I cannot quote him word for word, but I recently heard a preacher say something like this: God has given us the exact people we need in our lives to help us grow. He has given us people who are encouraging and a blessing to help us on life’s journey. He has also given us the challenging people we need to help us grow in grace, patience, and wisdom.

The only part he was missing is that God also puts us in other people’s lives for the exact same reasons.