In the last few weeks and months I have been in the midst of quite a bit of transition. You can read a lot of the story here and here.
I am the kind of person who evaluates everything. I always want to be getting better or learning form the things that I am walking through. In the middle of all of this change in my life the last few weeks I have been keeping a running list of lessons that I have learned.
I want to share those over the next few weeks and I must warn you that many of these are lessons that I have learned personally that may or may not apply to your individual life or situation. Chances are high that if you find yourself beginning transition or in the middle of it these lessons will at least help you begin to ask some questions or think differently.
I also must warn you that I am still in the process of transition, while I am getting settled in a new home, with a new job, and new team I am still learning and adapting and changing. Many of these lessons come from painful moments and conversations and are honestly raw and rough, but very real.
With that being said I pray this series of posts helps both you and I learn and grow in and through out our seasons of transition and change.
“Lesson One: If you’re thinking about it, think again, and pray again, and wait. And repeat.”
Many times in our lives we are thrust into transition and change not by our own choosing but because of the circumstances around us that are outside of our control.
Sometimes however we are the ones who are "in control" of our transitions and changes, This is both a comforting and terrifying feeling and realization.
When we find ourselves in this second category there is an incredible weight and responsibility that comes on us. I think that often times we miss out on seeing the fruit of our lives because we skip out on remaining faithful through hard seasons.
I saw a quote recently in reference to John 15 that said "Faithfulness and fruitfulness are inseparable."
There are times when our desire for change and transition are birthed out of frustrations, and it is imperative in those situations that we think about leaving or changing and then we pray about it, and then we think about it and pray about it, and then we pray about it and seek Godly counsel, and then we pray about it again, and then we wait for a week, and then we pray about it, and then think about it, and pray about. You get the point.
If the Lord is not releasing you to leave then you have a responsibility to persevere.
This applies to every one of us who has chosen to follow Jesus. You may be facing a rough patch at your job with your peers or supervisors or the culture and God has placed you there to bear fruit for the Kingdom of Heaven. Hold Fast. Before you change, seek the face of the Father!
“2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ”
I don't want to be a happy disciple, I want to be mature and complete not lacking anything, this requires persevering through tough seasons. When we accepted Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior we submitted our life to the authority of a King. If he says stay, we stay. If he says go, we go. We don't disobey our king to keep us comfortable.
There were lots of rough days and long nights where I wanted to throw in the towel long before I ever left, and when I asked the King, he said stay. Thats not a boast, thats a confession of my humanity and the power of the Holy Spirit to provide what you need in the middle of trials to persevere.
I want to speak to young Pastors for just a moment:
Don't you dare abandon the people God has called you to lead for a better paycheck, a bigger opportunity, or because it is hard. You leave when the King tells you to go, not before. When you said yes to ministry and to lead the people of God you forfeited the ability to change your job or location on your own. A great leader once told me "Ministry is a long, slow, steady obedience in the same direction." Plow the ground. Plant the seeds. Protect the soil. Invest. Invest. Invest. One day you will see fruit. Pastors who abandon students after 9 months or a year or two years are doing more to cripple the local church than the culture around us. Stop. Stick it out. I know some days it is hard, I know it is rough, I know how it feels to want to quit and go do something else. Please don't transition simply because it is hard.
I had several major moments where I wanted to quit long before I ever left, and I am grateful for the men of God in my life who told me to stick it out. I am grateful for the moments in prayer where the Lord told me I wasn't through. I am grateful for the Holy Spirit and his empowering and comforting.
If you're thinking about transition, think again, and pray again, and wait. And repeat.