Birthday Note ❤️

They say, “you don’t know what you have until you lose it.” If I should say that life has taken me on the most interesting roller coaster ride of my life, I would not be lying. One of the biggest lessons in this journey has been to appreciate the moments that we might overlook at times and look at them as ‘normal’ and part of our daily lives, until we aren’t able to do any of them. Today, 18^th of August 2024, I get to celebrate my birthday and now more than ever before I am so grateful for the gift of life. You know why?

After the laminectomy surgery on my back on 21^st of March 2024, my doctor came to see me the next day and said that everything went on okay (music to my ears) and that he would discharge me if I walked myself to the bathroom, took a shower and started walking around. Now that was an odd request, but for me I was excited about it because I wanted to go back home and sleep in my own bed and be surrounded by family and not hospital walls with nurses coming to give me a cocktail of medication which made me as high as a kite. Honestly speaking if what I was feeling after taking medication is what drug addicts feel, then I must admit my cocktail of medication took me to that place. But unfortunately, when the medication wore off, and I came back to reality, I felt every amount of pain you could imagine – this was my life for almost 2 months. The pain was followed with a stiff back which made me unable to bend which also made taking showers hard. Something that was as easy as ABC, I now had to come up with a whole invention just to make it work. Have you ever sat down for long hours without thinking I need to lie down? Well, I couldn’t sit, something that I did for many years, and now I couldn’t, all I was left with was lying on different sides and alternating in-between. 

Why am I writing all this? Well first and foremost I want to tell God THANK YOU for granting me a safe surgery and for being with me during the recovery period! He did it for me and all the Glory goes back to Him. Secondly, I remembered the story of the 10 lepers in Luke 17:11-19. The story goes, when Jesus was at the border of Galilee and Samaria, He entered a village there and was met with 10 men who had leprosy and they cried out to Him saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” And Jesus looked at them and told them, “Go show yourselves to the priests,” and as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy. Take note that the miracle happened after they obeyed and started going to the priests. However, when one of them realized that he had been healed, he turned back to Jesus’ shouting, “Praise God!” and he fell to the ground at Jesus feet, thanking Him for what He had done – this man was not a Jew, he was a Samaritan. Am sure the rest of the 9 were not very far to notice one of them had turned back, but immediately this man realized he was healed, he didn’t wait for another minute or day to pass, he was grateful and praised God there and then! Reading the next verses, and there’s something that Jesus says that we need to pay attention to, “didn’t I heal 10 men? Where are the other 9? Has no one returned to give Glory to God except this foreigner?” and Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.”

This man that is described in Luke 17 was a grateful man because when he realized he was healed, he turned back praising God but the rest continued walking like ‘it wasn’t a big of a deal,’ and so the 9 moved on swiftly. As I read this scripture, I was convicted of the many times God came through for me, but I looked at it as if it was normal – His job, something that He should have done in the first place! Not big of a deal and I continued with life swiftly, Ouch!! Frankly speaking am sure I am not the only one who has failed here, we all have failed one too many times, we have all seen as if it was God’s job to heal / supply / provide / come through and our job was to continue with life without Glorifying His Name – error! If we don’t testify who will? If we don’t declare of His goodness who will? If we don’t openly talk about our Savior who will? The rest of the world is so vocal about their believes and they try to push it down our throats, why should we continue being silent. Well, it’s time the world heard the stories of what God has done instead of us thinking that we are putting ourselves out there – being modest! Well might I remind you that Jesus wasn’t modest when He picked up the cross and was nailed to it. The whole world saw it and to this day, it’s still one of the stop stories. Personally, I think if it would have happened in our current times, it would have been BREAKING NEWS on all Social Media Platforms. 

I was listening to Become New podcast by John Ortberg and was blessed with what I heard through his interview with Olympian Jimmy Melado who stated, “You don’t get the story you want sometimes… sometimes you get to the point where the story you don’t want becomes a story you wouldn’t want to change.” Out of this journey, God birthed a podcast which started last year on 29^th August 2023 and in just a few days we will be celebrating 1year anniversary for Life Podcast. The pain, I didn’t want, birthed a ministry I wouldn’t want to change.

Therefore on this 18^th day of August 2024, I want the whole world to know that I Cynthia Wanjiru Gitonga – Theuri is a child of God, saved by Grace and sanctified by the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ that was shed on Calvary. Today I want everyone to know that my God has been Faithful to me, He has been with me in the fire, holding my hand through the pain and sorrow. He has been teaching me lessons I wouldn’t have learnt any other way except through this painful journey.

Child of God, go ahead and tell your stories, share the testimony of what God has done! You’re not bragging about yourself, but what God has done in you, as Paul writes in 1^st Corinthians 1:31 “Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the LORD.” 

Again they say, “you only live once,” therefore live life to the fullest. Yes, you only live once in this part of life, but guess what? When you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you will get to experience a whole new life in eternity when this world is over and Christ has come back for His church. Yes, live life to the fullest by serving God and bringing Him all the Glory and Honor – for only He deserves it! He is God! He is love! He is everlasting. And in the words of Seph Schlueter, “I was through, till the day I met you, now I have a hope that I, I won’t ever lose. Therefore, I’m gonna trust in the One that won’t let me go, coz I’ve never known a love like this. I’m gonna run to the arms where I know I’m home, coz I’ve never known a love like this. 

Choose Jesus! Live for Him! Share your Testimony!

God bless you!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3Ors-XZDjQ