A Reason, Season or a Lifetime

It is funny, but recently I have had some friends lament about people who have come and left their lives and they do not quite understand why. It seemed like everything was going great, they were becoming fast friends, and then poof..they are gone. That made me remember a story about how people can come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.

When someone is in your life for a reason, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed or just felt. They have come to assist you through a hard time, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. Then, suddenly, the person disappears from your life. Your need has been met; their work is done. It is hard to explain, but they now are off somewhere else.

Some people come into your life for a season, because your turn has come to share or grow or give back. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They give you great joy. Believe it; it is real. But only for a season, and like the seasons, they change and move one.

Lifetime relationships often are harder but teach you lessons that you will use all your life. Things you must build upon to have a solid emotional foundation. Often it is hard to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all your other relationships. But to have these people in your life, it is something you must strive to do.

Think about the people in your life 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 life. And when they are gone, do not be sad for their departure, but be thankful for the gifts you received from them when they were here—for a reason, a season or a lifetime.

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