33: A Reason, a Season, or a Lifetime? Why We Need Relationships Right Now | #walkwithme
“People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you figure out which one it is, you will know what to do for each person.” – Unknown About This Episode: It’s been said that people come into our lives for a reason, season or a lifetime.
“People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you figure out which one it is, you will know what to do for each person.”
— Unknown
About This Episode:
It’s been said that people come into our lives for a reason, season or a lifetime. In this episode of “#WalkWithMe” I unpack the meaning of that through the lens of what we are all experiencing today and what that means regarding the people around us. So, let’s talk relationships.
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I believe the one common thread at the heart of everything happening today has to do with our relationships. I’m talking real community—real human connections to one another. It’s been said: “People come into our lives for a reason, a season or a lifetime.” It’s a simple quote, but I want to unpack it, as I believe that our relationships can have everything to do with how we are experiencing the world around us.
I want to start by making an underlying assumption to frame this conversation. My belief is that people come into our lives—temporarily or permanently—to create a POSITIVE outcome or impact for us. When I say ‘positive,’ I don’t mean it will always be a positive experience at the moment, but more of a positive intent.
“…For A Reason”
Look at your past, what are the reasons you have found that people come into our life? Some come to help us learn or grow. Like teacher or mentors, for example. Or, they enter our lives to question or challenge us.
I really love this quote:
“Our antagonists are our angels.”
It takes some perspective to understand that, but it’s really the idea of seeing everything in life as working for us and not against us. Sometimes the reason people come into our lives is to put pressure on what we think or believe, to test our resolve, to make us stronger. Think of a superhero movie that doesn’t have an antagonist; without the villain or challenge, there would be no hero.
The question we need to ask is: If the world was working FOR me right now, what would the reason be this person is in my life? It’s a powerful question. Maybe the answer is to help you learn, grow or even challenge you. Sometimes the people who are the toughest on us are there to allow us to learn more about ourselves.
“…For A Season”
People can still come into our lives for a reason, but some need to stick around for a longer period of time in order to make a collective difference. The younger we are, the more we seem to think that the people who come into our life right now will be there for a lifetime. As time goes on, however, we realize that seasons change. It’s not a bad thing that some people are only here for a season because that awareness can help you appreciate who you’re with right now. At the end of the day, we’ll lose everyone and everything; that’s life. That’s not a negative belief, though. If we know that people will only be here for a season, we can appreciate them more and create a sense of urgency to make a difference.
“…For A Lifetime”
The people who are there for a lifetime can be our parents, spouse, kids, etc. It’s why the family unit is so important. Lifelong friends stick with you through the good and bad; in fact, they show up more in the bad times than in the good. Value and prioritize those relationships—put them on the top of the stack and don’t let them go.
In order to grow through times like these, we need to approach relationships with a positive intent and figure out why they are in our lives and how we can learn and when we can let go. There’s a lot of studies that show that social connections make people happier and that satisfying relationships not only make people happier but support better health and even a longer life.
Tag the people who are in your life for a lifetime.