Yesterday, during the last minutes of my being 23, I quoted lines from Coolio's old song, Gangsta's Paradise. It goes:

I'm 23 now but will I live to see 24?
The way things is goin', I don't know...

This was a legitimate question for me about 10 years ago, with the years edited of course. That time was the height of my rebellion, against school, against "the system", and against everybody. Those were dark times for me. At the time, I really didn't know what I was doing to myself, but it sure seemed like a good idea back then. Now that I'm older, and maybe a little wiser, I see now how wrong I was. I know I can't turn back time and take back any of the things I did back then, to my friends, to my schools, to my family, and to society. But I know I can make things better in the world by trying to help kids that may be facing similar problems as I did back then. And that's why I want to be a teacher.

I praise God that He's really helped me to grow. I should be really grateful that I've been plucked out from such a terrible lifestyle. I often take it for granted, but whenever I look back, I get mixed emotions and just realize how much better I'm doing now.

By God's grace, I really did live to see 24. When I started typing this entry, I was in the last minutes of my 24th birthday, and now I'm 24 + 1 day. My math may be slightly off, but that's about 8766.76 days. It's interesting to say that 24 years old is roughly 8765 days lol.

Anyway, it was a wonderful birthday. Just wonderful. We didn't do much, because I don't really like parties, but I can genuinely say that I'm truly happy. I've really been blessed, and I can feel it. I sometimes shed a tear or two whenever I think about just how much God has done for me. And I'm even happier to know that God is good to me, and always has been, and always will be, regardless of what I've done, what I do, and whatever mistakes I might make in the future. Truly, I'm unworthy of such awesome Love, but I'll gladly take it from Him!

I offer up this birthday, and the rest of this year to You, God. Thanks for allowing me to go through everything I did. May all my experiences and skills be used for the greater glory of your kingdom, even at the cost of my life. Because I owe You much more than that. I can never repay You, and I know I'll make a lot of mistakes, but I want to give my best for Your highest!