I don’t know if I see the connections we make with people in the same way the world does. I believe in connections but I don’t think they amount to much. It’s a small moment of “Hey, they’re pretty cool” but you can have that moment with just about anyone if you happen to be having a good day or just feel a little friendlier than usual.  To me, the word “bond” is more appropriate for what God allows us to have with people. I believe that God bonds us to people inevitably and for reasons that we’ll never understand.  That’s the entire point of it for me. I believe that people are brought into our lives for the exact purpose of changing us for the better in some way. They aren’t the sort of people we ever could have just known and talked to in passing. They’re the kind of people we can’t help but come to love. When I’m in my late twenties and look back on my life, I’m pretty sure there will be faces that bring me back to good times but didn’t change my life immensely. Then there will be other people – friends, boyfriends, even certain teachers – that stick out for all the right reasons. I don’t believe that bonds make people indestructible or bind us together for life. I don’t believe the lessons we learnt from that person can ever be fully forgotten either – even if we no longer see each other.

Obviously as a Christian, I believe that God brings certain people into our lives for a reason. I have friends who I’m sure I’ll know until the day I die. I also have friends who I’ve shared life experiences with that I can never have for the first time again. We may be separated through circumstances but the bond remains in other ways because we’ve helped to shape each other’s lives.

I think sometimes God separates us from the people we bond with and care about the most to help us appreciate everything they taught us. They may have only been intended for a certain part of our lives and being torn apart may hurt like crazy, but maybe that’s Gods way of saying that what he placed between us was special and should never be taken for granted – whether together or apart. If you continue down a rocky road with someone for too long, memories can become blurred and all the bad points of your time together can block any real chance of a moderately happy ending – which can range from a happy reunion to a renewed openness to be with someone else in that way somewhere down the line.

I think I’m becoming scared to form too deep a bond with someone again. I won’t always be – but the reality that it doesn’t always guarantee a “forever” hits hard and I keep asking God why. Why does he form these bonds and then tear people apart? Why does he allow us to impact people’s lives, and feel impacted by them only for it all to be cut short and in a way that sometimes feels so cruel?

I have my own suspicions but after a little searching and healing, I’ll get back to you on that one!