Shuffling friendships can be a challenge. Because of several moves, my friends live all over the place. They live as far west as Washington state. They live on the eastern shore of Virginia and in central and south Florida. A few reside around the middle of the nation. At one point, I even had a friend in Africa. To add to the spreading, many friends I met right here where I live now moved away over the years. Sometimes I question the point.

On a super rare day last week, the checkout lines at Walmart sat mostly empty. I quickly checked out and paid for my groceries. As I turned to grab the handle of my cart to walk away a woman took a hard right into the same aisle. I stopped dead in my tracks. That woman represents one-half of a dynamic duo of friends I hung out with seventeenish years ago. The two of them befriended me and for several years we remained close. Then life happened and we drifted apart. I do not remember the last time I saw her. At least 10 years have passed. We quickly chatted and made a promise to get together.

No matter how I change over time, drifting friendships still make me sad. I like my furniture moved around, but I want my friends to stay put. Unfortunately, life does not work like that. Each person lives on their own path. Sometimes I am the one who drifts and sometimes the other person does. Whether physical distance becomes a part of the scenario or if they live next door, either way, I feel the loss.

I drove home from Walmart grinning like a goose. Years came and went. The three of us have lived through so much. Soon we will get the opportunity to get together. I am so excited! My long-lost friend has returned and wants to get reacquainted.

My mind keeps wandering back to seeing my old friend out of the blue. Why now? One answer keeps pushing its way to the top. God has a purpose in it. I am intrigued. I hope like crazy I get to love on her and that I am not the one who may be in need. In either case, I trust God has something sweet in mind and I am there for it.

Have you ever stopped to think about the sheer number of people who have touched your life? People come and go, right? I believe even that is a part of God’s plan. Our individual uniqueness may be needed here, there, and everywhere. As a result, we hop from place to place. Our realms of influence change over time. Our workplace changes or the church we go to, and we get new opportunities to touch the lives of people new to us. Accordingly, sometimes we move to a new city or state and all that happens on a larger scale.

Do you, like me, struggle with people shuffling through your life. Maybe we have been thinking about it all wrong. Maybe the process, though painful sometimes, has a purpose.

Recently, I heard a message on Jeremiah 29. I never realized it was written to people who were in exile. They were forced to leave home and live in a foreign land. Their usual realm of influence turned upside down. Jeremiah encourages them to embrace that place. Verse 11 is the well-known part of that chapter. I hear it all the time. In context, the verse is even more powerful.

 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

Our comings, goings, escapes, and exiles do not happen outside of God’s control. Hence, He knows and He waits for us to embrace the shuffle. He has a purpose for all our footsteps. The shuffle, in the long run, may well be a catalyst for great things.