Is God Throwing Rocks at You?

That's some title for a blog post, isn't it? I used it because I have been reflecting on my wide circle of friends and aquatainces. You see, I have been blessed with the opportunity to make friends with and get to know so many people, literally all over the world. If you think of each person as a stone or rock, then you realize how we are all very much alike but also very different and unique!

The people I know come in every shape, size, color, ethnicity, religon, and nationality. What I have been reflecting on is how these relationships have shaped me into the person I am today. For example, I have a fairly calm and even keel dispsition. Sure, I can get flustered and agitated like anyone but on the whole, I am not usually one to fly off the handle and get my dander up. My Dad was a lot like that but I have also had managers and friends that were that way and because I admired their composure, I took on more of those traits. I am also a tollerant person and with the most recent election behind us, I can tell you that I was able to listen to and respect the opinions of my network without feeling compelled to 'correct' what others might consider 'incorrect' thinking. For that, I can again thank my Dad but also numerous friends who over the years have shown me that issues are far more complex that right wing or left wing, Republican or Democrate, Baptist or Methodist, Black or White. We live in a complex world and to boil every topic down to right or wrong is just not possible. And while I could go on about how these people have helped form me into who I am today, I think the real story here is that God put all of these people in my life and continues to order my steps so that I can continue to grow and stretch into the person he has planned.

You see, I believe God has a plan for my life and to fullfil that plan, he has all of the right people, circumstances, opportunities, and even obsticals lined up so I get where He wants me to go. The good and the not so good people all serve a purpose. Sometimes, the hard to deal with folks are there to help you in ways you don't realize until much later.

I liken the 'difficult' people in my life to rough rocks verses smooth stones. I had a stone tumbler when I was a kid. It was a motorized device that you used to turn rocks into smooth stones. You would fill the container with stones, water, and maybe some sand. When you turned on the tumbler, the combination of turning, water, and sand would eventually wear the rough edges of the rocks down until you had smooth and shiny stones. That is how I see the 'diffcult' people in my life. I may not enjoy being with them but over time, they end up wearing down my rough edges and make me more of a stone than a rough, dirty rock. Everyone in my life has a purpose, just like I have a purpose in the lives of others. That is God's wonderful way of getting us from point A to point B in the grand plan of our lives.

I am very thankful for the people God has put in my life and I am thankful for His continued interest in seeing me grow in His promise of love. Who are the people in your life that are cleaning up your rough edges? Are you letting them shape you and mold you? Are you being a blessing in the lives of others in return? If not, thank God for the opportunities and then go knock some rough edges off. You may find you shine up in the process!