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I was disheartened to hear that Navigator ministry colleagues of mine were leaving a church staff position after less than two years. They had been called to help a church become intentionally disciple-making; they sold their long-time residence and moved across the country. Now, less than two years in, the church has decided they really didn’t want their help. 

I’ve written before about the challenge of church change, but today I want to focus on the personal cost to my friends. In addition to the sheer difficulty of moving the older we get, there’s the issue of “Why, God?” “Why bring us all the way across the country to not succeed?”

Here are a few simple observations which may help us not lose heart when things don’t go quite as we had hoped.

• “Success” is not always guaranteed. Neither Isaiah, Jeremiah, nor Ezekiel succeeded in turning the nation. 
• My friends did leave behind “good seed” in the form of people they discipled. And those people will continue to bear fruit whether in that church or somewhere else.
• We don’t know the next chapter in my friends’ story. It may be that where they go next requires them to be in the “neutral” position they are now in.
• The bottom line is that we don’t know why things happen the way they do! A principle I discovered years ago in Proverbs 20.24 applies to so many situations. Some of us think that because God is in charge and we’re following his direction, everything will make sense. In fact, the opposite is true:

The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way? (Proverbs 20.24, NLT)

The Passion Translation does a nice job: It is the Lord who directs your life, for each step you take is ordained by God to bring you closer to your destiny. So much of your life, then, remains a mystery!