Hello brothers and sisters, may this post find you filled with the peace and love of the Father and may your mind be stilled and the voice of the Lord find your ears. May your heart run over with the joy that can only be found in Christ Jesus. Remember to read your Bible. It is a love letter from the Creator of all things to you.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
Ecclesiastes 3:1‭-‬7 KJV

So often we take for granted the wonderful things that have been placed in our lives because they are so familiar. I know this is something I am very guilty of. I take for granted that the ones in my life will always be there. This attitude can cause us to treat those closest to us with what can appear to be less respect. The reasons behind this are many and are different for each of us as we live different lives. I am not here to point a finger and tell others how they take their families for granted. I am just here to say that from experience, this should be something we strive to avoid at all costs!

If you have even one family member or close friend, you are a lot better off than others. Those people that have been with you and know all the good, bad and the ugly and are still around… those are the ones that we want to keep close. We should love all people, yes and I am not saying that we should not. What I am saying is that not all those people you love will love you the same but there are those that will. A kindred spirit in this dark world, the ones that love you just because you are you and no other reason. Treat them like the gift they are.

Our children and mothers and fathers and grandparents are also gifts from above. They each in their own right will be used by the Father to shape us into the people we are meant to be. I know how it feels to grow up in a less than safe environment with hard struggles. What we might see as evil in our lives, I promise the Lord does as well but He has the power to take that evil and turn it into something beautiful if only we allow Him too. However, the ones that stuck with us, the ones that pointed us out of darkness or held our hands so we would not be lost completely… love those people. They are your people.

Come, Let us reason together…

Do we need pain in our life to shape us?

Could we become a well rounded soul without it?

I have to agree with others when they say yes. Without pain and trials in our lives we would never become the people that we are. Without the good things as well. Everything, every person, every event, all of it was allowed to happen in our life for a reason. We might not understand why right now but we will. Let me know what you think in the comments.