Stripes and Lives

    Hello and happy Saturday to you all! I hope that you find enjoyment and rest some time this  weekend. Sit back a moment and relax while you read this post.

  This is the second styling of my new maxi skirt. After finding some inspiration online, I decided to tuck my loose-fitting white t-shirt in the waistband. I added a braided belt and a darling striped scarf, which added the style factor. My trusty, needing-to-be-replaced flats finished off the outfit and had me ready to enjoy time with friends at a birthday party. :)

Outfit Details: Shirt ~ ?; Scarf ~ Thrifted; Skirt ~ Kohl's; Belt~Thrifted; Flats ~?

   Lately, I've been pondering the significance of people whose lives God has seen fit to weave into my own. The relationships I've had, whether of mere acquaintance, long-time friendship, or something in between, are easy to take for granted, as if they came at random. However, times come that give me pause to wonder why people have been part of my life and how they have changed it.
 
  A falling out, a fading away, a loss, or a turn of events can make me wonder why people have come into my life in the first place. Then again, there are times of deep joy that come from relationships that mean a great deal to me. Both pain and joy have a place in my life, and the people involved in them have a place as well.

    Because I believe in a God who has sovereignty over the story my life, I believe that He also has a purpose for the people who make up my life's events. They may be there to encourage me with their friendship and fellowship. They may be there to teach me a truth through something that hurts. They may be there to convict me, and they may be there to love me during hard times. I don't always know why at the time, but the Lord does.
 
   If people come into my life for a reason, it follows that I have a purpose in others' journeys as well. Mordecai said to his cousin Esther,"Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14). While I cannot say that I have been the instrument of saving an entire people group, I certainly have potential. And so do you.
 
   As Christians, we can influence the lost as a witness of the Lord. Within the church, we have the ability to encourage our brothers and sisters in some way. Because God has the plans, we don't have to know exactly what significance we have in someone's story. We are simply called to love and point others to Christ. We may never see just how much influence our lives have, but can be sure that our loving Father knows all. Be encouraged in this, and in knowing that you may be where you are "for such a time as this."

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hebrews 10:24-25