People Around You are Gifts

One Saturday night, I called a friend asking her about the details of our walk and the schedule of the golf day of our husbands.  She kindly answered my querries.

 

So, when we managed to contact another person to confirm the details of the golf day, he told us they were there with the others.   

But we are usually part of that group!  She is usually the one who informs us of the details of any get-together. Or, the owner of the house-venue would call us.  But we did not receive any indications of a fellowship later that evening.

Someone forgot about us!  They did not notice our absence.  I felt disappointed. Hurt.  In the meantime, my brother called us to have supper and karaoke (sing-a-long) at his place.  It was a nice catch up with them and some other friends. Albeit, a very short one.

My husband receive a phone call from my mother-in-law who said she has cut her fingers and a few minutes later called again to inform us of her dizzy spells.  So we had to drive to her place, another 40 kilometres away.  

When our friends said, “it’s a pity, you just arrived”, I simply said, “Well, that’s life!” Yes, surprises and shocks are part of life.  Hurts, pains and disappointments are part of life.  But, God calls us …   to be kind to others…. to love others … to forgive others.

As I continued to reflect on the theme of my Lenten reflections, I realised that for this week, I was going to reflect on my relationships with people around me.

Why did I feel disappointed and hurt?  How do I react to other people’s behaviours?  How do I continue to live with these people?  What is God calling me to do?  What did I learn from this particular encounter? 

People around us are God’s gift to us.  They are put there to give us joy. They are also there to strengthen our faith.  To make us improve.  To help us mature in our faith. To help us be part of building God’s kingdom on earth, in our own little way.  

Indeed, they are gifts.  They have to be treasured, no matter how they treat us.  No matter how they behave. After all, it is your perception and understanding of a situation or a relationship, coupled with your faith, that you are able to accept people as presents who can be instrumental in your spiritual growth in our earthly journey. 

Take care.

Happy reflecting! 

Ros