First ward activity ever in this building and it turned out great because people who came are our friends from the ward who made it so special. I think we don't meet people by chance, they become part of our lives for a reason. Like this next quote:
“In friendship…we think we have chosen our
peers. In reality a few years’ difference in the dates of our births, a few
more miles between certain houses, the choice of one university instead of
another…the accident of a topic being raised or not raised at a first
meeting–any of these chances might have kept us apart. But, for a Christian,
there are, strictly speaking no chances. A secret master of ceremonies has been
at work. Christ, who said to the disciples, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have
chosen you,” can truly say to every group of Christian friends, “Ye have not
chosen one another but I have chosen you for one another.” The friendship is
not a reward for our discriminating and good taste in finding one another out.
It is the instrument by which God reveals to each of us the beauties of
others.” -C.S. Lewis
I LOVE THAT QUOTE!!! And I couldn’t agree with it more
than I do. I believe that the people who come into our lives and become
our friends doesn’t just happen by accident. I believe that we are meant
to meet one another and impact one another’s lives for the better. When I
look at the circumstances that have brought so many of the important people
into my life it is so clear to me that there was divine powers at work bringing
those people into my path. That same thing applies to my husband Daniel and our
children coming into our life. I know they didn’t end up in our life just by
accident or circumstance, they were meant to be in our life and ours in theirs.
That is why I think it is so important to be aware of the people
that come into your life. Even those people you might think are just
passing through…ask yourself, “could there be more to why this person was
brought into my life to cross paths with me?” If you keep that mindset
you will find yourself far more aware as new people enter your surroundings.
You will watch for and notice those people far more and you will find yourself
being far more receptive to getting to know people and forming new friendships.
This past Summer as my family and I have been participating in some
really fun activities together I have made a point to talk to any other
families around me in these activities. The people around us this week
are total strangers to us from many parts of the world who would fall into the
category of most likely “passer-byers” but what if they aren’t? What if someone
we meet this week is meant to have far greater meaning in our lives.
Wouldn’t it be a shame then not to get to know them and form a
friendship? And so I have been talking to strangers around me and
already we have made friends with several families. We may or may not see
any of them ever again, and may or may not be impactful in our lives in the
future or we in theirs, but what if they can and do? Wouldn’t it be worth
having made the efforts to get to know them just on the possibility
alone? I believe it is. I have seen how worth it can be in my
own life, both personally and professionally. And without a doubt I
believe that God is constantly leading people into our path to bring out the
beauty in each other.
My challenge for the remainder of the year is to pay attention to the people coming into
my path…believe there is a purpose for them being there…then set out to form
a friendship that will help bring that purpose to fruition. We have lived in this apartment for almost five years and have not invited our next door neighbors yet. I plan to do that in August for sure before it starts to get crazy again with so much to do. She is from Uruguay like my husband and can't believe that because we are so busy we have become anti-social, but no more!
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