Preparation?

I'm a person who believes in connections. The lessons I am learning today will be used tomorrow-type of thinking. This is not to say that the point of the lessons isn't needed or valuable in that moment, because they are! However, God uses aspects of our live to possibly prepare us for something more.

I think this all coincides with the Bible verse that says God won't give us more than we can handle (Mindy's paraphrased version). He knows when we are ready for lessons and allows us to "suffer," "struggle," and "grow" and we survive. But those growing pains allow us to be able to handle more during the next lesson. Without phase 1, we'd never be able to handle phase 2. Anyhow, that's how I tend to think...
...which begs the question...

Just what is God preparing me for?

For the first 21 years of my life, I was someone who had no problems getting along or liking other people. For the last 8 years, people have entered my life, who have "rubbed me the wrong way." Have I changed...am I more opinionated and less agreeable? Probably...but I like to think that God is using these people to purify and perfect me. These handful of people are the sand in my oyster shell, the grindstone to sharpen the knife, the pea to reveal the princess!

Okay, so the last one is a stretch but you get the point. I'm being prepared...these people are a part of my process to become the person that God wants me to be. I believe that! But if He preparing to work with "more difficult" people then oh-my-goodness...can I get a raincheck on that?