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All the Devils Are Here -- Writer's Poke #405




Let me give you a statement, and you tell me how profound it is:

“We met for a reason. Either you’re a blessing or a lesson.” When I first ran across this quote on Pinterest, I thought it was interesting enough to pin to one of my virtual boards. I have to admit that I was a little bit shocked when it was “liked” over 80 times and “repined” over 170 times in less than two weeks.

Needless to say, something in this quote resonated with folks – or at least folks that happened upon the quote in my part of the Pinterest universe. Is it a common experience to meet people that are blessings in our lives? On first reflection, I probably have met more “lessons” than “blessings,” but the odd part of the statement is the suggestion, at least, that we don’t always know which the person is going to be. Don't we generally know almost instantaneously? Even if we have that knowledge, it's not enough to save us the trouble we sometimes end up in?

The other part of the statement that makes me stop and pause is the ”either/or” part of the equation. Why can’t a blessing also be a lesson? Why can’t a lesson also be a blessing? I know I could be accused of overthinking this statement, but I do so only because so many people seemed to accept it as “true” so quickly. That, to me, is enough reason to stop and give some additional thought to its validity – not only to how the statement resonates “truth” when we first read it, but also whether or not that first feeling is enough for it to be claimed as true.  Can the statement only appear to be true, but upon further reflection, turn out to be a meaningless quote not worth the time it would take to read on a bumper sticker? Why are so many people willing to accept truth based on a feeling?

Think of your most meaningful relationships. Is it appropriate to categorize them into “blessings” and “lessons”? If not, what method of categorizing meaningful relationship could you develop?

“Every burden is a blessing.” – Robert Schuller
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  1. AnonymousFebruary 2, 2013 at 8:00 PM

    That statement is true unless the fact is that neither a blessing nor a lesson results from the meaning. If you meet someone on any level that bears notice at all, can it result in nothing at all in the way of some sort of lesson or other blessing?

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