But Not Forgotten

Tonight I was thinking about how God has used several specific people in the last week to reach out to me and teach me some important lessons.  Maybe none of them knew that God was using them, but He did.

It sounds weird when I just come out and say it, but sometimes I think people should just forget me.  (Yeah, it sounds terrible, but really, I'm ok.)  I mean, you can try to stay in contact for awhile, but if your lives don't cross paths naturally, well, that's just the way it is.  Maybe I've come to that because I moved around while growing up, and my adult life is always changing too.  It's easy to just fall into some kind of defense mechanism through all of life's changes--to just expect that people will move on and that you will stop talking.  If I want to stay in contact with someone, it's my responsibility, and it probably won't happen if I don't make it happen.  And lately, I've been tired of making it happen.  So I just get used to letting people go a little too easily.  But still, I remember them.

So it means a lot when people intentionally find me.  I guess after Yap, I figured I was a person of the past in my American life, but I'm glad to find out it's not really true.  I'm sure we will all grow and change still, and we may not always stay in contact, but it's worth doing what you can when you have the chance to catch up.

I also learned that, while I often think my dilemmas are one-of-a-kind, it's not really true.  There are others struggling with the same things I am.  Good ol' validation.  I've seen, too, that as I seek to give hope to others in their situations, I can't help but find renewed faith for my own.

It made me think that maybe God sent each of them to remind me that He hasn't forgotten me either.  Although He sometimes feels distant or quiet, He still hears each prayer, and He still understands my heart.  I am never alone.