fruit of all my relationships and experiences. You all left something in me – a lesson, truth, example, support, and even pain. Thank you that you were there sometime ago, thank you to those who still exist in my life, and thank you to those, who will still be in my life in the future.
“At times, our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” – Albert Schweitzer
I thank my Creator for all that He has given me and continues to give me. All that I have, I owe it all to God the Creator. I thank Him for my parents, relatives, friends and enemies. I thank Him that I am not alone. I thank Him for my health, gifts, occasions in my life, and happiness.
A big thank you to my parents, for giving me life, an education, and a happy childhood. You always have a special place in my heart.
Thank you to my husband and children for caring, understanding, accepting, and loving me. For the opportunity to learn from you and to better understand my own parents and other people.
Thank you to all the people, who at least once prayed for me and blessed me. Thank you to all the people, who at least once helped me with actions or with advice.
Thank you to all my relatives, spiritual children, disciples, and fans. Thank you for the invisible support that you are to me.
Thank you to all who consider themselves my enemies. Thank you to all my offenders, persecutors, haters and cursers, for giving me the opportunity to fulfill the commandment of God, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for those who persecute you.”
Thank you to all my teachers, parents, spiritual mentors, school teachers, lecturers, and coach-mentors for giving me your knowledge and experience. Thank you for teaching me life and wisdom.
Without you all, even those who have already left this earth, I would never have become who I am today and who I will become in the future.
Life is wonderful with you!
I thank God for my birthday and for the fact that He gives me an understanding of the purpose of life. Borrowing some wisdom from Abraham Lincoln, I concur that:
“In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”
May God protect, bless, and have mercy on us all!
Yours sincerely,
Bose Dere-Adelaja
