Daily Prayer-Monday-Everyone in your life is a blessing!

Dear heavenly Father,
I know that I thank you many times for the people in my life.  I usually thank you for them when they have done something nice or special for me.  I am truly blessed with some amazing, wonderful people in my life and I offer you praise and thanksgiving for bringing these people into my life.  Now, what about all the people in my life that might not appear to me to be so wonderful?  When was the last time I thanked you for them?  Probably not much, or sometimes never.  You know who I mean, the sister that seems so distant from me, the friend who always seems to stand in judgement of me, the co-worker who is difficult to get along with, the parent who I am just not connecting with, the extended family member who doesn't like me that much, the neighbor who seems to always be mad at me.  It is sometimes (most of the time) hard to think or feel that they are blessings to me.

But I know You, my dear God, and I know that every person that You have placed in my life is a BLESSING!  My human eyes might not see their purpose in my life but your God touch does and I must have total faith in Your infinite wisdom and know that ALL people are blessings in my life and that I need to treat them as such. 

Thank you, dear Lord, my God for loving me so much that you have put people in my life that challenge me, strengthen me, push me to higher levels, hold me to higher levels, teach me, hold me accountable, aren't impressed by the false me and just simply love me even when I have hurt them or have been unkind to them!  Thank you so much for these people because they are all a part of making me who I am and bringing me closer to You, Almighty Father.

Think of what kind of a world we would live in if each encounter with a human being, we stopped and thought about them being a blessing in our life.  Your perfect world for us would consist of love and appreciation for one another no matter who they were.  I think about the excitement I felt when I first started meeting the people in my husband's family while we were dating.  I wanted to feel a connection with each one of them because I felt that they were to be a part of my family someday.  I would love to feel that excitement every time I meet someone knowing that we are all a part of the same family...Your family!  We are all your children.  Every person that exists, exists because of a plan that You hold for them.  Wow, what a concept!

Please help me, oh Lord, to think about each person who crosses my path as a pure blessing from You.  Help me to take the time to help make the world I live in a better place by recognizing every human being as one of Your children and to treat them as such.  Just as I try to live my life never hurting You, so may it also be with Your children.

Amen!