The People Around You

It's funny the people God puts around you. Just take a look around. Who's there supporting you, loving you, working with you, annoying you, giving you good advice, giving you bad advice, leading you, following you? God has put them there for a reason.

I admit I'm not the easiest person to get along with. Taking the temperament test I'm about 60% Melancholy and 40% Choleric, about the two worst temperaments to get along with. I can be very choleric (bossy, opinionated, stubborn) as well as melancholy (unsociable, analytical) which can get me into a lot of trouble. I do have some pluses in each category; Being a choleric, I am hard working, confident, and being a melancholy, I am a perfectionist and an artist. So what was God thinking when he put the people in my life that have come and gone throughout the years?

I believe God put them there to develop you as a person. Would you be as patient as you are today without the coworker that can't figure out a simple task? Or what about the person that sent you encouraging words, doesn't that build your confidence? And then the person who is always there trying to talk to you when you are obviously not in the mood for a conversation (haha melancholies), what if God's trying to teach you how to listen to others even at your own discomfort. What about the homeless guy that asks you for money, what if God is trying to teach you to not hold on so tightly to your money. Or even the waitress who is in a bad mood today, showing her kindness even if it's undeserving would be an amazing life lesson.

Do you ever notice a lot of times the people in your life have to do with your weaknesses? God will put someone not so confident in my life so that I can teach them how to have confidence AND with that they can teach me that not all people are like me and I need to be encouraging others more. Say you just got promoted to manager at your job and you have this employee who is pushing the limits on some subjects, sit back and ask God "what are you trying to teach me?", maybe how to work well with others or even how to be a better boss.

I think everyone should write a list of their strengths and weaknesses, so that they can see them written down on paper. If you understand that through others God is trying to improve your weaknesses, then maybe you will think twice about pushing that "annoying" person to the side. I know I have personally been shockingly surprised to find a friend where I would have missed out if I just dwelled on their weakness.

I encourage you today to treat everyone who approaches you with respect and kindness, realize what their weakness is and how maybe their weakness can help build you into a better person.