Recently, my posts here have focused a great deal on “change.” The past several years of my life have been filled with constant change. The last 10 years have been a merry-go-round and a roller coaster wrapped in one dizzying ride.

Something that has always been (and still is) difficult for me is the fact that people come and go from our lives. I get attached to the people in my life. I feel like my life will never be the same without them. Is there something wrong with me? Am I alone in this?

This evening while I was preparing the Sunday morning lesson for the junior and senior high school students at church, I had what I like to refer to as an “AHA!” moment.

Warning: Spoiler Alert! Low and behold, Sunday’s lesson is about change. Shocker!

The fact of the matter is that people come in and go out of our lives all the time. A few stay for our entire lives, but most are here for only a short time. I have come to realize and appreciate that God places people in our lives on His time, for His purposes. These people are placed in our lives by God as part of His divine plan for molding, shaping, and refining us into who He created us to be.

Jesus is a prime example of being an integral part of the lives of many people for a very short period of time. He fulfilled God’s purpose and plan to be the Savior of all of us, taking the punishment for our sins; an innocent man who died a brutal death at a young age.

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to hive His life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45 (NASB, 1995).

“When Jesus had finished all these words, He said to His disciples, ‘You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man is to be handed over for crucifixion.’” Matthew 26:1 (NASB, 1995).

“But He warned them and instructed them not to tell this to anyone, saying, ‘The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day.’” Luke 9:21-22 (NASB, 1995).

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” John 3:16-17 (NASB, 1995).

In hindsight, I have come to appreciate all of the people God has placed in my life through the years, even the difficult ones, because I have learned that they all played an integral part in God’s plan for my life. I have come to realize that it’s not about who God places in my life, it’s about why He’s placed them there. It’s not even about them…it’s all about His plan! And while I barely remember some of them, there are others who left an indelible mark on my heart. I cherish them as gifts from God, and I appreciate the part they played in His plan for my life.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for all the people you have placed in my life thus far, and for those who I have not yet met. Please help us all to be mindful that, while people may come and go from our lives, Jesus is our Constant Friend, never leaving or forsaking us. Thank You for sacrificing Your only Son for the forgiveness of our sins. Give us courage to roll with the many changes in life, being mindful that they are all playing a part in Your Plan for our lives. In Jesus’s Precious Name, Amen.