there are people in and out of our lives.
some we dislike.
some we like.
some we love.
and then, even further, some we recognize.
those individuals often evoke all of the above reactions from us but, a step further, we know something more about them.
they're our people.
the people we find who feel like us.
the ones who we notice a similarity, a bond, a kinsmanship within that ties together your souls -occasionally for a season, but more often- for a lifetime.
the people we recognize are the ones who are ours and we are theirs.
not in the sense of physical ownership, but more so in a deeper spiritual sense of bother-sister-hood and accountability.
only a select few are we fortunate enough to find in our lifetime.
but once we find them, it's not just a natural state to fall into recognition with them.
it's a choice.
for the human condition is one that involves us being intrinsically selfish creatures. unchecked we are self absorbed, inwardly focused and often narcissistic.
doing life with people, fully and whole heartedly, is uncomfortable.
if we choose to be so intentional, it often results in hard lessons and tough questions asked.
and it's often these noble few we recognize who are able to challenge us on this. pull us out of that inward absorption, and are the only ones we might listen to in fact when it comes to having our eyes opened to the error of our ways.
and so that is what i mean when i say that it is a choice.
it is a choice because relationships are not easy.
it is a choice because we have faults, as do others.
it is a choice because we have the freedom to choose.
so if you have people like that in your life, i do so hope that you choose to recognize them.
i was recently told by someone three times my age, how they wished that they had known the importance of those people, those once-in-a-lifetime friends, when they were my age.
and i realized that i have that realization.
this has been a very particular season in which i'm significantly grateful for being able to recognize who those people are in my life and, what's more, have the honor of doing life whole heartedly with them.
i only hope i can continue doing so and that i can help bring to them a similar measure of joy, love and awakening that they've brought to me.