People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. When you figure out which one it is, you will know what to do for each person.

When someone is in your life for a reason, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally, or spiritually. They may seem like a god-send, and they are! They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrong doing on your part, or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, your desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered, and now it is time to move on.

When people come into your life for a season, it is because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn. They bring you an experience of peace, or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it! It is real! But, only for a season.

Lifetime relationships teach you lifetime lessons; things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person, and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

***********************************************************
We all have many relationships in our lives -- our families (siblings, spouses, children, cousins) -- some maybe more than they'd like!  :) -- our friends, co-workers, the list goes on.  But occasionally, people enter our lives for other reasons.....not sure why, we move forward with them and see what happens.

Tonight, I met with two such gentlemen.  I don't really remember ever "meeting" them, even though one of them used to block my view every Sunday morning in church, because he's so dang tall!  But, I digress.....I don't really remember meeting these guys, but the longer I know them, I am figuring out it wasn't an accident that we met and got to know each other.

Brad, Steve, and I met tonight (Scott, who I feel similarly about, was in abstentia because he apparently is important and needed to be out of town) to discuss upcoming CCD classes -- to figure out what we wanted for an end result, and to plan the classes as a whole. 

I have never sat for an hour and a half before in wonder and amazement at the ideas that came forth.  We all feel very similarly about the passing on of our faith to the young people of our church (not that others that teach don't, mind you!!!) -- it's just that it was fun to bounce ideas off of each other and then see the next idea appear.  What started out as jumbled thoughts put into an ipod Touch, are now being put to paper, sorted and organized.  (Scott -- if you are reading this, we did choose parts, and, of course, you will LOVE yours -- it's easy *wink*.  :)

The passage I've copied above I love for many reasons.  I don't really like to categorize people, but sometimes it helps to put things in perspective when you look at people in this way.

 

I want to say that these guys came in to my life, probably initially for a season (CCD) or a reason (church) --> but I REALLY hope that they are in our lives for a LIFETIME.  Such amazing, godly men. 

Thanks for being my friend!  :)