Who are the Saints in Your Life?

Each year on November 1st Christians observe "All Saints Day," where we remember those loved ones that have died over the past year. It's also a day—and this is a time of year—to give thanks for those people (both passed and living) who have been saints in our lives—people that have touched, blessed, enriched, and shaped our lives for the better—our friends, family members, mentors, colleauges. Other spiritual traditions have similar times of remebrance and gratitude. 

Now, saints are not perfect people. Far from it. In her new best-selling book, Accidental Saints: Finding God in All the Wrong People, Nadia Bolz-Weber writes,

"I have come to realize that all the saints I’ve known have been accidental ones—people who inadvertently stumbled into redemption like they were looking for something else at the time.”

Even the best among us are all faithful and flawed, but we all have the ability to impact someone's life for the better. Oftentimes it is through sharing our own struggles and challenges.

This month I've been feeling rather nostalgic about the people that have made me the person I am today. I think of all the people who invested in so much in me and expected nothing in return. I think of pastors, teachers, friends, grandparents, and others that I consider saints in my life. When I stop to think about it, I'm amazed at how powerfully their lives shaped my own.

Who are the saints in your life?