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It's an incredibly good and a sometimes painful thing when God places people in your life who challenge you to be a better you. To be more like who God created you to be, who He longs for you to be.

Sometimes they are fully aware of the challenge they are giving you. When they see something in you, or an action you take and they call you out on it. Or they make you think about something in a way you've never thought about it before. Or they just remind you something you once knew, once held close that you somehow let slip.

Sometimes they have no idea the impact they are having on you. Just being around them makes you want to be better. To live better. To be who you are supposed to be. It may be an innocent comment or action that catches you off guard and makes you think and reexamine parts of your life.

And all of a sudden things start to come into focus again. You see that sin or attitude that you have been trying so hard to ignore, or that passion you once had comes flooding to the surface, or you realize why you do some of the things you do, or a teaching or scripture you once held dear is brought back into your life with just as much power as it had before. And it's beautiful. Even in the painful moments of seeing things in yourself you wish you didn't see, it's beautiful, because you are becoming more beautiful. You see this person for the complete blessing they are.

And you're thankful. So very thankful