As I think back on the relationships I’ve had in my life, I can say that for many of them I feel blessed. Blessed to have experienced them. Blessed for the pain they have caused. Blessed for the lessons they have taught me. Blessed for how some have broken me down but even more for how some have helped build me up! I’ve had work relationships that were for a reason. I’ve had ex’s and friendships that were for a season.
… And I have people in my life now that I pray are here for eternity.
I had to learn, and I am still learning to see each relationship as not so much a distressing loss, but this experience that I was fortunate to have in the first place.
No one likes to think of any relationship as temporary, but the truth is… people enter our lives for a reason, season, or a lifetime. When we try to force relationships beyond their purpose, we often end up upset.
Someone once told me “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.”
REASON
When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a necessity you or they have prayed for. God often sends someone to assist us through a difficulty, to provide us with direction and support, to support us physically, emotionally, and/or spiritually. They are there only for the reason God needs them to be or vice versa. And often at times without any offense, the relationship will come to a close; sometimes we grow apart, sometimes one of us will walk away, sometimes people die, sometimes God completely removes them from our lives, sometimes they act a fool and you have to do what you have to do and take a stand. Sometimes what we fail to realize immediately from our “reasons” is that our requirements have been met, our desires have been satisfied; and now it is time to move on!
SEASON
Sometimes we find ourselves in difficult seasons. Trust me when I say, I think this has been the most difficult season after season I have experienced but I know deep down inside something “greater” will come from it all. For those who know and believe the word of God, then you have always heard that … It’s been said that we’re always in at least one of three seasons of life:
1. We’re in the middle of something.
2. We’re about to be in something.
3. We just got out of something.
That “something” is usually a difficult season in our lives. It’s never really a matter of “will” we have a difficult season, it’s a matter of “when.”
When people come into our lives for a SEASON . . . It’s usually to help us grow, or to teach us a lesson. They may teach us something we may have never learned or have never done, had it not been for this specific season. Many will say that seasons bring eye opening understandings. They usually give you a new outlook on life.
Whenever you find yourself going through a tough season, remember God is not necessarily punishing you. Sometimes He must allow us to grow and learn through our poor choices in order for us to grow closer to Him. It may hurt or feel as though the pain will never stop. But remember, it’s only for a season. How long your season lasts solely depends on how long it takes us to learn!
LIFETIME
It’s been said that LIFETIME relationships teach us the most valuable thing of all times … lifetime lessons! They are often considered a gift from God so we must learn to cherish them. These are the relationships that we are blessed to have until one of you take your last breath. (Family, friends, your spouse. etc.) Don’t get me wrong they aren’t always going to be easy. All relationships take effort on both parts. Someday's you will probably feel like the relationship is not worth the effort that you put forth. Other days you will feel thankful that God has placed them in your life, wonder why He took so long, and hope that they will be around forever. It is said that love is blind, but friendship is clairvoyant. So, think about all the people who have entered, exited, been booted, God removed, passed away, or just disappeared over the years … Whether they were there for a reason, a season or a lifetime, accept them and treasure them for however long they were meant to be part of your journey. Or as Dr. Seuss once wrote: “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.”
