Shadows under the sun

It's late, and I'm extremely tired.
It's about 5 years since one of my best friends died of cancer, aged 27.
She was married to another one of my best friends. The pain has passed, but a small scar of residual sadness is etched into my soul. This happens in life; there are some things you can never completely forget..

But what it makes me aware of is how much we take for granted.
There are people in my church life, some close friends, some mere acquaintances, but all of whom have variously been a huge source of inspiration, encouragement, motivation and love.
Most of them will leave my life sooner or later, generally from relocation. I hope before this happens that I can let them know how much they have impacted my life and that I am a better person, and more passionate about living for Christ and growing deep in the Word because of them.

So, I am reminded to thank God, for his blessings and great provenance in providing me with such people in my life. I suspect many of these people would never have realised that they had done so much for me just by the way they live their lives, and may even be reading this now, assuming that I am talking about someone else. I hope to let them all know individually in the coming weeks.

For now, I just feel suddenly aware of all the things that the members of my church family, past and present, have given me, and how much they have inspired me, and I really thank God that in His wisdom and love, He led me here to this church, to this family.
I pray that He will mould me into a man of God who can serve Him and his church so faithfully one day. God bless you all.