Those Who Sojourn With Us

"Hear my prayer, O Lord, and listen to my cry; do not be silent at my tears; for I am Your temporary guest, a sojourner like all my fathers. O look away from me, that I may smile and again know joy before I depart and am no more." Psalm 39:12,13 (Amplified Version - emphasis mine)

At the end and beginning of a year, I find that I am even more contemplative than I normally am, and I do a lot of deep thinking and mentally assess a lot of things about my current life. This January is no different. In fact, the older I get, the more sober-minded I become, as I realize another year of life has now been stored in the history books, never to be relived or altered. (Since the time I started this post, many days have passed, and now, here I find almost one full month of the new year has already passed!)

How serious this gift called life! Every day we are given is more precious than we could ever imagine. Every breath is invaluable. So many began 2021 never dreaming they would not live to see the beginning of 2022. How blessed we are to still be here, alive and breathing, and offered a new opportunity to fulfill the purpose God had in mind when He placed us here. It all goes by so fast, and I do not want to fail Him or waste one minute!

As I sought His face this morning, He began to bring to mind the countless people He has orchestrated to walk alongside me on life's highway ~ sojourners.

Some of them have been with me since the moment of my birth. They have known me always, and they are still a vital part of my life. Others were there from the moment of my birth, but have been called home ahead of me to reap their eternal reward. Others have been brought into my life, at various junctures, and remain an integral part of my life to this day. Still, others came into my life at so many points, walked the path with me temporarily, and for a plethora of reasons, though we both still live and breathe, they walk beside me no longer. 

Those who sojourn with us ~ what a thing to contemplate!

"Sojourner ~ original Greek is parepídēmos – a sojourner (foreigner) – literally, someone "passing through" but still with personal relationship with the people in that locale (note the prefix, para, "close beside"). This temporary (but active) relationship is made necessary by circumstances." Source

As children of the Most High God, nothing that transpires in our lives happens by accident. No one is brought into our lives by mistake. There is a God in heaven Who knows us intimately and Who is coordinating every encounter, every relationship, every pairing of sojourners. We are all His "temporary guests, sojourners like all our fathers." They have lived out all their days on earth, and now they live no more. So, it will be with each of us. We are now suspended in that "dash" between the date of our birth and the date of our death.

There is a reason He gave each of us the parents, spouse, children, grandchildren, siblings, friends, acquaintances, pastor, co-workers, aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, neighbors, loved ones, teachers, and bosses that are sojourning with us. And, there is even a reason He orchestrates the countless casual encounters we experience while walking through life. 

There is a Divine reason you are alive right now ~ at the same time the ones who sojourn with you are alive.

You may think that some of these relationships happen by chance or even by mistake. I absolutely beg to differ. 

"God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though He needed any thing, seeing He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; and hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him, though He be not far from every one of us: for in Him we live, and move, and have our being." Acts 17:24-28

God planned your life, determined your times, and even planned where you would live while sojourning on this earth!

"Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me when as yet there were none of them." Psalm 139:16 (NKJV)

The New Living Translation says, "You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in Your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed." 

So before we breathed our first breath of life, before one person was brought into our lives, before we lived out one of our days on earth, God had them all recorded in His book ~ as if we had already lived them! The future, so uncertain and sometimes overwhelmingly daunting to us, is as known as the past to God.  

Do you see how nothing in your life has been left to chance? 

And just as nothing in your life has been left to chance, the same applies to those who sojourn with you. Just as God has orchestrated that they sojourn with you, there is a reason you have been placed in their lives to sojourn with them. 

Sometimes we can all become so self-focused in our thinking, always considering why things are happening to us, why we are destined to walk certain paths, why certain people sojourn with us, etc. Perhaps it is time to start thinking about why God placed us in their lives and how we can better fulfill His purpose working through us — to encourage them, uplift them, guide them, and point them to the cross of Jesus, not so much through our words, but through the way we live like Him, love them, are patient with them, have genuine compassion for them, and put their needs and wants before our own.

At the end of this first month of this brand-new year, I have a 28-day challenge to present to you for the upcoming month of February. An exercise that I hope will strengthen bonds, deepen relationships, diffuse tension, bring edification, and enhance not only your lives but the lives of those who sojourn with you.

This is how it works. 
1. Take out a tablet of paper and pen. I don't recommend doing this digitally. I learned during my career in banking that pieces of paper with hand-written notes are far less likely to be thrown away or ignored. So, my suggestion is to do this the old-fashioned way - write it in your own handwriting and keep it in a place that you will be forced to look at every single day. Somewhere obvious, like in your devotions spot, on your kitchen table, near the area you do meal prep, next to the place you brush your teeth, etc. Just make sure it is where it will stare you in the face and demand your daily attention.

2. Without overthinking this at all, write down a list of names of 28 people in your life. Don't stress over any particular order. Don't go back and re-do it later. Don't move people's names around. Just write down 28 names that instantly come to mind as you mentally recall the people who sojourn with you. God already knows what order your names should be recorded on your list. He sees the end from the beginning and everywhere in between every single detail of our daily lives. (If you are having a hard time coming up with 28 people, broaden your horizons. Think beyond those who live in your home, work with you, or go to church with you. Think about some casual sojourners - perhaps a favorite grocery store cashier, a military veteran, an active duty soldier, a police officer, fireman, paramedic, your mail carrier, a faraway friend, your family doctor, dentist, nurse, an elderly shut-in, nursing home resident, etc.)

3. On February 1st, focus on the name on line #1 on your list. On February 2nd, focus on the name on line #2. On February 3rd, focus on the name on line #3. You get the picture.

4. Each day, as you focus on that one special person's name, pray for that person all throughout the day. Every time you look at the list, earnestly pray for them. 

5. Then take it a step farther - do something special for that person on the day their name is on your list. It may or may not cost anything monetarily, but the thought is what is important. Here are some ideas:

If they live in your house, this will be easy. 

Bake a special dessert, if you are able. 
Cook a favorite meal. 
Do a dreaded chore for them. 
Sit down and have a heart-to-heart chat. Tell them how much you love them, take their emotional pulse, ask them if there is anything pressing on their heart they would especially like you to pray about, encourage them, express your appreciation of them, hug them tightly.

If they do not live with you, here are some suggestions:

Write out a hand-written note or letter, telling them how much they mean to you, how grateful you are that they "sojourn" with you — that you are both alive at the same time and God has placed you in each other's lives, complimenting them on their strengths, expressing how proud you are of them, telling them you are praying for them.
Include a gift card with your hand-written letter, if you are able.
Text something as simple as "I love you" or "I appreciate you" or "Thank you for being a part of my life" or "Thank you for your service."
Call them on the phone. Don't rush. Listen. Slow down.
Have pizza delivered to them - it is so easy to do this now online. Just schedule a pizza or two to be delivered to them at the time you know they will be ready to eat supper. Or if you know their favorite local pizza parlor and it can't be done online, call in the order.
Send them flowers. Again, so easy to do this online.
Email a sweet note "just because" you are thinking of them.
Email them a digital gift certificate for their favorite online shop.
Visit them in person, if possible. There's nothing like a face-to-face encouraging visit, and your prayers and time are the very best gifts of all.

At the end of 28 days, you will have blessed 28 sojourners! Again, this doesn't have to cost anything, monetarily. I am sure all of you can think of countless more ways to bless the people in your lives, many of which do not cost a penny. Why not share your amazing ideas in the comments below? I would love to read them, and I'm sure other readers would, too.

Think about your life and the people in it and embrace the reality that God has planned it all to the finest detail ~ including the ones who sojourn with you.

God bless you all!
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