"In life, God doesn't give you people that you want. Instead, He gives you the people you need to teach you, to hurt you, to love you and to make you exactly the way you should be."

Lately there have been so many questions about faith, love, and life in general. As I was browsing blogs, I came upon this quote- not sure if it's an original thought by the writer or whatnot. The logic behind these words further confirms all that we should already know...that God has a plan for each and every one of us and that people come in and out of our lives for a reason beyond our own comprehension. We may not understand it, we may not agree with it, we may even hate it, but despite it all, we just have to trust Him that we'll be taken care of and that the path laid out before us at that moment is exactly where we need to be.

It's tough, though, to accept what life throws our way, isn't it? Death, for example, is something that seems to creep up on people unexpectedly. Loved ones are taken, from what we believe, too soon. In reality, I believe that they are being called home because their job here on Earth is done and they're given another assignment, so to speak. For those left behind, it's all tears and sadness. There's always an unspoken grief that hangs in our hearts that nothing but time can heal. But healing comes and we move forward...life must go on.

It's the same with love, right?

Back in the day, I never thought about it this way. I automatically thought that I had Ally McBeal syndrome and that I was doomed to be alone. Why was it that I was attracted to the wrong guys? There was a running joke among some girlfriends where we said that we must have this huge signs on our foreheads that read, "Assholes welcome here!" When some relationships didn't work out, I believed that it was because whoever it was I was with at the time got bored with me. Ha, talk about low self-esteem! It occurred to me (much later on!) that all the jerks in my life were there for a reason. Yes, to be "that jerk," but to also teach me what kind of guys NOT to pursue and whatnot. Yes, I did get hurt, but I also grew strong and I learned to deal with heartbreak. It's funny how there always seems to be a lesson in everything that we do, isn't it? As Mrs. Voodoo mentioned in her blog, everything runs in circles. You've heard the phrase "We've come full circle" many times, but what resonates with me because of its truth is that "the world presents you with opportunities to close that circle and move on to new ones- and will give you opportunities over and over again until you figure it out. This is why we find ourselves making the same mistakes over and over again." Direct quote from Mrs. VDC herself, never failing to let us see what it is we don't want to see and telling us like it is.

No one's life is without purpose. This goes beyond what we believe, what we do for a living, and what we're called to do. The mark that we leave and the impact we make in someone's life may go unnoticed until everything is said and done. God works in mysterious ways and while we may not be able to accept His plan for us at the moment, all will be revealed at just the right time so that we may understand.