Endings and New Beginnings

Yesterday I said goodbye to Summer Creek High School, my beloved campus of two and a half years.  This was a day of many hugs and tears, celebrations and sadness.  I had an opportunity to talk to so many colleagues that I consider to be friends and bring closure to a job that has occupied many of my thoughts and much of my time since my arrival.  This was the job that I always wanted and dreamed about.  It was the most difficult job that I ever loved, and was the job I have most enjoyed.  The most difficult part was saying goodbye to those I am closest to.  These are the people who I had the pleasure of interacting with each and every day, who added to my life and daily taught me things about leadership.  It was here that I discovered that while I am an only child by birth, I have a sister that was on the campus with me all along.  I managed to hold it together all day, but I cried as I drove away.  Even now I write these words with tears.

For some readers of this blog, this raises questions:

- Why would you leave the job you dreamed about and admit that you loved?

- Why would you leave a house that you admit is your dream house?

- Didn't you just build a shop that you had wanted for 15 years?  Wasn't it exactly what you had wanted?

- Why leave family and friends that are so dear to you?

My simple answer is that when the King asks you to go on an adventure with Him, your answer should be yes.  Some people hear His message and have to think about it for a while.  They decide later whether to obey or turn away.  Those that turn away do so because of worry about the unknown, love of possessions, or because of difficulties in life that they feel that they are unable to overcome.  Some can't depart because of family or friends they feel they can't leave.

Jesus addressed each of these objections:

Luke 9:59-62

He said to another person, “Come, follow me.”

The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”

 But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.”

 Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good- bye to my family.”

 But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”

Luke 14:26-27

“If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.

Luke 14:33

So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.

Matthew 6:24

“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Luke 13: 3-9-  “Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

Others hear the message over time and fail to recognize it for what it is, only later discovering that God was planting seeds and watering them so that they would grow into a garden months or even years later.  We are in this group.  But like the Apostle Paul, when you meet the risen Jesus while traveling to a destination that you have chosen, your life and your destination are forever changed.

Is there precedent in the Bible for taking such drastic action in your life?

- Abram (Genesis 12) - Genesis 12:1-3

 The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”

-Joseph (Genesis 37)- In a dream God told Joseph that he'd be a ruler and that his family would bow down to serve him.  This didn't happen until he was pulled into Egypt as a slave, servant, and prison inmate.

-David (1 Samuel 16)- David was a shepherd boy who was called out of the field where he was tending sheep and was anointed by the prophet Samuel as the king of the Israelites.  He soon found himself in Saul's palace, playing a harp to sooth Saul.  After that, he was fighting Goliath with Saul and the army. He spent many years hiding and running from Saul, many times being away from family and his closest friend Jonathan.

Paul (Saul from Acts 9)- On the road to Damascus to throw Christians in jail, he met Jesus who told him to continue on into Damascus for further directions.  He later left Damascus by being dropped from a basket and rope over the city's wall, stayed in the desert for at least 2 years, and then continuously went on missional journeys for the rest of his life.  He stayed in many places for months and then moved on, making and leaving friends every step of the way.

-Peter, Andrew, James, and John Matthew 4:18-22

 One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him.

 A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.

Gideon -  Was found threshing grain in a wine press because he was afraid of being attacked.  The Lord gives him the mission of saving the Israelites from an oppressing nation.

Judges 6:14

Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!”

Moses (Exodus 3)- Was tending sheep in Midian with his wife and her family and was called to be the one who led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt.

Exodus 3:10

Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.”

Yes, God does call believers to "go" on his behalf.  The only thing that matters in the believer's response is action.  Good intentions don't move the Lord's heart if they aren't followed by actual obedience.  Noble thoughts such as "I can't possibly leave my family because they need me" or "this church or this person or this ministry might fall apart if I leave" are actually empty and sometimes selfish.  By saying such things you are stating that God is not in control of those circumstances and couldn't possibly make good out of situations that you are not personally involved in.  At its root, this displays a lack of faith.

While it is very difficult to leave all that we have and know, the one thing we know for certain is that our Lord has called this family to go.  It is now our job to obey, believing that God has a plan and "causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them."  (Romans 8:28)

What is God saying about what YOU are supposed to do?  Is it possible you are supposed to come to Seattle with us, or to go somewhere else in His name?  There is no greater adventure than to be on a mission for the King.  Ask Him what he would have you do, and then wait.