Another chapter of my life is closing. The chapter of my time at the Willow Creek Association. The chapter of my time with the Technology Team at the WCA. The chapter of my time with the people who have been my family for the past two years.
And in this time of a closing chapter, I have felt deep pain, hurt, and loss. As always, words fail me to explain the impact that the time with this family of mine has had on me, the way it has challenged me, grown me, encouraged me, and loved me. But the impact they’ve had on me is not because of anything big that happened. It’s because of all the little moments we spent together. All the little things that we did together in our day to day life working with each other. All the moments when our worst selves came out and we still decided to put up with each other.
That’s how family is formed, impacts are made, and people are forever written on my heart. The day to day relationships. Learning about every facet of each other. Seeing each other at our best and at our worst.
Having to say goodbye to that is so deeply painful. I now have two weeks left here, with my family, in our groove. This past week, almost everything associated to work has sent another sting of pain through my heart. The tears start to come with no warning. It hurts to even breathe. It has been very hard. I knew it would be.
But in His time, God renews that pain to remind me that is was all a part of His story. He reminds me how He blessed me in this season, through the dark times and the times of joy. He reminds me of all the small moments that he weaved together to write His grand story and bring His glory. That brings such deep gratitude in my heart that He allowed me to be a part in that story.
The deep gratitude is not something that can be expressed in any way. It is only something that can be felt, and I can only praise Jesus in it. Yesterday God started to expand the gratitude. The pain is still there, but I am starting to feel the renewal of it all.
As this chapter is ending though, a new one is beginning. One which God has called me to and in which God has asked me to obey and follow Him. One in which God has given me the opportunity to use the passions and gifts he has given me. One in which I will learn and grow even more and in which I pray I will continue being molded into Christ’s likeness. One that will glorify Him, just as the past chapters have.
So here’s to the chapter that is ending, and the one that is beginning. May God continue to be glorified in everything and may more and more people come to know Him better through it all.
