The song “Blessings” by Laura Story plays a massive role in my life. The words say it all. Some of us ask for something, and when we don’t receive it we are dissatisfied, but it shouldn’t be like that. Sometimes God will bless us in ways we have never even dreamed of or asked for.

It’s been quite a long time since I have seen my grandmother. Words can’t describe how much I miss her. Leaving her was one of the hardest things I had to do. However, in leaving Burma, I learned a valuable lesson. Going from Burma to Malaysia through all the hiding, promenading through huge cornfields and witnessing people perish helped me to understand that in life sometimes without pain there is no gain. Look at me now. I’ve gone from being a little girl who lived with her grandmother in substandard conditions to a girl who is now living a bit of a spoiled life in America.

In Burma, I had never even dreamed or thought of a life like this. In fact, I didn’t even know that I was coming to America until 2006. During my journey, I did face some challenges, such as spending several nights in jail. Luckily for me, jail wasn’t too bad. There was a policewoman who was willing to treat me to, not the most breathtaking, but not-too-bad food.

There have been so many incidents in which I could have been hurt or even died, yet I am still alive today. As I have matured and begun to understand more about life, I have come to realize that no matter what happens, who leaves or stays, the number one person would never leave me is Jesus Christ. If you put your faith in him, blessings will come your way.

To me, people who think that they are not blessed are wrong. I see life as a blessing, a gift from God. What I do with my life is my gift back to God. I believe that most of the events that I face are meant to happen. If I hadn’t gone through what I went through, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. I still have many flaws, but who doesn’t? When something happens to me, it’s my job, for better or worse, to ask myself, “How can I use this as a blessing to bring God’s glory?”

There are so many things, like being able to move your fingers, that we should be thankful for, yet we don’t even think about them. Your greatest disappointments of your life might be your steps to getting success.