The next stop on the journey!

It’s not about the destination, it is all about the journey…

Tweet

How often have you encountered that sentiment? I know I have on more than one occasion, and I have most definitely repeated those words on more than a few occasions. It is timeless in that it reminds us to focus on how the road ahead is being built as we walk it, while we experience everything that happens to us and around us as we walk, and the destination is only one single part of the whole process. When we only focus on the destination we become myopic, losing sight of all the things that prepare us for where we go, and all the people speaking into our journey. That is why I like the language of journey; we are not a sum of destinations, but a map filled with the travel to and from.

As you may have already read on my page about Transitional Ministry, my timeframe is short, it is not a permanent role, and it is all about asking tough questions to prepare going forward. Taking time to look over the journey behind you, assess where you stand today, and look with fresh eyes at what God may be encouraging you to do as you step forward.

There have been plenty of powerful moments, rest stops, and unexpected conversations for me over the past few months. I wish I could have shared them all here for you! But that is the beauty of each personal journey, it is all about you walking it and sharing it, sometimes just with those in the moment, sometimes with a broader audience. God uses all of those times to shape us and his community.

So here I am at the next major stop in my journey: Norquay, Saskatchewan!

This one was unexpected, yet the closer I came to my time here, the clearer it became. My focus over the past few years has become more magnified on helping churches through transitional leadership, and I have never asked for specific churches, or only a certain place to be in doing so. Every step in this journey has been a surprise, a thing the anxious brain does not always like, but can be filled with excitement. It reminds me of a prayer that has been shared with me by 2 different people, at very different places, both at the end of my time with 2 different churches:

“I pray that you will be surprised by what happens next.”

Tweet

There are both nerves and adrenaline functioning at the same time when I take on a challenge like this. I’m sure you have felt the same thing, as you encounter the next chapter in life, maybe a stretch to your faith and a challenge to your current spot in life. We all make a decision when we come to this spot in life, and of course, I have been encouraging you to be bold in making your choice, and as you know, it impacts everything going forward. Even if it means staying in the same spot. Our whole lives are a series of these choices, filled with both nerves and adrenaline, and we get to decide what happens next. 

I look forward to what this stop teaches me as I journey with others! I hope your journey is filled with great surprises today and for many days ahead.