A Blessing Or A Lesson

"God doesn't give you the people you want, He gives you the people you need. To help you, to hurt you, to leave you, to love you and make you the person you were meant to be."

   I read this quote a couple weeks ago and I've been thinking about the different types of people God has graciously put into my life. I had the most wonderful room mates my first year of college. I had a really hard time being so far from home and being in a new place that I had only visited once. It was very overwhelming. The senior took time to walk around campus with me just so I could get familiar with my new surroundings. It meant so much to me that she did that. I'm sure there were many other things she would rather have been doing. The sophomore is now my sister in law and the freshman was so much fun and such a good friend for me. They were exceptional roommates and the perfect people for me to live with at that time. I didn't know how good I had it. They taught me to accept people just the way they are and how much it can mean to a person to just give them a little of your time. They were all blessings to me.
     My last year of college I was in was in the hall leaders room. (The previous year, I accumulated 130 demerits, 20 away from being expelled. I was obviously a troubled kid who needed some extra guidance.) On the way to my last exam on the last day of my college career, she insisted on walking with me. It was a 10 minute walk; a very long 10 minute walk. She asked me to forgive her for not giving me more demerits. I guess she felt like she let me down somehow and needed to clear her conscience. I learned from her that sometimes there are more important things than being right. No good would have come out of me arguing with her. I knew I would probably never see her again and was not returning to school. Instead I just quietly listened to her and forgave her. It's hard to ask someone for forgiveness and I'm sure she thought she was doing the right thing. Looking back, I feel sorry for her. She taught me that it's more important to have a right relationship with someone than to win an argument. That's a very important lesson to learn. This person was a lesson for me.

"Some people come into your life as blessings and others come into your life as lessons." I hope I haven't been a lesson to too many people, not doubt there have been some, probably more than I would care to know.