I was sitting in a coffee shop today and I noticed something quite adorable. There was a group of moms who each had a baby, all around the same age, sitting in sort of a circle together. Someone laid down a blanket on the floor in the middle of the group and they all sat their babies on the blanket. So the circle of moms surrounded the circle of babies.

It kind of makes me chuckle now. Somehow it makes me think of how God chooses our friends. These babies really had no choice in the matter; they didn’t get to decide which baby to sit next to. Their moms chose for them, helped them to interact. Sometimes I wonder what babies think of each other. It’s quite a delightful thing to watch babies interact.

I think God smiles and maybe sometimes laughs when he sees us interacting with those he has put in our path. We may not know what to think, there may be awkward moments, we may not even always like the people we are placed with, but it’s good. I believe in a God who orchestrates connections. And I’m glad. I’m glad I’m not a helpless child who has to choose my own friends, because if that were really the case, I probably would mostly keep to myself. But God has a way of bringing just the right people into our lives at the right times—those we give ourselves to and those we receive from as well.

I am grateful for God’s orchestration of my relationships. Even when I don’t understand. He’s always working behind the scenes, even when I seem to be sitting in this circle where no one really knows what to do. These babies were just being who they were: playing and being babies.

May we all be free to be who we are, no matter who ends up in our circle.