Long Before the First Hello
Some days ago, I was talking to God…okay more like whining.
I was struggling with why it seems like He keeps bringing people into my life that either
a. I would rather NOT deal with or
b. Challenge me (in a good way) out of ordinary and comfortable relating patterns
He interrupted my pity party with the story of Esther and the words of her Uncle Mordecai. In his appeal he told Esther “Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14b)
A deeper meaning was born in my heart when I heard that statement.
God didn’t let Esther be kidnapped and taken to the palace of a king so her uncle didn’t have to continue to care for her.
God didn’t turn the King’s heart to desire Esther above all the other women just so the king would have a good woman.
What He did do was prepare and position a young Jewish woman in a relationship with a powerful, heathen King so that she, when the moment was right, would be able to win over the heart of a man she could not have affected otherwise so that not only her, but all of Israel could be saved.
In short, he prepared her to deal with a relationship and situation far out of her league and comfort zone long before she ever knew.
My pity party turned into a perspective shift.
Just like with Esther, God isn’t bringing random people into my life, or me into theirs, for no reason.
Do the people He sends sometimes challenge me? Absolutely.
Are there some people I wish He would send to someone else to deal with? Um…can I plead the 5th? 😉
Seriously though, I am realizing that if a person is in my life, for however long or short, God has allowed it for a reason, and for my good and theirs.
In each relationship, He will teach me knew things and challenge me out of stale patterns because He has already prepared for “such a person as this”.
Today, I am confident I am equipped to relate in the best way possible as I listen, learn and love others, long before the first hello.
Friend, God has prepared you for the relationships you have too! Go to Him with your struggles because He already has the answers.
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