People like that wherever you go

You've done it and so have I.

You've had the thought, "If I could just get rid of this one person in my life, my life would be so much easier and I could be happy, if not successful."

Oh really?

Being that you and I want to love as Christ loves, God will put us around some very, very unlovable people - continually.

I can't learn to love unless that ability to love is hammered on the anvil of "difficult to love people."

Have you every thought that "one person" is there for a reason?

One of my coaches, Dr. Richard Dobbins shares this story:

In the early days of our history frontier, travelers were dependent upon ferry boats to get them across our nation's rivers.

The story is told of a wise old ferry boat captain who made it a practice to talk to his passengers as he ferried them back and forth across the river.

On one side he struck up a conversation with a woman who seemed to be upset.

She said, "You know I've never been so glad to get away from a place in all my life as I am to leave her.

People here are downright mean.  I"m leaving some of the most hateful people I've ever known."

"Yes ma'am," agreed the old ferry boat captain.  "You'll find people like that wherever you go."

When he picked up his load of passengers from the other side of the river, he began to talk to another lady.  She was weeping.

"You know sir, it breaks my heart to leave this place.  "I've never been around more loving people.  I made so many wonderful friends.  I feel like I'm leaving a piece of my heart in this place."

"Yes ma'am," the wise old ferry b oat captain responded.  You'll find people like that wherever you go."

Each woman looked at life through her own unique lens.  Each made a very different impression on the ferry boat captain.

However, the old captain knew that each woman would continue to see people - wherever she went - the way she has seen them in the place where she had come from.

So - how is your perspective, today?  Maybe it is not the other person that needs changing - maybe, must maybe it is how you see that person and the "why" of why they are in your life.

Now that's challenging, convicting and helpful - all at the same time.

Just a thought for a Thursday.