Year after year, the NBA holds an annual draft lottery where the league decides on the order of the teams who will get to pick players in the NBA Draft. The bottom-ranking team has more chances to become the first to choose a new player. Such a system was honed after years upon years of experience, and is meant to ensure fairness in the team selection process.
Like any basketball team, our life revolves around the people who are with us. Some we did not choose, such as our family, teachers, bosses, colleagues and classmates. Some people, we consciously do life with like our friends. While others, we casually just deal with like the barista in our favorite coffeeshop, etc.
But much as we wanted to choose the people we surround ourselves with, we just cannot. In reality, we have no control about who goes and who stays. Even in our own families. And this is where frustration and depression can occur. When we cannot accept that people can simply go in and out of our lives just like that.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6
Since we are humans, and we live in an imperfect world, we tend to fail. Our bodies can fail, and we die, leaving our loved ones behind. We fail, in a sense that we cannot hold on anymore to a relationship that is past resuscitation. We fail to keep our jobs. We fail in our friendships and other social relationships.
All these failures mean entry and exit of people in our lives, and if we are one to get overly depressed over people leaving us, then we will have a serious issue. So how do we handle people leaving us through relocation, broken relationships, and even death?
Hard as it is to accept, we have to remind ourselves about God’s sovereignty. He sits high up on the throne, and He knows what He is doing. He has the best plans for the people who left you, and for you yourself, if only you will trust in His wisdom.
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28
No one leaves us without God allowing them to sever their ties with us. One of the best demonstrations of this principle is found in the Old Testament, when God chose 300 men out of 32,000 to fight for Gideon. God asked Him to delist those who trembled, and God also removed those who knelt to drink. God chose the few hundred who lapped like a dog drinking water.
“And the Lord said to Gideon, “With the 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go every man to his home.” Judges 7:7
Like Gideon, we must have faith that God has a higher purpose for removing people in our life, letting others stay, and introducing new ones.
When someone exits from our life, we should pray and reflect about it. We should ask ourselves if the relationship is glorifying the Lord? If the answer is no, then we know why that person has exited our sphere. If the answer is yes, then God has a plan for that person and yourself elsewhere.
And so we should accept friendships that are over, especially if it is built on worldly pursuits, gossiping, and backbiting others. We should also accept broken relationships when the person chooses to sever ties in spite of the goodness we have shown. Hard as it is, we should also accept death, and remind ourselves of God’s infinite wisdom.
“The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart; the devout are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.” Isaiah 57:1-2
At the same breath, we should also welcome into our lives new friends God has blessed us with. We should also welcome unlikely allies who can lead us closer to the Lord.
“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
Moreover, let us have a renewed sense of appreciation for our respective families, loving them even more as we enjoin our whole household to be of service to God and His kingdom.
“Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” Romans 12:10
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to ponder on Judges 7:1-21 and Ephesians 5:15-20 to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: Do you still ask God why He allows other people to leave you behind?
Conversation with the Lord: Heavenly Father, thank you for curating the people who surround me. I know that their presence in my life serves your purpose. Please grant me the grace to see through and appreciate it. Amen.
